Joav Toker

Professor Joav Toker participated in the first Cartooning Global Forum organized at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris last October under the patronage of the French Permanent Delegation at UNESCO. This event brought together journalists, political cartoonists, and other media professionals to discuss the active role of cartooning in society with the aim to promote peace, freedom of speech, equality and education, and produce recommendations for the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG 2010).

Professor Toker participated in the opening session, which focused on the democracy challenges related to institutional attempts to control or restrain cartoonists’ freedom of expression.

More information on the Cartooning Global Forum

A journalist by training, Professor Toker teaches the courses on Global Communications, Media, and International Affairs at AGS. He is also a regular political consultant and commentator on TV (TV5 Monde, France 24, and others). In March he participated in a debate on the Chinese Global Television Network CGTN about perceptions within the EU regarding China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”.

Photo: Cartoonistsrights.org

Professor Joav Toker participated in a two-day international conference on the theme “1917-2017: The West and the Middle East” (“1917-2017: Les Occidentaux et le Moyen-Orient”) held in Trouville-sur-Mer, in French Normandy on May 27-28. This was the second edition of the "International Geopolitics Conference of Trouville-sur-Mer", organized by Frederic Encel, a specialist of geopolitics and an Assistant Professor at Sciences-Po in Paris

Professor Toker gave a presentation on the topic “Partition plans and ‘Realpolitik’”, providing a critical historical overview of several partition plans made by international organizations and governments of war victorious powers, and comparing their intended purpose with the way they were implemented and integrated into the international reality.

See video of Joav Toker's presentation (in French) - starts at 12'49"

Joav Toker is a journalist of international affairs. Born in Israel, he did his graduate studies at Columbia University in New York before moving to Paris, where he has resided for the past 20 years, serving as European correspondent for the Israeli National Television as well as covering Middle Eastern affairs for European media, notably the French TV5 Monde. He was recently invited to participate in a televised debate on the relations between Europe and China aired on the Chinese international television network CGTN, following French President Emmanuel Macron's three day state visit to China in January.

Professor Joav Toker was on France 24 to comment on the consequences of the release of French aid worker Pierre Camatte by North African Al Qaeda militants on February 23. According to France 24, "the release has been met with relief in France, but has stirred up a diplomatic storm. Algeria and Mauritania have recalled their ambassadors in protest, judging that the deal undermines the efforts of all countries in the region to combat terrorism in North Africa."

View France24's show Face-off: Pierre Camatte's release: free, at what cost?

Joav Toker was on the international Francophone TV channel TV5 twice in November to comment on various world affairs, including the inter-Palestinian crisis, US-China relationships, Radovan Karadzic's trial, the political situation in Pakistan, and the European Union presidency.

View video of the two shows:

• Kiosque, November 1, 2009

• Kiosque, November 15, 2009

On October 23 Professor Joav Toker gave a paper about the Middle-Eastern policy of France and the European Union, at the national convention of UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France).

In his presentation Professor Toker examined the possible impact of the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama on his mediation role in the conflicts affecting that region of the world.

Professor Joav Toker gave a paper on "Government and Media in Extreme Crisis Situations" at Sciences-Po (Institut d'Etudes Politiques) in Paris on April 17. His paper examined both government and media institutions in situations of extreme tension, such as natural catastrophies or terrorist attacks. Professor Toker looked at the way both of those types of power react under exceptional circumstances: what is the mechanism of change and the correlation betweeen both of them.

The audience was composed of students and faculty in the disciplines of international relations, political science, media studies and journalism.

Professor Toker participated in several recent TV debates on Foreign Affairs on the international Francophone channel TV5.

View debates here:

• May 11th, 2008

• June 15th 2008

• September 20th 2008

Professor Joav Toker participated in a TV debate about the situation in the Gaza strip on the French parliament TV channel La Chaîne Parlementaire.

In February, 2008 he also participated in a TV debate about Middle-East terrorism, the EU and the US, on the French national TV channel France 5, in an "expert-debate" show entitled "C dans l'Air".

In December 2007 Prof. Joav Toker participated in a televized debate on the international news channel France 24, evaluating the results of the Parisian 'Conference of Donors' for the Palestinian state.

Prof. Toker's previous appearances on France 24 were about 'European Foreign Policy ambitions' (March 2007) and 'French Presidential Election' (April).

In October 2007 Professor Toker anchored a day-long conference on 'International Sustainable Development' (Développement Durable International) at the Grande Arche de la Defense near Paris, with the participation of Jean-Louis Borloo, French Minister of the Environment.