Myths, Empire & the Middle East - Wed 6pm

Richard Becker: Myths, Empire & the Middle East:  The great historian Howard Zinn always reminded us of the importance of knowing history, not the imagined and fabricated past but what actually happened. Powerful states have incentives to invent history and they have varied instruments at their disposal to achieve their ends. Few areas in the world are as deeply contested as the Middle East with its strategic location astride Europe and Asia and its unparalleled oil and natural gas reserves. Today the U.S. is the intruder in the Middle East and, says Richard Becker, we will pay the price. Richard Becker is a writer and commentator on Middle East affairs and has visited the region on numerous occasions. He is the author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire."