Morehouse College professor speaks on central Asia and the Caspian Sea region following the Cold Wa

Gregory Hall, associate professor and chair of the political science department at Morehouse College in Atlanta, speaks on central Asia and the Caspian Sea region following the Cold War at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Alumni Lounge, Quadrangle Building, Saint John’s University.

His speech, “The ‘Great Game’ Renewed: U.S., Russian and Chinese Involvement in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea Region After the Cold War,” is free and open to the public.

Hall will briefly discuss the history of the three major powers’ involvement in the region; their economic/resource, political and security interests in the region; the post-Cold War context (how the 9/11 terrorist attacks prompted the U.S. to change its approach in the area); and how the interests and actions of each power affect the other powers, and how other “actors” (Iran, the European Union) factor into the major power relationship.

Hall has master’s and doctorate degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship and a Fulbright lecturing award for Russia.

He has authored several articles on Russian and eastern European affairs in journals such as Mediterranean Quarterly and East European Quarterly. Hall is the co-author of the forthcoming book, Geopolitics and Security in the Caspian Sea Region.

In addition to his speech, Hall will lecture to College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University political science classes on International Relations and Middle East Politics Feb. 22.

His lecture is part of the spring 2007 Global Awareness Lecture Series, and is presented by the Center for International Education and the Political Science Department at CSB/SJU. In existence for more than 25 years, the Global Awareness Lecture Series has presented some 150 campus programs on international issues. The series was launched as an effort to internationalize curriculum at CSB/SJU, including a focus on the lesser developed world. 

Morehouse College, one of America’s most important historically black colleges, and CSB/SJU have a relationship that began in the fall of 2000, when SJU was invited to participate in the first meeting of men’s colleges at the Morehouse Research Institute in Atlanta. This meeting was inspired by President Walter Massey of Morehouse, who brought together various constituents to look at the decreasing percentage of men graduating from all colleges and universities in the country.

The political science departments of CSB/SJU and Morehouse began a speaker exchange in November 2005. This departmental exchange is part of a number of cooperative projects between the institutions.