Wednesday, November 11/2015

London School of Economics for a lecture on the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East rentier states - Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. (No clear idea why Saudi Arabia excluded). The content is interesting, though not riveting, and does present a picture of a conservative but much less militant brotherhood in circumstances where it is not in direct conflict with government. Rather a summary of national characteristics than an analysis of the movement's political effects or potential. The presenter, Dr Courtney Freer, is young, engaging, informed, and without ego. Unfortunately, though, she speaks very quickly and softly, while seated, making her extremely difficult to follow. The questions from the audience at the end come from some highly informed people and are often accompanied by compliments on the quality of the presentation. Not sure whether they are naturally much more polite than I or are just used to  a somewhat low standard of delivery.