The Middle East Institute is proud to host MEI Scholar Dr. Charles Schmitz for a discussion about Yemen's political future. Two years after the start of anti-government protests in Yemen, the country remains torn by political divisions and rivalries. Schmitz will examine the political challenges ahead and whether or not the country's upcoming National Dialogue holds the key to stabilizing Yemen. Who are the domestic and foreign actors vying to shape Yemen's future and can the National Dialogue successfully incorporate the political aspirations of a sufficient number of the competing Yemeni groups to lead to a stable political settlement of the Yemeni crisis? Biography: Dr. Charles Schmitzis professor of Geography at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Schmitz is a specialist on the Middle East and Yemen, president of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, and a member of the executive board of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. Thu, 2/14/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm