Dr. Joel Beinin is a historian whose work focuses on the social history and political economy of modern Egypt, Palestine, and Israel, and on U.S. policy in the Middle East. Currently, he is Professor of History and professor of Middle East history at Stanford University. Previously, Beinin was a professor of history and director of Middle East studies at the American University in Cairo. He has written or edited twelve books. Beinin received his B.A. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, his M.A. in Middle East Studies from Harvard University, and his M.A.L.S. in Library Science and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan.