Fred Halliday, cosmopolitan (1946-2010)
El profesor Fred Halliday inició su relación con CIDOB en los años ochenta y, desde entonces, esta colaboración fue en aumento, especialmente a partir de su estancia en CIDOB como investigador visitante en 2004. Poco a poco, fue decidiendo que Barcelona era su lugar. El proyecto del IBEI, hermano de CIDOB entonces en sus primeros pasos, le sedujo, y Barcelona le acogió con los brazos abiertos.
Professor Fred Halliday’s relationship with CIDOB began in the 1980s, after which his contributions grew, particularly during his stay as a guest researcher at CIDOB in 2004. Gradually, he came to the decision that Barcelona was the place for him. He was fascinated by the IBEI project (the sister organisation to CIDOB, which was at that time taking its first steps), and Barcelona welcomed him with open arms. In this, the last stage of his life, he contributed to the idea of seeing the world from Barcelona, by placing people in the centre of international debate, ever faithful to his cosmopolitan views and the generosity and human qualities that characterised him.
Without neglecting the need to understand the role of states, the impact of foreign policy and the evolution of international system, Fred Halliday constantly pointed out that people experience international relations on a personal level. Professor Halliday repeatedly stressed – to those interested in studying and understanding international relations – the intellectual need to remain open to incorporating into their analysis the social transformations, global in scope, that take place before our very eyes every day, but which we are so often incapable of fully understanding. Barcelona, a city that Fred Halliday knew so well (and not only its ancient history but also its present) became for him a laboratory of these new realities. A walk through the streets of the Raval, one of the city's most diverse, vibrant districts, and the home of both CIDOB and IBEI, was not only a pleasure for him, but also an intellectual stimulus and a confirmation that cosmopolitan life is still possible in the Mediterranean. Barcelona, a city that is both Mediterranean and open to the world, also offered him a vantage point from which to study the areas of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, on the subjects of which he wrote profusely and for which he will always be remembered.
CIDOB had the opportunity to work with him on many different projects in this field, on Iran, Iraq and political Islamism. This collaboration is a small example of his contribution to improving Barcelona's connections and international influence, as well as its academic community, experts and institutions.
The work that Fred Halliday did was of great importance in terms of connecting us with the great international debates, with the nerve centres of thought and the most influential intellectuals in the analysis of international relations of the past 25 years. With the premature passing of Professor Halliday, not only CIDOB but all of Barcelona has lost a major figure, and a good friend. - Fred Halliday en Barcelona / Fred Halliday in Barcelona Carmen Claudín. Directora de investigación CIDOB. 29/04/2010- Fred Halliday, experto en relaciones internacionales. Pere Vilanova. El País, 28/04/2010- Contra la corriente. Mariano Aguirre. La Vanguardia, 28/04/2010- Fiel analista de Oriente Próximo. Rosa Meneses. El Mundo, 28/04/2010- Fred Halliday 1946 – 2010. Anthony Barnett. OpenDemocracy, 26/04/2010- Fred Halliday, demystifier of the Middle East. The Economist, 06/05/2010- Irish academic Fred Halliday dies in Barcelona. Café Babel, 03/05/2010- A legacy of scholarly work and common sense. Gulf News, 30/04/2010