Lessons from Afar: Anti-Apartheid, the Arab Spring, and the Path Forward

The anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa captured the world's attention during the latter half of the 20th century, just as the Arab Spring did in the early 21st. Precisely three decades after Nelson Mandela's release from prison and a decade from the start of the Arab Spring, what lessons can we draw from South Africa as the Middle East continues to seek stability? And as people across the world confront rising authoritarianism, how can these important moments in history be guiding lights for lasting change?

Join us as Ebrahim Rasool, the former South African ambassador to the United States, Shafiq Morton, an award-winning South African commentator, and Bel Trew, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, sit down with Carnegie Endowment scholar Dr. H.A. Hellyer to discuss these issues.

event speakers

H. A. Hellyer
Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program
Shafiq Morton
Shafiq Morton, an award-winning Cape Town-based journalist for the past 4 decades, has covered the anti-apartheid struggle, the Palestinian occupation, the release of Nelson Mandela, and the Libya uprising of 2011. An author of several books, he presents on South Africa FM’s breakfast show, and the Drivetime show at Voice of the Cape media.
Ebrahim Rasool
Ebrahim Rasool is the former Ambassador of South Africa to the United States, and held senior positions in the African National Congress during and after the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. A noted politician and diplomat, Rasool’s career has included being premier of the Western Cape and engaging with the Arab world during the 2011 uprisings.
Bel Trew
Bel Trew is the Middle East Correspondent for the British newspaper, The Independent, based in Beirut. Ms. Trew has covered the region since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, reporting on uprisings and civil conflicts from South Sudan to Iraq and Syria to Yemen. She has also covered the emergence of ISIS; the last two wars between Israel and Gaza; and the refugee and migrant crisis in Libya and the Mediterranean.

event speakers

H. A. Hellyer
Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program
Shafiq Morton
Shafiq Morton, an award-winning Cape Town-based journalist for the past 4 decades, has covered the anti-apartheid struggle, the Palestinian occupation, the release of Nelson Mandela, and the Libya uprising of 2011. An author of several books, he presents on South Africa FM’s breakfast show, and the Drivetime show at Voice of the Cape media.
Ebrahim Rasool
Ebrahim Rasool is the former Ambassador of South Africa to the United States, and held senior positions in the African National Congress during and after the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. A noted politician and diplomat, Rasool’s career has included being premier of the Western Cape and engaging with the Arab world during the 2011 uprisings.
Bel Trew
Bel Trew is the Middle East Correspondent for the British newspaper, The Independent, based in Beirut. Ms. Trew has covered the region since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, reporting on uprisings and civil conflicts from South Sudan to Iraq and Syria to Yemen. She has also covered the emergence of ISIS; the last two wars between Israel and Gaza; and the refugee and migrant crisis in Libya and the Mediterranean.