UALR’s Middle Eastern Studies Program presents a lecture by author and journalist Akram Belkaid titled “The Algerian Civil War and its Aftermath” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in Dickinson Hall Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required.

An Algerian trained as an engineer, Belkaid left his native country for France at the age of 30 and became a journalist for several major French newspapers. He covers international events with a focus on the Middle East. He is the author of four books on the Magreb, the name for the countries of northwestern Africa – Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

His is a guest of the U.S. State Department and is in Little Rock to learn about civil rights and is hosted by the Arkansas Council for International Visitors.

For more information about the event, contact Dr. Jacek Lubecki at 501.683.7029.