Eyal Zisser, a preeminent scholar on Middle Eastern relations, will lecture at the University today as part of his U.S. tour.

Zisser, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, also serves as head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He has written extensively on Syria, Lebanon and Israeli-Syrian relations.

Michael Printy Arthur, director of media affairs for the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, said Zisser will be touring the East Coast throughout the week and will be giving lectures in Atlanta at Georgia State University, Georgia Tech and Emory.

Zisser, who will visit the state and University for the first time, said his lecture would be mostly concerned with U.S. policy in the Middle East and Israeli armed policy.

“The Middle East arrived to America with 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan and now with Iran,” he said. “Now, of course, there is much more interest on the Middle East in America.”

Zisser said this is a chance for students to learn from someone who looks at situations from a different point of view.

Jonathan Arogeti, vice president of Dawgs for Israel, said he is looking forward to the professor’s visit.

“I’m excited to hear firsthand what’s going on over in the Middle East,” he said. “It’s an opportunity we [students] don’t always have – to hear from somebody in that region and to get to hear about events that are going on beyond our borders,” Arogeti said.

Arthur said Zisser’s visit is part of an outreach to bring different points of view to universities.

“Professor Zisser is a great resource for students and a great chance for colleges to get an academic from Israel,” he said.

The lecture is sponsored by the School of Public and International Affairs, UGA Hillel and Dawgs for Israel. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. in room 101 of the Miller Learning Center.