mei-nus: Recent Episodes
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Want to be updated about the latest developments in the Middle East? Too busy to catch an event at our institute? Tune in to our podcast as we share snippets and insights from our in-house researchers and external speakers.
Gulf stability is beginning to play a larger role in the foreign policy calculus of many states, but the evolving role of Asian powers is largely under-represented in the International Relations literature. To fill this gap, MEI will host a discussion with the editors and contributors of a new book that provides fresh perspectives on the topic. The underlying assumption is not that Asian powers have already become important security actors in the Gulf, but that they perceive the Gulf as a region of increasing strategic relevance. How will leaders in these countries adjust to an evolving regional framework? Will there be coordinated efforts to establish an Asian-centred approach to Gulf stability, or will Asian rivalries make the region a theatre of competition? Will US–China tensions force alignment choices among Asian powers? Will Asian states balance, bandwagon, hedge, or adopt some other approach to their Gulf relationships? These and other questions will be covered by the panel.
The Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, in coordination with Wardah Books, invites you to join Dr Hisham A. Hellyer, a scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (USA), Dr Suzaina Kadir, Vice Dean and Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS and Mr Fazlur Rahman, a Muslim community leader for a discussion on the ‘indigenisation’ of Islam as minorities, with reflections on the South African Capetonian Muslim community in general, and the example of the late Shaykh Seraj Hendricks, often referred to as the ‘Mufti of Cape Town’.
Capetonian Muslims are indelibly impacted by South-east Asia, one of the main origins of Muslim South Africa, while deeply impacted by Western traditions. The community’s history as a deeply integral component of South Africa, which was cut off from much of the world due to its earlier apartheid regime, has since become a focus of interest of many Muslim minority communities.
Shaykh Seraj Hendricks was a contemporary South African Sufi shaykh and Islamic scholar who drew from his own Western education and training from sages and savants in Mecca, many of whom also taught numerous South-east Asian Muslim religious authorities.
As China deepens its engagement in the Middle East, the United States is relooking its posture in the region. These moves will impact ties between Washington and its traditional partners. Join us as experts from the Washington Institute, dissect the issue.
China’s rise is changing the world. Much attention has been given to how China’s geo-economic vision is playing out in the global economy, or how its technology is reshaping the planet. Yet, it is over its western borders, in Central Asia, that China’s influence has been quietly expanding in a more pervasive way. It is here that you can find the first strand of Xi Jinping’s grand Belt and Road Initiative, China’s new Silk Road to the West. It is to the Eurasian heartland that we can look to for an understanding of China’s new foreign policy vision and its consequences.
In Sinostan, Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen recount their travels across Central Asia to tell the story of China’s growing influence. They interview Chinese traders in latter-day Silk Road bazaars; climb remote mountain passes threatened by construction; commiserate with Afghan archaeologists charged with saving centuries-old Buddhist ruins before they are swept away by mining projects; meet with eager young Central Asians learning Mandarin; and sit with officials in all five Central Asian capitals, bearing witness to a region increasingly transformed by Beijing’s presence. Their stories and experiences illustrate how China’s foreign policy initiative has expressed itself on the ground, and what it means for those living both within and beyond the boundaries of its “inadvertent empire”.
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Egypt from 6 to 18 November 2022. The location in Egypt, part of a wider Middle East region vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, offers a better opportunity to reflect regional concerns, challenges, and diverse national circumstances. This public discussion aims to examine the current state of climate action and implementation gaps in the Middle East.
- What are the key climate change challenges facing the Middle East countries?
- What are the climate adaptation implementation gaps in the Middle East?
- How will variant national circumstances shape Middle East countries’ contribution to climate mitigation and global energy transition?
- What are the specific climate policies and aspects of governance that contribute to more effective climate mitigation and adaptation?
- How can Middle East countries adapt to extreme weather events?
- What is the current state and gaps of climate finance in the Middle East?
- How can Middle East countries seize the opportunity to voice their regional climate concerns and interests at COP 27?
The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with the Middle East Centre of the London School of Economics and Political Science, will host two panels to tackle these and other questions.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
In the past, media and think-tanks have published numerous reports and papers on the social transformations happening in the Arabian Peninsula, and, more specifically, inside Saudi Arabia. However, this analysis too often focused on the changes brought about from the top, via government initiatives like the emblematic Saudi Vision 2030. The newly-published book, Charity in Saudi Arabia, takes the opposite tack. In this innovative study of everyday charity practices in Jeddah, author Nora Derbal employs a “bottom-up” approach to challenge dominant narratives about state-society relations in Saudi Arabia. Exploring charity organisations in Jeddah, the book offers a rich ethnography of associational life. It counters Riyadh-centric studies which focus on oil, the royal family, and the religious establishment, while closely following those who work on the ground to provide charity to local poor and needy to document their achievements, struggles, and daily negotiations.
In this webinar, Dr. Derbal will explain why the lens of charity offers rare insights into the religiosity of ordinary Saudis, showing that Islam offers Saudi activists a language, a moral frame, and a worldly guide to confronting inequality. Charity in Saudi Arabia examines perspectives that are too often ignored or neglected, opening new debates about civil society and civic activism in the Gulf.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Concerns about food global food supplies have been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, compelling states across the Middle East and North Africa to revisit their food security policies. The UAE, for one, announced its “National Food Strategy 2051” in 2018, and has since acquired substantial agricultural and food production assets from Latin America to South Asia. It also aims to become a major player in the production and distribution of fertiliser, while combining this approach with sustainability policies (particularly renewable energy) and the acquisition of shares in global food commodity trading firms.
Considering that the UAE imports 80 to 90 per cent of its food, how does it address the perennial debate between imports and self-sufficiency? Is value chain management a more appropriate strategy than farmland investments? How does Abu Dhabi manage food accessibility for vulnerable groups such as migrant workers? More broadly, what is the future of global security as several crises loom?
On 30 August, The Middle East Institute hosted H.E. Dr. Abdulnasser Al Shaali, the UAE’s Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, as he addressed these questions and more.
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/bridging-the-gulf/
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Dr. Marc Owen Jones discusses digital authoritarianism, the recent developments in technology and tactics of repression in the Middle East.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This lecture series will give you a comprehensive overview of the region and its impacts on Singapore and the world.
Towards the end of 2021, the late President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed approved an extensive list of legal reforms. New laws and updated legislation span the business, labour, family, personal status, crime, intellectual property and e-commerce sectors. Of note is a new law permitting investors and entrepreneurs to completely own onshore companies in all sectors – a significant departure from previous practice that guaranteed the UAE national major shares in any company. On the social front, the move to decriminalise consensual relationships outside of marriage is another novelty. Is the motivation behind these changes the creation of a more attractive business environment? How far ahead is the UAE in socio-economic terms, relative to its neighbours?
Following his ascension, the new President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, has shown no signs of slowing down. From a directive granting children of Emirati mothers the same benefits as other citizens in education and health to a financial package for low-income citizens, he has shown his penchant for supporting domestic constituencies. What is the strategy for harmonising policies among the seven emirates? Crucially, how will the GCC states develop a sustainable plan for Covid-resilience? Are there any social trade-offs for such moves?
Besides examining the UAE’s first-mover advantage, this roundtable will also look at intra-GCC economic competition, with Riyadh and Doha snapping at Abu Dhabi’s heels. The Middle East Institute will welcome two experts, Mr Nasser Al Shaikh and Dr Omar Al-Ubaydli, to address these issues and more.
Disinformation can lead to indoctrination, which can in turn lead to incitement. The Arab world has been a victim of violence incited by an information disorder. Who wields the “stick” of (dis)information? Social media and digital technology, which helped fuel the Arab Spring, is now being used as a tool of counter-revolutionary repression to protect the authoritarian status quo across the MENA region, especially from perceived ‘Islamist’ threats and Iranian expansionism. Up until now the study of disinformation, which has tended to frame Russia and China as forces undermining Western security, has rarely examined the Middle East and Western-allied Gulf states.
In this webinar, Dr Marc Owen Jones explains the chains of information operations in the Middle East, particularly the main projectors of digital media power in the Gulf Arab states. Describing a new era of Gulf politics as a “post-truth moment,” Dr Jones argues that digital technology has been employed in influence operations to the degree that right-wing American policy and foreign policy of Gulf states intertwine.
Dr Jones’ upcoming book, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East, will also address issues such as sportswashing, pseudo-reality industries, and the silencing of journalists and women. Join the Middle East Institute for this book talk with the author.
Mr Roy Zur, retired major from the Israeli Defence Force – Unit 8200 – discusses the future of cyber warfare and cyber intelligence.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Since the introduction of a quota system for the Muslim pilgrimage in 1988, calls for increased hajj quotas by different countries have been ceaseless. Annually, administrative arrangements, including the deployment of speedy transportation, have been constantly revisited and improved. Technology, particularly the mobile phone, has not only brought ease, and more pilgrims, to the hajj, but has also enhanced the experience. From planning to tracking (via GPS) and the use of PDF guides, technology has substantially increased the flow of useful information to pilgrims.
Covid-19 saw an increase in the use of technology to keep worshippers safe. Besides an online registration system, robots were employed to sanitise the Grand Mosque, and to distribute bottled water for social distancing purposes. As health restrictions are eased and travel becomes increasingly possible, the hajj looks to return to pre-pandemic levels. How will new technologies help organisers and pilgrims alike?
The Middle East Institute (NUS), in collaboration with the Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, hosted HE Dr Amr Almaddah, the Deputy Minister for Hajj and Umrah Services, to address these questions and more.
This event is also supported by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Singapore.
Speaker: HE Dr Amr Al Maddah, Deputy Minister for Hajj and Umrah Services, Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
HE Dr Amr Al Maddah is the Deputy Minister for Hajj and Umrah Services at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Dr Almaddah received his PhD in intelligent systems and applied informatics from Osaka University in Japan. After his return to Saudi Arabia, he worked in King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center before moving to King Abdulaziz University as an academic staff. Prior to his work in the Ministry, Dr. Almaddah served in many senior management roles in big entities in the government and private sectors such as Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) and The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (MiSK). Dr Almaddah speaks many languages fluently and is always seeking opportunities to make a difference.
This event was hosted on 27 June, 2022.
In this episode, Meia Nouwens discusses Chinese private security companies and artificial intelligence.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
The war in Ukraine has forced Europe to re-examine its security strategy and energy dependence on Russian oil and gas. The EU is now pushing for an embargo on all Russian hydrocarbons – a previously unthinkable option. Whilst the energy industry has been rapidly shifting away from hydrocarbon investments, governments have been slow to promote low carbon alternatives, leaving a looming energy shortfall. But it is not just Europe, and energy, that will be affected.
Around the world, countries are bracing for the impact. Expectations of a post-Covid recovery have vanished – the IMF has predicted that global growth will halve from 2021’s 6.1 per cent. The war will add fuel to the inflation fire, and fears of a food crisis are looming. In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned in his May Day address that a recession could hit within the next two years.
Geopolitically, too, countries will count the cost. The renewed alignment between the US and Europe to isolate Russia is forcing many countries follow suit. Nations such as Finland and Sweden are making plans to join NATO. While a majority of United Nations member states have backed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many African and Asian states abstained or did not vote, not wishing to choose sides. Middle Eastern oil producers have resisted calls from the US to increase output. China, facing economic tailwinds of its own, is assessing how to avoid suffering Russia’s fate in future.
What will the various impacts of the war be? What is the outlook for Singapore and other countries in Asia? Will the climate emergency return to the headlines? What lenses should we put on to discern the main driving forces from the noise? Join us for this talk and question-and-answer session to find out.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 21 June 2022, from 11.00 am to 12.00 pm (SGT).
Note: Mr Rose spoke in private capacity, and his views are his own.
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/russia-ukraine-conflict-in-search-of-silver-linings-in-the-energy-transition/
2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the Singapore-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation which has funded about 190 projects since its inception. The active collaboration between the two innovative countries has continued to strengthen over the past five decades. Earlier in March, Israel and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cross-border cooperation on artificial intelligence. Singapore will also be establishing its embassy in Tel Aviv this year.
This webinar was organised by the Middle East Institute (NUS) to commemorate these significant events and the collaboration between both countries.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 15 June 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT). For more information, please click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/innovation-and-collaboration-25th-anniversary-of-the-singapore-israel-industrial-research-and-development/
China is at the forefront of the application of digital technologies in the financial sector – in securing benefits, regulating risks and in experimentation. Private companies Alibaba and Tencent spearheaded the introduction of e-payments within China but are now subject to increasing regulation. At the same time, Beijing has moved to clamp down on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin mining and trading for reasons of financial stability, control and energy consumption.
In parallel, China has piloted the introduction of its own Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), known as the e-RMB, e-CNY or DC/EP (digital currency/electronic payment). This is a pilot that had 261 million individual participants as of January 2022. The main focus for the e-yuan is domestic, and serves as a component of China’s society-wide digital transformation.
However, the e-CNY is also, in the words of the People’s Bank of China, ‘ready for cross-border use’. China has already launched m-CBDC Bridge, a project on cross-border digital currency payment with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong and Thailand. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) estimates that using the e-CNY between Singapore and China could bring savings of 3-5% of Singapore’s gross domestic product. The MAS is assessing the economic case for a retail CBDC in Singapore and its potential implications for financial stability and monetary policy.
Worldwide, 90 countries are exploring their own digital currencies including the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are ambitious plans to accelerate fintech transformation across the Gulf.
At the same time, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has stated that he does not believe that China’s early adoption of a digital currency threatens the dollar’s role as the main global reserve currency. The UK’s House of Lords has concluded that CBDCs may be ‘a solution in search of a problem’ and are fraught with risks.
In this seminar, three experts will explore the potential economic and geopolitical impact of China’s initiatives in digital finance and the opportunities, risks and choices for countries in the Middle East. The seminar will address questions, including:
- Who benefits from the greater use of digital currencies and what are the risks?
- Will the e-CNY re-energise the internationalisation of the renminbi?
- Does it matter if the e-US dollar and e-Euro only come into being in 10 years’ time?
- Do China’s controls on cryptocurrencies matter for the rest of the world?
- Does every country need its own digital currency and why?
- What role will digital currencies play in Islamic finance and its institutions?
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 7 June 2022, from 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm (SGT). For more information, click here.
This book aims to provide a more balanced understanding of the contemporary processes of domestic policymaking and governance in Saudi Arabia. Comprehension of these two areas is pertinent given the importance of the government’s economic diversification plans: Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020, and revised NTP 2.0. This book draws on academics, researchers, policymakers and practitioners with knowledge and experience of domestic policymaking and governance in Saudi Arabia. One of the aims of this edited volume is to analyse the factors that facilitate or constrain effective and viable domestic policymaking and governance in the Kingdom. By bringing together chapters written by scholars and practitioners with first-hand knowledge and experience from a range of social, political, economic and cultural experiences, the book examines various sectors, including labour, defence, health, youth issues, energy, and the environment.
This public discussion examines the progress made in Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation efforts, their implications for state-society relations, and the economics of the rentier social contract, among other issues.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 8 June 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT). For more information, please click here.
While the Middle East has perpetually been at the crossroads, the current juncture is no less critical in which regional powers are fast realigning in the wake of the US shifting away from being the most dominant player in the region. Under this scenario, Turkey’s role becomes crucial not only because of its intrinsic strength but also due to its relative standing by virtue of its NATO membership which could make it a conduit for Western powers. They can leverage on Ankara to exercise control over the Middle East geopolitics, particularly out of fear of Russia and China filling the regional security void. Against these backdrops, this webinar would delve into understanding Turkey’s Middle East ambitions and regional role.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 1 June 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT).
Despite receiving scrutiny as the one of the main ideological sources for extremist violence perpetrated by jihadi groups, Salafism is not monolithic. Looking beyond the literature discussing transnational jihadi networks, Dr Raihan Ismail examines how quietist and activist Salafi clerics work across borders to preserve and promote what they deem “authentic Islam”. In this talk, Ismail focuses on the ‘ulama of three countries – Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – and unveil how they have taken to the cyber domain to publicise their views.
While quietist Salafis endorse an apolitical tradition and denounce political activism, haraki, or activist, Salafi clerics advocate peaceful political change. Dr Ismail reassesses existing Salafi typology, offering new categorisations of Salafi clerics in their attitudes towards sectarian matters, and when dealing with social change. Drawing upon publications, religious rulings and cyber-ethnography, her book, Rethinking Salafism, lays out how the ʿulama cooperate to foster a collective Salafi identity based on their political, theological, and jurisprudential positions.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 26 May 2022, from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm (SGT).
The UAE has emerged as the most iconic and widely publicised of all GCC countries in the past years. Its unique and stunning landmarks, cultural and sporting events and magnetism for talent and workforce from the wider region and beyond gave it a special position among its peers. This was further enhanced by the World Expo hosted to coincide with the country’s 50th anniversary. These were all complemented by a robust political and military role at times seen by critics as bordering on adventurism but toned down to more of a realpolitik posture as the country occupied a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council this year.
The webinar examines the nature, pace and direction of the socio-cultural developments of the UAE. The objective of the webinar is to shed light on:
- the process of moving away from traditional tribal society towards nation state and what it has achieved in 50 years
- the socio-cultural aspects of the integration of an immigrant community into Emirati society outnumbering citizen population by 10:1
- the intent to formulate a moderate and inclusive contextualisation of Islam as an antidote to exclusion and extremism
- social aspects of providing adequate security in a volatile environment (human and national security)
- cultural underpinnings of building alliances that serve the continued safety, security and progress of the Emirates as a major regional center for trade, travel and culture.
The conversation also promises to contextualise the UAE’s transformation and policy initiatives with respect to its Gulf neighbours.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 5 May 2022, from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here.
In this episode, Mr Omri Lavie discusses the role of artificial intelligence in cyber operations and the future of cyber security management in a complex environment.
This podcast is presented by Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
The Indo-Pacific region has gained prominence as the world’s major powers gravitated towards this space to expand their influence but until recently, the Middle East seemed excluded from this geopolitical shift. Things have quickly changed: in the past years, Gulf states and Israel have become the object of increased attention from Asian powers and got themselves involved in new diplomatic arrangements such as the “Middle East Quad” that may impact the competition in the Indo-Pacific. In other words, Middle Eastern states traditionally looked at the West for strategic matters but they are now increasingly defining their security agenda with an eye towards Asia.
To understand the implications of this new nexus between the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, this webinar will discuss with the authors of a new book dedicated to the Indo-Pacific strategies and they will help us unpack the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific and discuss the place of Middle East powers in that environment.
This public talk was conducted on Wednesday, 27 April 2022. For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/the-middle-east-the-indo-pacific-the-new-geopolitics/
As all eyes are turned towards Ukraine, a long-neglected conflict in the Middle East is entering its eighth year. Started in March 2015, the Yemen war was initially supposed to be a short and limited intervention led by Saudi Arabia. Today, despite several failed diplomatic initiatives, there is no end in sight. Beyond the humanitarian tragedy for Yemen, the war has turned into the epicenter of regional rivalries, as reflected by Iran’s support to the Houthi rebels, the proliferation of ballistic missiles launched from Yemen to Saudi Arabia, the redeployment of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaida and the Islamic State into Yemen’s ungoverned areas. Moreover, the inability of the Gulf states to succeed militarily in Yemen exacerbated tensions and frustrations with their main Western partner, the US. Against that backdrop, this webinar will discuss the latest developments in the Yemen war and their broader implications for the region – be it in terms of terrorism trends, Gulf-Iran relations or US security policy towards the Middle East.
This public talk was conducted on Wednesday, 6 April 2022.
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/can-gulf-states-end-the-yemen-war/
In this episode, Dr Molly Dunigan discusses how Russia’s use of mercenaries exposes what may be critical vulnerabilities in the Russian will to fight and in Russian state power.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
The last Conference of the Parties (COP 26), held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), finalised the “rulebook” for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. Its tagline, “from ambition to action,” will be examined through the lens of the next two COP meetings – COP27 and COP28 – hosted by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. Given the varying impacts of climate change across regions, the Paris Agreement recognised that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Both the UAE and Egypt have been working with the United States to roll out further initiatives: The US-UAE venture aims to make agriculture resilient to climate change, while Egypt’s joint press release with the US stressed the need for “Implementation…Plus” which includes carrying through on existing commitments. These projects will give further importance to the Arab COPs globally, especially in the lead-up to COP28 under the Emirati presidency, where the first round of global stocktake is due to take place.
Can COP 27 and COP 28 serve as outlets for the Arab region to highlight their unique climate challenges? To what extent will the Arab countries’ position differ? Will there be an increase in regional climate cooperation? In particular, will the two COPs create Arab-African tensions? How much further along the road to action will Arab countries be pushed?
The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), will host a panel to tackle these and other questions.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 29 March 2022, from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT) / 8.00 am to 9.30 am (Washington DC time).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/climate-commitments-less-reason-for-the-arab-region-to-cop-out/
In this episode, Dr Zhou Zhanggui discusses about the Chinese private security sector in highly complex environments.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
In this episode, Dr Tor Bukkvoll discusses The Wagner Group and Russian private military companies from Ukraine to Syria – the emergence of a new tool of clandestine warfare.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
For more information on this episode, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/boots-off-the-ground-security-in-transition-in-the-middle-east-and-beyond-episode-23-russian-power-projection-on-the-cheap-russian-private-military-companies-implications-for-global-security/
The handbook brings together a mix of established and emerging international scholars to provide valuable analytical insights into how China’s growing Middle East presence affects intra-regional development, trade, security and diplomacy.
As the largest extra-regional economic actor in the Middle East, China is the biggest source of foreign direct investment into the region and the largest trading partner for most Middle Eastern states. This portends a larger role in political and security-related affairs as the value of Chinese assets, combined with a growing expatriate population in the region, demands a more proactive role in contributing to regional order. Exploring the effect of these developments, the expert contributors also consider the reverberations in great power politics as the US, Russia, India, Japan and the European Union also have considerable interests in the region.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 27 January 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm (SGT). For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/book-discussion-routledge-handbook-on-china-middle-east-relations/
In this episode, Mr Callum Watson discusses about glass ceiling and private security.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Against the backdrop of the JCPOA negotiations, this webinar will explore the inherent dynamics between Iran and the European Union (EU). It is notable that since the start of the Iranian nuclear controversy about two decades ago, the EU has been steadfastly mediating between Iran and the US, an effort that has continued till today. Therefore, through our discussion, we seek to find answers to questions such as EU’s motivation behind its central role in the nuclear negotiations, the nature of Iran-EU relations and what does the EU foresee Iran’s role in the Middle East to be, as well as its own – specifically in the wake of the gradually receding role of the US in the region.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 25 January 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/iran-europe-dynamics-and-the-jcpoa-negotiations/
Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013, the Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is Qatar’s first entry in this international register. Once a thriving pearl fishing and trading port in the 1760s, the Al Zubarah site showcases impressive, excavated findings. These include a city wall, ancient residential palaces and structures typical of an urban centre – including markets, living and industrial areas. Stretching from Fort Zubarah lining the coast to the early inland settlement of Qal’at Murair, the site provides a reimagination of a Gulf merchant town in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Middle East Institute, NUS, in collaboration with the Qatar Embassy in Singapore, will welcome Dr Ferhan from Qatar Museums to take our audience on a virtual tour of Al Zubarah. Beyond nostalgia, the speaker will also share his knowledge about contemporary uses of the Zubarah Fort, for instance.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Friday, 21 January 2022, from 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/bridging-the-gulf/
The bulldozers are here. This time, they are here for Jebel Ali – the region’s first major shipping hub and dry dock located in Dubai. Like many other built relics in the Gulf, including the coral stone homes of Dubai’s rulers along its famous saltwater creek, these buildings were razed to make way for more modern structures. This is the story of the meteoric rise of Gulf cities – most of them were once sleepy pearling towns but they now embrace soaring skyscrapers and megamalls. Beyond the superlatives (the “tallest”, the “biggest”, the “most expensive” etc.), sociocultural anthropologist Sulayman Khalaf writes that Gulf architecture is not created in isolation. Rather, constituents of urbanisation, Arab/Muslim identity and the oil political economy all form a dynamic interplay in city planning. How then can we describe Gulf architecture? Consumerist? Modernist? Where does the notion of heritage fit in? Does the import of Western technical knowledge erase local khaleeji urbanism?
MEI (NUS) has had the pleasure to host the co-editors of the volume, Urban Modernity in the Contemporary Gulf, to examine the Gulf’s engagement with architectural modernism over the decades. This discussion also aims to address the nature of the relationship between the built environment and Gulf societies.
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/bridging-the-gulf/
The book examines how three key figures in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, built irregular warfare campaigns that are eroding American power. Conventional warfare—clashes between large military forces—defined 20th century power. However, today, facing dominant US conventional and nuclear capabilities, America’s principal adversaries (Russia, China and Iran) have adopted a different style of competition. Ranging from cyberattacks, covert action and proxy conflicts to information and disinformation campaigns, espionage and economic coercion—these are the tools of irregular warfare which will increasingly re-shape international politics. In short, the future of warfare is likely to be closer to the Chinese general Sun Tzu than to Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 8 December 2021, from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/book-discussion-three-dangerous-men-russia-china-iran-and-the-rise-of-irregular-warfare/
In this episode, Mr Eliot Higgins discusses the weapons used in the conflict in Syria and open-source investigation tools and techniques.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
For a few years after the Arab revolutions of 2011, Lebanon appeared like a paradox – the historically fragile state of the Middle East that used to be the buffer zone for regional competition had been relatively immune to the turmoil that other countries like Syria or Egypt, were facing. The assumption was that the people of Lebanon still had vivid memories of a 15-year civil war and scars from it were visible on Beirut buildings. However, since 2019, the country has faced a financial crisis that the World Bank ranks among the three worst in the last two centuries. The fall of the Lebanese currency threw many citizens under the poverty threshold. This economic collapse was enabled and aggravated by the inability of the political elite to satisfy the demands of international organisations and governments involved in the recovery plan. Furthermore, the massive explosion at Beirut Port in August 2020 also crystallised the deep divides between political factions, reminiscent of the civil war’s era.
In this context, the panel will explore the drivers of the ongoing Lebanese crisis, the consequences for the country and for the region as well. It will tackle the question of sectarian politics in Lebanon and the influence of Hizballah in the current situation, alongside identifying the role of external powers in preventing the collapse of Lebanon.
ME 101 Closing Session
by Mr Bilahari Kausikan [Thursday, 25 November 2021]
For more information about the ME 101 Lecture Series, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
Five years since then-Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) unveiled Vision 2030, reforms continue to be rolled out in Saudi Arabia. Early this year, for example, it announced new judicial reforms that set it on a course towards codified law – a major step for a country whose legal system is based on Islamic law. While such reforms are aimed at boosting the liberalisation drive by softening the nation’s austere image, jarring contradictions remain. Women’s rights, for instance, remain a target of criticism – a recent article in The Washington Post revealed clandestine shelters that incarcerate “disobedient” women. This raises several questions: Is social change for real? What is the price of change?
Social change is but one aspect of MBS’ vision. Religion is another target. The crown prince has said that Wahhabism is akin to “deifying human beings”. This follows his championing of “moderate Islam” reining in the clerical class and resetting the role of religion in the state. How successful has this religious re-orientation been? What are the implications for Riyadh’s role as the gatekeeper of the global Muslim community?
ME 101 Lecture #12: The Centrality of Central Asia by Dr Alessandro Arduino [Thursday, 18 November 2021]
For more information about the ME 101 Lecture Series, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
Lecture #11: From Fake News to Fake Journalists: Gulf Disinformation that Fooled the World by Dr Marc Owen Jones [Thursday, 11 November 2021]
For more information about the 2021 ME 101 Lecture Series, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
Dr Antonio Giustozzi, author of the books The Taliban at War and The Islamic State in Khorasan, will discuss the role of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, following the fall of Kabul. Alongside him will be Raffaello Pantucci, a researcher at RSIS whose work looks at security dynamics in the Eurasian heartland.
Their discussion maps the evolution of the Islamic State’s footprint from Syria to Afghanistan and its current relationship with the Taliban. Will future Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacks, similar to the recent one that happened at Kabul International Airport taking the lives of hundreds of Afghans and 13 US servicemen, complicate Taliban efforts to demonstrate its control of Afghanistan? Will ISKP launch an assassination campaign to eliminate high-level Taliban cadres with the same tactics previously used by the Taliban themselves when they attacked Afghan government officials? Will the Taliban seek greater co-operation with the West and/or other external powers to target ISKP? Also, will greater engagement with outside powers, including China, promote dissatisfaction within Taliban ranks that will in turn increase the ISKP’s recruitment?
Moderated by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow, MEI (NUS), Dr Giustozzi and Mr Pantucci explores these questions and look at the future of Eurasia security architecture, post-US and NATO withdrawals from the region.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, from 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/from-the-middle-east-to-afghanistan-the-evolution-of-the-islamic-state-in-khorasan-province/
In this episode, Dr Sergey Sukhankin discusses the evolution of Russian hybrid warfare and the role of Russian private military companies in the Middle East and Africa.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Speaker: Simon Chadwick, Global Professor of Eurasian Sport, Emlyon Business School, Paris
Simon Chadwick is Global Professor of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School in Paris. He also directs the school’s Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry (CESI), based in Shanghai. He previously founded and directed the University of London’s Birkbeck Sports Business Centre, and Coventry University’s Centre for the International Business of Sport. In addition, he has worked at several of the world’s most prestigious business schools, including IESE in Spain, Otto Beisheim in Germany, Tsinghua in China and COPPEAD in Brazil. Professor Chadwick has held various positions across Asia and has direct experience of working in the Middle East. His research, writing, consultancy and teaching focuses on the geopolitical economy of sport.
Lecture #10: Religion and Political Islam in the Middle East and Its Impact on Our Region by Dr Norshahril bin Saat [Friday, 5 November 2021]
For more information on the 2021 ME 101 series, click here:
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
ME 101 Lecture #09: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Women and Youth – A Force for Change by Dr Sharifa Al Yahyai [Thursday, 28 October 2021]
For more information on the 2021 ME 101 series, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
The aim of the S R Nathan Distinguished Lecture is to provide greater awareness and understanding of the modern Middle East. This lecture provides a forum for statesmen, internationally prominent scholars and public intellectuals to express their views on key issues. The lecture series is named in honour of Singapore’s late former president, Mr S R Nathan, who encouraged a deeper understanding of the Middle East region in Singapore.
The 2021 S R Nathan Distinguished Lecture is organised by Middle East Institute (NUS), in collaboration with the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (Singapore).
His Excellency Omar Saif Ghobash (Assistant Minister for Cultural Affairs, United Arab Emirates) will look at the latest developments in the UAE’s foreign policy, in a changing global economy as well as the economic imperatives that it is addressing as a nation. The UAE implemented policies and initiatives to maximise its efforts and resources to gain internal growth and prosperity. It must be noted that the country has a growing young population and the government has geared up to provide the best possible infrastructure for them and the rest of the population to prosper. Youth empowerment plays a vital role in enabling the younger generation to shoulder responsibilities, innovate and contribute to the welfare of the UAE’s community. In June 2019, the UAE cabinet decided that it was mandatory to include young Emiratis in the boards of directors of government entities, institutions and companies. Following that, in February 2020, the government approved 33 young Emiratis as members of the boards of directors for key federal entities.
In today’s context, foreign policy is directly connected to a country’s internal affairs. Therefore, it is essential to explain the internal dynamics of the UAE society, the nation’s politics and its economics. These components allow for a comprehensive understanding of the choices made by Emirati policymakers and trends of the UAE’s foreign policy. The lecture also aims to provide answers to questions about the practices of the Emirates’ foreign policy in the Middle East.
Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law will be giving an opening speech.
This public lecture was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 27 October 2021.
ME 101 Lecture #08: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Climate Change in a Desert by Dr Aisha Al-Sarihi [Thursday, 21 October 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
[This event is organised by the Middle East Institute's Arabia Asia Research Cluster and the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore]
In 2019, at the start of Ramadan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the country to watch a dubbed version of the Turkish period drama, Diriliş: Ertuğrul (Resurrection: Ertuğrul), on national television. In it, viewers will see that the hero struggles to impose just rule against foreign enemies. This drama was originally released in 2014 by the government-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation to shore up domestic support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by highlighting parallels between the hero’s struggles and the embattled Turkish leader’s rule. Ertuğrul is also popular among the Muslims of India and Bangladesh.
Turkey's relations with the countries of South Asia have undergone significant changes recently. While Ankara and New Delhi enjoy cordial economic ties with two-way trade at 5.42 billion dollars from 2020 to 2021, they have had an uneasy political relationship due to Turkey’s support for Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue and divergent views on the Gülen movement. With Turkey set to become a critical player in post-America Afghanistan, bilateral ties are likely to enter a difficult phase. Pakistan has generally leaned towards Turkey, which, under Erdoğan, has chased neo-Ottoman ambitions of leadership of the Muslim world. Both have supported each other on the global stage and alongside Malaysia, they have designs on an alternative Islamic axis to rival the Arab one. Turkey also has close links with Bangladesh in several areas – bilateral trade is expected to double from the estimated 1 billion dollars that it currently is and Ankara has also internationally-backed Dhaka over the Rohingya issue.
The panel discussion will look at the history of Turkey’s links with South Asia and extend to exploring geopolitical impacts on the growing Ankara-Islamabad and Ankara-Dhaka ties, while examining the growing distance between Ankara and New Delhi. Finally, it will survey the cultural ‘battleground’ in the Muslim world, where drama serials such as Ertuğrul and the Saudi Arabia-UAE-backed Kingdoms of Fire are used to further each side’s narrative.
This public lecture was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 20 October 2021.
The tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan marked the end of America’s “forever wars” and also highlighted the shift in America’s focus – away from the Middle East and Central Asia and towards the Indo-Pacific.
General (ret.) David H. Petraeus, former head of the CIA and former commander of the US Central Command, will discuss America’s shifting strategic priorities in a conversation with the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore (MEI-NUS).
Among other things, the discussion aims to map out how the US’ focus on the Indo-Pacific will shape its military and intelligence strategies. It will also tackle the question of how Russia and China’s jockeying for strategic positioning vis-a-vis the US will affect security and the regional military balances. This session will be moderated by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow, (MEI-NUS).
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT).
Lecture #07: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Renewables as the New Oil or the Geopolitics of Carrots
by Mr Philippe Rose [Thursday, 14 October 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here:
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
In this episode, Professor Deborah Avant describes how privatisation of the monopoly of violence evolved from the two conflicts in Iraq up till the fall of Kabul.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Lecture #06: The Politics of Economic Reform by Ms Rana Karadsheh-Haddad [Wednesday, 6 October 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
ME 101 Lecture #05: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | Israel – More than Just Palestine by Dr Kevjn Lim [Thursday, 30 September 2021]
For more information about ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
The chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan has added fuel to the already-raging debate on the US’ Middle East policy. With tens of thousands of troops still based in the Gulf, is America really moving towards the role of an offshore balancer? With the Biden administration’s pledge to end “forever wars”, the question has now shifted to the reliability of American commitments to its security allies in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The Carter Doctrine, proclaimed in 1980 – ironically, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – promised the use of all means necessary, including force, to defend US interests in the Persian Gulf. Once a clarion call enunciating America’s stance against Soviet expansion, is the doctrine still relevant today? What lies at the core of America’s Persian Gulf interests? Most importantly, is the US rethinking its role there?
The Middle East Institute (NUS) is privileged to host Ambassador Robert Hunter, a top official in the Carter Administration who had a hand in crafting the doctrine itself, to tackle these and other questions on America’s evolving Middle East role.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 22 September 2021, from 10.00am to 11.00am (Singapore Time) / 10.00pm–11.00pm (Washington, DC time).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/in-conversation-with-ambassador-robert-hunter-making-sense-of-the-carter-doctrine/
Lecture #04: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | The US and its Allies – Boots on the Ground or Off Platforms [Thursday, 23 September 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
ME 101 Lecture #03: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | China – Can the Dragon Tame the Middle East or will the Middle East Tame the Dragon? by Dr Alessandro Arduino [Thursday, 16 September 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
In this webinar, co-organised by MEI-NUS and the Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (CIEF-HBKU), two industry experts will explore the sociological dimensions of Islamic finance and its institutions. The session seeks to introduce the audience to:
- The role(s) of Sharia supervisory boards (SSBs) in approving – or disapproving – financial products at Islamic financial institutions;
- The religious, legal and business frameworks under which the SSBs operate;
- The extent of legal and religious authority that SSBs have in making a resolution.
In that regard, some questions that will outline the discussion include:
- How do SSBs at financial institutions wield authority and influence in approving (or disapproving) financial products?
- What are the main similarities and differences between SSBs in Southeast Asia and the Middle East?
- Is it true that SSBs in the Middle East are more stringent than those in Southeast Asia, as some Islamic finance insiders claim?
- What are the socio-religious factors that could influence the fatwas (Islamic legal opinion) issued by an SSB on a particular financial product?
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 15 September 2021, from 4pm to 5.30pm (Singapore Time) / 11am–12:30pm (Doha, Qatar time).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/uncovering-the-gatekeepers-of-islamic-finance/
In this episode, risk consultant and policy specialist Mr John Bray, with his vast experience, discusses how private sector companies are evolving in their approach to security and human rights, particularly when operating in complex or conflict-affected environments.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Lecture #02: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | Iran, Turkey, Russia – Allies, Foes or Marriages of Convenience by Dr Asif Shuja and Dr Serkan Yolacan [Thursday, 9 September 2021]
For more information on ME 101, click here:
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
The past two weeks have seen the Taliban return to power more rapidly than the regime’s fall nearly 20 years ago. Many observers of Afghanistan feared that the nation’s fragile democracy would not last long beyond the withdrawal of American troops but very few predicted that this transition would happen over a matter of days rather than months or years. The unexpected nature of this transition should prompt humility in any analyst but the questions raised are all the more important.
In evaluating the past:
- Was this outcome inevitable or could the government have survived with different decisions by the international community?
- On paper, the Afghan government looked far more capable than it proved to be once the Taliban advance began—was it merely being propped up by American military power or could it have rallied the political, social and military support from Afghanistan’s 38 million citizens to hold out?
- Was the weakness of the government due to a fatal flaw in design: a highly-centralised structure in a traditionally decentalised nation?
- A state dependant on foreign aid rather than localised production? Massive influx of foreign funds with the predictable spurring of corruption?
- Or was a basically workable structure subverted by US diversion of attention to the war in Iraq before the fledgling Afghan government would establish a firm foundation?
Questions about the future:
- How might an Afghan government be structured to avoid the dysfunctions of the past—whether the past 20 years of post-Taliban rule or any of the dysfunctional governments of the three decades that preceded it?
- What role can the international community play? Or should the international community simply conclude that its involvement only does more harm than good?
- Most importantly, what can Afghan people themselves do to avoid a return to the 1990s—whether the bloody chaos of the civil war or the repressiveness of the prior Taliban regime?
ME 101 Lecture #01: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | The Gulf States – The Competition for Influence by Dr Clemens Chay [Thursday, 2 September 2021]
For more information about the ME 101 series, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/
Throughout history, the Middle East has been locked in engagements with the West through crusades, wars, colonialism and terrorism. However, beyond the clichés and convenient facades lie many lesser known facets from economic transformation to climate change. This series of lectures will give you a more comprehensive overview of the region and its inevitable impacts on Singapore and the rest of globe.
Did you know that Nizwa was the former capital of Oman, well before Muscat? An ancient city in the interior, Nizwa sits on a plain characterised by seasonal rivers and palm plantations. The city’s Falaj Daris, Oman’s largest water source and a UNESCO site, is situated at the crossroads of age-old trade routes. Known as The Pearl of Islam, Nizwa served as the capital of Oman under the Julanda dynasty in the sixth and seventh centuries. Around a millennium later, in 1668, the Nizwa fort became the administrative seat of authority for presiding Imams. The adjoining marketplace, Nizwa Souq, is never shy of handicrafts and silversmiths. Come join us in a discovery of Nizwa, with fascinating insights by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism.
Speaker: Ms Asma Salim Hamoud Al Hajry, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism
Ms Asma Salim Hamoud Al Hajry is the Deputy Director-General of Tourism, Marketing and Promotion at Oman’s Ministry of Tourism. Besides supervising the sultanate’s relations with international markets ranging from European offices to those in Australia and New Zealand, Ms Al Hajry is tasked with reviewing budgetary and media plans in line with Oman’s Vision 2040. She received her MSc in marketing for places and tourism from the University of Leicester and her BA in business studies from Stirling University.
In this episode, Dr Adam Moore discusses his latest book Empire’s Labor: The Global Army that Supports U.S. Wars. He draws on his research with Filipino and Bosnian migrant labour to sketch out the vast transnational logistical infrastructure employed in running day to day US military affairs around the world.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
The Biden administration’s decision to pull all troops out of Afghanistan has added to the chorus of discussion on the evolution of America’s Middle East policy from a boots-on-the-ground orientation towards that of an offshore balancer.
But with tens of thousands of troops still based in the Gulf, is the American role really shifting? Are Washington’s mixed signals forcing GCC countries to review their strategic alliances, such as hedging with other big powers including China? Or is moving away from purely military partnerships towards more diplomatic, political and economic engagement the way forward not just to secure American interests but for a more stable and peaceful region?
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 3 August 2021, from 8pm to 9.30pm (SGT).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/between-co-operation-confrontation-has-the-us-renounced-the-carter-doctrine/
On 18 May 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a landmark report on a pathway to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Among the many proposals in the report is the call to immediately end investments in oil and gas exploration and development.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies still depend heavily on oil and gas for their national income, government budgets and social order. They have all, to varying degrees, embarked on economic diversification initiatives over the last several years to reduce such dependency. However, the dual shocks of relatively low oil and gas prices since mid-2014 and the pandemic-induced global economic slowdown in 2020 afflicted the GCC countries at a time when the urgency for promoting economic diversification, expanding employment opportunities for their youthful population and attaining fiscal sustainability had already become critical.
This webinar seeks to explore the following questions facing the GCC:
- How credible is the IEA pathway to net zero by 2050 and how will this affect the price and volume outlook for oil and gas exports from the GCC?
- By discouraging private sector investments in the oil and gas, are the policies promoted by the IEA favourable to the national oil and gas companies (NOCs) in the GCC and OPEC+ more generally, regarding their market shares in global oil and gas markets?
- Are there specific corporate strategies that GCC NOCs will tend to favour if the OECD countries adopt policies recommended by the IEA in the “net zero by 2050” scenario?
Economic diversification strategies to wean Gulf economies away from a dependence on hydrocarbon revenues have existed for decades. Ongoing state-led investments in strategic non-oil industries have produced varied results. Recent development initiatives involving culture, renewable energy, and technology-oriented industries appear promising; however, the return on investment is neither immediate nor guaranteed. Proceeds from the oil and gas sector continue to constitute the majority of public sector revenues in Gulf Arab states.
Are overlapping initiatives to develop non-oil industries in the region opportunities for cooperation or competition? With a steady rebound in oil prices since the oil price shocks of 2020, will oil- and gas-producing countries in the Gulf relax economic diversification efforts? Do protests in Oman signal a wider dissatisfaction with the fiscal adjustments implemented since 2020? What does this reveal about the rentier state theory and the nature of economic reform and development in the Gulf?
The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), will host a panel to tackle these and other questions.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 27 July 2021, from 8.00pm to 9.30pm (Singapore Time).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/transitioning-to-non-oil-economies-in-the-gulf-successes-failures-and-the-path-forward/
Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash
In this episode, Dr Noah Coburn discusses his latest book Under Contract: The Invisible Work of America’s Global War. He elaborates how colonial era structures for recruiting Gurkha soldiers from Nepal came to be remobilised for providing low-cost precarious labour for the American war in Afghanistan.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
What is the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia? For centuries, Indonesians have travelled to Saudi Arabia and been deeply involved in education, scholarship and the creation of centers for Islamic learning in the country. Yet, the impact of this migration has not been the focus of scholarly research and little is known about the important intellectual connections that currently exist.
This book examines Indonesian educational migrants and intellectual travellers in Saudi Arabia including students, researchers, teachers and scholars to provide a unique portrait of the religious and intellectual linkages between the two countries. Based on in-depth interviews and questionnaires, Dr Sumanto Al Qurtuby identifies the “Indonesian legacy” in Saudi Arabia and examines how the host country’s influential Islamic scholars have impacted Indonesian Muslims. The research sheds light on the dynamic history of Saudi Arabian-Indonesian relations and the intellectual impact of Indonesian migrants in Saudi Arabia.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 8 July 2021, from 4.00pm to 5.30pm (Singapore Time).
For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/book-talk-saudi-arabia-and-indonesian-networks-migration-education-and-islam/
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi unveiled a five-point plan to secure and stabilize the Middle East during a six-nation tour of the region. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of China-Turkey relations, Yi held out the prospect of elevating ties between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership. China already has strategic partnerships with several states in the region, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt. This webinar will explore China’s vision of a future role in the Middle East. It will seek to unpack what China’s strategic partnerships entail, how it hopes to manage relations with regional partners that are at loggerheads, and to what degree Middle Eastern willingness to accommodate China is rooted in exaggerated expectations of Chinese support. Will China transform from being an economic actor and trade partner to a security partner for the region? What kind of role regional partners want China to play in the region? Are they hedging their bets in case the United States withdraws from the region or is it that China offers a new model to follow?
Co-organised by Al Sharq Strategic Research and Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, the panel will explore these questions and more.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Friday, 16 July 2021, from 7.00pm to 9.00pm (Singapore Time).
For more information on this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/a-middle-east-bet-on-china-strategic-partnerships-and-regional-rivalries/
The engineering of president-elect Ebrahim Raisi’s victory in Iran’s recent election on 18 June 2021 constitutes a potential domestic and foreign policy watershed. Designed to ensure conservative control of all levers of power in Iran and help Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei manage his succession, manipulation of the election swept aside the Islamic republic’s long-standing democratic pretensions. Moreover, efforts to achieve American and Iranian agreement on a return to the 2015 international nuclear agreement could be complicated by the fact that the US has sanctioned Raisi for his troubled human rights record. This webinar will explore what impact the rise of Raisi will have on regional security in the Middle East.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 6 July 2021, from 4pm to 5.30pm (SGT).
Click here for more details on the event: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/irans-presidential-election-impact-on-the-islamic-republics-policies/
Qatar has taken the first steps to effect reconciliation with its Gulf neighbours, having recently welcomed Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Doha. Elsewhere, reports indicate that Bahrain invited Qatar for bilateral talks to strengthen Gulf co-operation. Yet, against the backdrop of a diplomatic freeze from 2017 to 2021, Doha found it vital to transit via Iran’s airspace and territorial waters in order to circumvent the blockade imposed by the anti-Qatar quartet (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt). Considering the Al-Ula declaration earlier this year, will there be a reversal in the warming of Qatar-Iran ties?
With the ascension of Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran and his conservative administration, will the nature of the Qatar-Iran relationship change? Undeniably, Doha’s ties to Iranian rivals such as the US and Saudi Arabia remain of strategic value. How can Qatar sustain its “hedging” strategy? Can Doha act as a reliable intermediary in, for instance, facilitating a US-Iran breakthrough? What are the implications for regional security?
Did you know that the Hawk of Quraysh is a symbol featured in numerous emblems, coat of arms and flags of various Arab states? In the recorded history about the Quraysh, a mercantile tribe that inhabited the city of Mecca, claims have been made about the falcon as their clan symbol. Falconry, once at the heart of Arabian desert life, has undergone transformations due to rapid urbanisation in the Gulf. Yet, the bird of prey remains an integral part of Arabian culture.
The Middle East Institute, along with the UAE Embassy in Singapore, welcomes the CEO of Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre to share his knowledge about the tradition and sport of falconry.
Speaker: Mr Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, CEO, Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre
After majoring in political science and completing his studies in the US, Mr Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook began his career by working for the UAE’s Ministry of Interior. Later he was assigned to manage the heritage and the diving villages in Dubai’s Shindagha area and was appointed as its director in 1997. In 2005, he was appointed as the executive director of the championships office of his highness the crown prince of Dubai. In 2013, his highness the crown prince of Dubai issued a decree to establish the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre and Mr Dalmook was appointed as the chief executive officer of it. In 2017, the center’s organisational body was restructured but Mr Dalmook still remains as its Chief Executive Officer to date.
Mr Dalmook is an expert in the UAE’s heritage, with an accreditation granted to him by the council of ministers. He was the chairperson of many committees implementing official festivals and supervising many traditional television programmes belonging to his highness the crown prince of Dubai at the Dubai Media Incorporated.
Pop nashid (or nasheed) refers to a vocal music work either sung a cappella or with instruments, according to a particular Islamic tradition or style. Such music and Islamic pop artistes generally celebrate Allah, Prophet Muhammad and an Islamic lifestyle in lyrics. At times, these lyrics address the importance of freedom or the situations for refugees or Palestinians.
Artistes and companies alike have featured in numerous politicised contexts. For instance, whether in events celebrating the Turkish politician Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or promoting the 2014 Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. This webinar will analyse the politics of Islamic pop music through a case study of the Islamic media company Awakening Records and their artistes. Beyond motivations and implications, the discussion will zoom in on the genealogy of the music in question. How can we frame the logic of politics within a conceptual discourse of Islamic ethical empowerment? How do we see post-Islamist engagement through such music? Professor Jonas Otterbeck aims to shed light on the above themes.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 23 June 2021, from 4.00pm to 5.30pm (SGT). For the reading materials and more information on this event, you may click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/the-politics-of-islamic-pop/
Qatar, a young state with a commensurately small population has emerged as an influential powerbroker in the Middle East. What are the tools that have enabled it to project power, soft or otherwise, on the international stage? How can we better understand Qatar’s “maverick” diplomacy that has enhanced its branding? Since its independence in 1971 and following a period of “high modernism,” the Qatari state has also deepened domestic ties with important social actors, bringing them into its orbit by forging lucrative financial ties. How did the acumen of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who became Emir in the mid-90s, take the country further forward and what was the rationale behind transferring power to his young son, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (then 33 years old), in 2013?
Despite the challenge arising from the Gulf crisis from 2017 to 2021, Qatar has proven resilient and hastened processes of economic diversification. Besides liquefied natural gas, how has the state addressed the questions of energy transition and sustainable development? More importantly, self-sufficiency is key to Qatar’s resilience. These are the questions that our guest speakers will tackle in this webinar.
Speakers: Ms Zarqa Parvez, Durham University and Mr Omran Hamad Al-Kuwari, Qatar Foundation International (QFI)
(This episode was recorded on 11 June 2021. Click on the following link for more information: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/bridging-the-gulf/)
This event is jointly organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) & the Middle East Institute (MEI) at the National University of Singapore.
Around one-sixth of the global oil supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, making this chokepoint perhaps the most crucial 21 miles in the world. Any minor disturbance or turmoil in these narrow waters can create ripples strong enough to rock the global economy. The US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies have long-held open and safe passage through the strait as their primary Middle East foreign policy goal. To secure these 21 miles, they built military bases all around the Gulf, stationed one of the largest floating bases with the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and struck alliances with Arab monarchs to lay the foundation of the region’s political dynamics. However, several recent infrastructural developments immediately to the east are set to move us beyond this chokepoint politics. Oman, Pakistan, and Iran — otherwise minor players in the oil game — have built, with the help of sizeable foreign investments, thoroughly modern ports in Duqm, Gwadar and Chahbahar. While unique in their own way, each of these ports shares the same advantage over the current leading ports in the region — they circumvent the strait to open into the Arabian Sea, which is much more difficult to obstruct.
This panel discussion will explore the broader implications of this possible shift by analysing the following:
- What will a region built around channelling traffic through the Arabian Sea, instead of protecting the Strait of Hormuz, look like?
- Are the oil-producing Gulf states going to support these projects to reduce vulnerabilities to oil flows? Can we see a more earnest Iran at the negotiation table if it can no longer play the blockade card?
- Will this finally allow the US to further cut back on boots on the ground in the Middle East?
- How will China regulate traffic between its open-sea ports in Oman and Pakistan?
- Will these ports maintain exclusivity or will they connect and share traffic with the Indian-backed Chahbahar port in Iran?
- Will India expand its security cooperation with the US to cover the Arabian Peninsula or pursue its own autonomous regional strategy towards Iran and other regional actors?
- How will the involved states balance between collaborating for nurturing the corridor and competing for traffic through various economic, political, and security enticements?
This event is jointly organised by Political Economy and Diffusion of Ideas-Gulf Cluster of the Middle East Institute NUS, in collaboration with the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI).
Abstract
In a recent phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the former expressed support for the kingdom’s initiatives in climate governance and sustainable development. What is noteworthy is Beijing’s willingness to push its strategic partnership with Riyadh to a “new level”. This move comes after China’s decision to make the UAE its regional base for vaccine production, in a collaboration between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi’s G42. Is China’s footprint in the Persian Gulf expanding beyond economics and moving into health and green initiatives adding to its array of soft power tools in the region and beyond? Will its move to chair a UN Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas crisis solidify ties with Gulf states?
The panel, moderated by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow from Middle East Institute (NUS), in collaboration with the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), will tackle these and more.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 8 June 2021, from 4.00pm to 5.30pm (SGT). Click here for more details on the event: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/china-full-steam-ahead-in-the-gulf/
In this episode, Dr Andreas Krieg illustrates how private security companies are a response to an emerging global phenomenon: surrogate warfare. Military surrogacy involves not only human stand-in’s such as proxies, local militias and private contractors; but also with machine or technological surrogates as such drones, AI, and cyber-tech.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Did you know that the UAE is a federation of seven emirates which are governed by six ruling families? How did Dubai achieve global prominence to an extent that many rave about its economic model? This webinar approaches the UAE’s evolution through a socio-historical lens in the following order:
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The UAE as a federal government
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The prehistoric times (3000 B.C to 600 A.D), the Islamic era (600 to 1500 A.D) and onward to a period of transformation (1500 to 1820 A.D)
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Britain and the Trucial States (1820 to 1945)
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Political leadership under Abu Dhabi - The achievements of the Nahyan family, from Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
Speaker:
Dr Aqil Kazim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and Society/Sociology Programme at the United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE. Dr Kazim received his MA and PhD from American University, Washington, DC. He is the author of The United Arab Emirates AD 600 to the Present: A Socio-discursive Transformation in the Arabian Gulf. He served as Dean of Students at American University, Sharjah and as Chair of the Sociology Department at UAEU. He has published numerous articles, including The Rise of Dubai: A Social History of the Commercial Cities in the Gulf and The Construction of the Pearl Industry in the UAE Region in 1869 -1938: its construction, production, and decline. He has also presented in many conferences on topics such as UAE’s demography, urban development and consumerism and edited the Emirati Studies textbook as well.
For the reading materials for this session, please visit
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-UAE-Federation-MEI-SNU.pdf
Against the backdrop of two interlinked events – the increased Arab-Israeli closeness resulting from the Abraham Accords and the attempts to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal, this webinar will explore the current nature and future dynamics of the relationship between Iran and the GCC states under the paradigm of regional security. Panelists will delve into two important dimensions of the Iran-GCC dynamics – viz., their respective security concerns and the possibility of common grounds for cooperation between them. Through its deliberations and discussions, the session will explore the viability of a regional security arrangement for the Gulf region which includes the six GCC states, Iran and Iraq and ponder over its acceptability by these states as well as other important regional stakeholders such as Israel.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 1 June 2021 at 4.00pm (SGT) and was organised by the MEI Political Economy research cluster.
Click here for more details: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/iran-gcc-dynamics-and-regional-security/
About the Webinar
Asia is one of the most diverse regions in the world, with a variety of different environments within its vast lands. Several countries within Asian, including Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, and Qatar, are at risk of weather extremes and rising sea levels due to climate change. There is a growing realization that past efforts will not be enough to thwart future threats.
Join Doha Forum and the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore in their upcoming session on Asian perspectives on climate change, which seek to inform the discussion as a global issue, highlight variable risks, and illustrate different approaches to the problem.
Opening Remarks
- Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Republic of Singapore
- HE Bader Al-Dafa, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Climate Change and Sustainability, Qatar
Panellists
- Mr Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), Singapore
- Mr Rachmat Witoelar, Former Indonesian President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change
- HE Pham Quang Vinh, Former Ambassador of Vietnam to the US and Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Vietnam
- Mr Kiyoshi Ando, Senior Staff Writer and Editorial Writer for Nikkei
Moderator
- Mr Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of the Middle East Institute, NUS
This public talk – jointly organised by Doha Forum and Middle East Institute, NUS – was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 25 May 2021, at 5.00pm. Click here to go to the event webpage: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/existing-in-an-existential-crisis-the-asian-response-to-climate-change/
Among the Gulf states, did you know that Oman possesses arguably the greatest amount of raw and scenic beauty? What makes Oman geographically critical is its control over a finger of land in the southern coast, called the Musandam Peninsula, which has allowed the sultanate to pursue an independent foreign policy straddling between its neighbours, Iran and Western governments. What makes the same peninsula intriguing is that you can watch racing dolphins, or quite simply, swim with them!
The Omani sultanate as we know today has a rich history comprising early Portuguese control, a Swahili ruling class (indicating East African ties) at one point and a period when the mountainous interior (under the Imamate) was distinguished from the coastal Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. Only as late as the 1960s did these two areas begin to be united politically. Under Sultan Qaboos, the modernisation of the Sultanate moved forward with purpose. However, the cost of it was a personalisation of rule but the benefits were tremendous social and economic transformations.
Let us uncover the Omani odyssey, its economic outlook under a new sultan and a bold project named the Oman Vision 2040.
Speakers: Dr Mohamed Saad Al Muqadam, Sultan Qaboos University and Dr Yousuf Hamed Al Balushi, Chief Economist of Oman Vision 2040
Dr Mohamed Saad Al Muqadam is an Assistant Professor of Oman modern history at Sultan Qaboos University and previously held several senior appointments at the College of Arts of Social Sciences including Assistant Dean for the college, Dean of Students Affairs and as Head of the Department of History. Dr Al Muqadam earned his PhD from the University of Exeter, where he began to dive into the relationship between Oman and Persia. Besides research interests in the sultanate’s history, he has also examined China-Oman relations in depth, among other bilateral relations.
Dr Yousuf Hamed Al Balushi is the Chief Economist of the Oman Vision 2040 taskforce and is passionate about Oman’s development and investment potential. He has served as an advisor on foreign direct investment (FDI) to both Oman’s Supreme Council for Planning and to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Dr Al Balushi holds a PhD from King’s College London where he explored the impact of FDI on the contribution of the private sector to Oman’s economic development. He has since published in different outlets, as author of the monograph Omani economy: globalization and the winds of change and as co-editor on a Palgrave MacMillan series covering economic diversification in the Gulf
For the reading materials for this session, please visit this link:
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Oman-Macro-framework-F.pdf
In 1949, at the end of long periods of wars, one of the biggest challenges facing leaders of the new People’s Republic of China was how much they did not know. The government of one of the world’s largest nations was committed to fundamentally re-engineering its society and economy via socialist planning while having almost no reliable statistical data of the country. Making It Count is the history of efforts to resolve this “crisis in counting”. Drawing on a wealth of sources culled from China, India and the US, Arunabh Ghosh explores the choices made by political leaders, statisticians, academics, statistical workers and even literary figures in attempts to know the nation through numbers.
Ghosh shows that early reliance on Soviet-inspired methods of exhaustive enumeration became increasingly untenable in China by the mid-1950s. Unprecedented and unexpected exchanges with Indian statisticians followed, as the Chinese sought to learn about the then-exciting new technology of random sampling. These developments were overtaken by the tumult of the Great Leap Forward (1958–1961), when probabilistic and exhaustive methods were rejected and statistics was refashioned into an ethnographic enterprise. By acknowledging Soviet and Indian influences, Ghosh not only revises existing models of Cold War science but also globalises wider developments in the history of statistics and data.
Anchored in debates about statistics and its relationship to state building, Making It Count offers fresh perspectives on China’s transition to socialism.
Bridging the Gulf Episode 4 — Answering the Five “W”s of Kuwaiti Democracy (Friday, 14 May 2021):
Speaker: Dr Tahani Al Terkait, Kuwait
Did you know that Kuwait began adopting democracy as a system of government since its independence in 1961? By shedding light on the old ruling traditions of Islamic shura (consultation) and joint governing, we trace Kuwait’s path towards a civil and constitutional state. From the reign of a shrewd desert warrior to the Iraqi invasion in 1990, how has the nature of Kuwaiti leadership changed? How harmonious have the cabinet and the parliament been since the beginning of their coexistence? Did you know that Kuwait is regarded as a mediator of the Middle East, much like Norway in Europe? This webinar will also provide an overview of Kuwait’s balanced foreign policy.
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Dr Tahani Al Terkait is a researcher on politics focusing on Kuwait, the Gulf region and the Middle East. She earned her PhD in political science from Durham University, UK. She defended her thesis in 2017, entitled “The Conceptual and Constitutional Underpinnings of Kuwait’s System of Government”. She is also a member at the London-based Centre of International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD), SOAS, where she received her Master’s degree. Before pursuing higher education, Dr Al Terkait worked for Kuwait’s public sector for 15 years, serving her country as a diplomat and consultant in public diplomacy. She served Kuwait as Kuwait’s first female Press Attaché at the Embassy of Kuwait in Washington DC, USA, from 2001 to 2007. Her academic and professional experiences have shaped her research interests in political reforms, human rights and gender equality in the Arab world.
The past five years have witnessed tremendous changes in Saudi Arabia affecting the line of royal succession, the business class, the religious establishment and the social scene. This week's episode of Bridging the Gulf will explain the significance of these changes in the context of the kingdom’s foundation, the decades-long intertwining of religion and political power, the discovery of oil, and Saudi Arabia's religious significance. It will also examine the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his interest in diversifying the economy to implement “Vision 2030”.
Speaker: Ms Eman Alhussein, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Opening tune by audionautix.com
Andrea Ghiselli, author of the book Protecting China’s Interests Overseas: Securitisation and Foreign Policy, will discuss Chinese foreign and security policymaking with Raffaello Pantucci, a researcher at RSIS whose work looks at security dynamics in the Eurasian heartland. Focusing on the broad territory that lies between MENA and South and Central Asia, Ghiselli and Pantucci will discuss China’s challenges in managing non-traditional security issues across this wide landscape and the gradual development of a Chinese strategic approach to defending its interests overseas.
With a footprint that has dramatically increased since the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative by President Xi Jinping in 2013, Chinese companies and institutions are increasingly having to manage a more complicated range of security threats. From terrorism to crime and political risk and geopolitical risks, Chinese firms and citizens find themselves in ever more precarious places and the Chinese state is still working out how to play a role in managing these risks. Moderated by MEI Principal Research Fellow Alessandro Arduino, Ghiselli and Pantucci will explore these questions and highlight particular issues Dr Ghiselli focuses on in his new book.
Event image taken from the cover of Protecting China’s Interests Overseas, Securitization and Foreign Policy by Andrea Ghiselli
In this podcast Dr Joshua Reno, Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University, discusses how the pressure of constant war-readiness produces military waste which in turn animates places and people far from the battlegrounds. He argues that rejected designs, outdated planes, scrapped ships, and space debris, should be central to calculations of social, political, and economic costs of war.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
Episode 2 — Top 5 Myths about Energy in the Gulf (Friday, 30 April 2021)
Speaker: Dr Li-Chen Sim, Khalifa University One of the more enduring myths in the
Gulf is that oil is so plentiful – every household has an oil well in their backyard. This webinar will explore the reality behind the five most common myths about energy in the Gulf. It will also consider how these myths impact upon perceptions and policies for domestic development and international affairs. Come along to see if you can discern fact from fiction.
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Dr Li-Chen Sim is an Assistant Professor at Khalifa University in the UAE. She is a specialist in the political economy of Russian and Gulf energy and its intersection with international relations. Her research interests include Gulf-Asia exchanges, Russia-China relations in the Middle East and Russia-Gulf interactions. Her most recent book Low Carbon Energy in the Middle East and North Africa was just published by Palgrave last month. Dr Sim holds a PhD from Oxford University.
Is the hype surrounding the recently concluded US$400 billion China-Iran deal justified? Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships (CSPs) top the totem pole when it comes to China’s bilateral relationships, but it has such deals with other Gulf countries, too. Is the timing of the deal, which coincides with JCPOA negotiations, significant? Is Iran leveraging its relations with Beijing to force Washington’s hand? Will it significantly alter the balance of power in the region? The Middle East Institute has hosted a panel of experts to tackle these and other questions.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 29 April 2021, from 5.00pm to 6.30pm (SGT). Click on the following link for more details about the event: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/the-china-iran-deal-mirage-or-game-changer/
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are global energy powerhouses. The region is traditionally understood as energy-rich, religiously conservative, and ruled by powerful royal families, factors that theoretically contributed to stability in the Gulf. However, the Gulf is changing. Oil prices are low, placing fiscal pressure on Gulf governments. A new generation of royals have come to power, disrupting the status quo. Islamist movements have been more active since the Arab Spring protests and Gulf governments are deeply divided over how to respond. Untangle new trends in Gulf politics, debunk common misconceptions about the region and learn what you need to know to understand the contemporary Gulf in the first episode of MEI's Bridging the Gulf.
Speaker: Dr Jessie Moritz, Australian National University
Opening tune by audionautix.com
Cutting-edge technologies and innovative capabilities are becoming increasingly essential in determining the superpower race and defining the future position and role of smaller states.
Innovative leaders such as Singapore and Israel, have to increase cooperation and develop joint strategies to prepare for a geopolitical landscape that seems to be growing more uncertain and divided. Leading the race of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, 5/6G, satellite communication and other technologies will prepare both countries significantly better in balancing between the superpowers. In light of growing trends such as decoupling or attempts at self-reliance, countries have to assess their capabilities and build long-term strategies.
In this special event led by the Middle East Institute (NUS) and the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy (AEI), we will expand on the different challenges and opportunities faced by Middle Eastern countries in the technological sphere.
Click here for the event programme: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20-April-2021-Event-Programme-R3.pdf
Hebrew Language and Culture Studies in Southeast Asia: Current Condition and Future Prospects
This two-day online conference will explore the potential for growth of Hebrew language and culture at the university level in Southeast Asia and the possibilities for cooperation and collaboration in the learning and teaching of the Hebrew language, in order to raise the profile of the Hebrew language and culture in academic studies in Southeast Asia; and generate scholarly cooperation among different institutions in Southeast Asia.
Notable experts and professionals will share their points of view from various perspectives concerning Hebrew language and culture. The speakers will be scholars of Hebrew literature and culture, Hebrew language professors and academics. Participants and speakers will examine and discuss subjects concerning the relevance and potential of Hebrew language and culture as part of studies in institutions and universities in Southeast Asia.
Click here for programme details: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Programme-17-18-April-2021-R5.pdf
Hebrew Language and Culture Studies in Southeast Asia: Current Condition and Future Prospects
This two-day online conference will explore the potential for growth of Hebrew language and culture at the university level in Southeast Asia and the possibilities for cooperation and collaboration in the learning and teaching of the Hebrew language, in order to raise the profile of the Hebrew language and culture in academic studies in Southeast Asia; and generate scholarly cooperation among different institutions in Southeast Asia.
Notable experts and professionals will share their points of view from various perspectives concerning Hebrew language and culture. The speakers will be scholars of Hebrew literature and culture, Hebrew language professors and academics. Participants and speakers will examine and discuss subjects concerning the relevance and potential of Hebrew language and culture as part of studies in institutions and universities in Southeast Asia.
Click here for programme details: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Programme-17-18-April-2021-R5.pdf
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies still depend heavily on oil and gas for their income, budgets and social peace. They have all, to varying degrees, embarked on a journey of diversification over the last few years to reduce such dependency and build the foundation for their economies in a post-oil world. Several countries’ visions (SAUDI 2030, UAE 2021) have been created to frame this transformation process and define the priorities for each country. Diversifying the economy and getting ready to compete in a knowledge-driven economy is of paramount importance for these countries as forces of energy transition and development of renewable technologies, in addition to increased environmental conscience, continue to pressure the oil and gas industry.
In this session, the following will be covered:
- Overview of the GCC economies
- Countries’ visions and diversification frameworks
- Current trends and impact on the future of the GCC economies
- Key sectors and opportunities
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) Central Asia and Caucasus Alumni Chapter and the Middle East Institute (NUS) hosted an online forum to discuss opportunities and challenges for cooperation between Central Asian and ASEAN countries in economic, financial and educational ecosystems. Due to the global pandemic crisis, countries in Central and Southeast Asia are in search for diversification of economic partnerships. Understanding the opportunities in these regions could support cooperation in foreign direct investments, free trade agreements and higher and executive education initiatives.
Yerlan Kubashev, Counsellor of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Singapore, was the Keynote Speaker, and the event was moderated by Inkar Aitkuzhina, LKYSPP Alumna, Analyst at McKinsey & Company.
In the last six months, a flurry of Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, established diplomatic relations with Israel or announced their intention to do so. The “honeymoon period” for Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain is coming to an end. Sudan and Morocco have yet to finalise details of their recognition of the Jewish state. Israeli and Emiratis basked in the warmth of the receptions that they received in each other’s countries and the prospects of a blossoming security, commercial and trade relationship.
Yet, despite a series of business deals and cooperation agreements in areas such as aviation, technology, agriculture and education, not all went according to expectations. Israel suspended the purchase of one of its most storied and controversial football clubs because of questions about the solvency of the Emirati buyer. An Israeli alliance of high-powered security and technology companies lost a bid for an Emirati cybersecurity center and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu cancelled visits to the UAE and Bahrain. In this webinar, a panel of prominent experts will assess the current state of affairs, as well as the prospects of more states – not limited to the Gulf region – in recognising the Jewish state.
Beyond significantly enhancing its economic footprint, China has forged comprehensive strategic partnerships with key Middle Eastern states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Egypt. China hopes that its economic clout and efforts to be the region’s technological juggernaut as part of its Belt and Road Initiative and Digital Silk Road will shield it from being consumed by the myriad of conflicts in the Middle East. However, whether this is sufficient to protect from China’s mushrooming interests in the region at a time of strategic rivalry with the United States- which is seeking to reconfigure its commitments in the Middle East- is yet to be known. The Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore hosted a panel of experts to explore China’s options.
This event was organised by MEI’s Political Economy Research Cluster on 24 March 2021. Click on the following link for more details: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/egypt-and-myanmar-how-the-militarys-economic-interests-complicates-political-transition/
Abstracts Egypt and Turkey: The Military’s Economic Stake and the Path to Political Transition by Dr Yezid Sayigh
Comparison between the political and economic roles of the National Armed Forces in Turkey and Egypt allows three principal insights. First, the degree to which the military is committed to a dominant economic model has a major bearing on the form and purpose of its own economic activity. It follows that the lack of a clear vision for the path to capitalist development, or an enduring legacy of non-capitalist path to development, allows opportunistic economic activity and raises the military’s stake in holding on to state power.
Second, the retreat of the military role in national politics and government is heavily contingent on social transformations resulting from economic modes that generate significant social classes and private sectors with a higher relative degree of autonomy from the state. The converse is also true – the military may tighten its grip where economic mode and state power impede social transformation of this kind and instead, generate concentration of wealth and widen income disparity.
Lastly, the preceding two dimensions are reflected in the political domain: in a multi-party system, the military tends to act as a balancer and arbiter whereas in a one or non-party system, the military tends to entrench its role as a regime pillar and further concentrate all forms of power in the state.
The Military Coup in Myanmar: Taking Care of Business by Dr Htwe Htwe Thein
The coup in Myanmar is partly about protecting the military elite’s economic interests. These interests are vested in two vast military-owned conglomerates – Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). The spectre of the democratically elected National League for Democracy gradually diluting the military’s political power also challenged its economic power. The military’s conglomerates were established in 1988 when the armed forces were in full control of Myanmar. As market players, they benefitted from Myanmar’s embrace of international trade with Asian investors who, unlike their Western counterparts, did not adhere to US sanctions imposed in 1997 and were only lifted after the political transition in 2011.
Myanmar’s isolation allowed the military to strengthen the conglomerates’ grip on the economy and enrich senior military personnel by controlling licensing, issuing concessions and developing partnerships with Asian investors and emerging domestic private businesses that were dependent on the armed forces. The military maintained its economic interests and partnerships over the last decade despite the transition from military to quasi-civilian rule in 2011 and the subsequent shift into-quasi democratic rule.
That is the primary reason why the Civil Disobedience Movement, since the coup on 1 February 2021, has emphasised a boycott of products and services provided by the military’s conglomerates as well as domestic and international businesses that are part of the armed forces’ nexus. The focus on the nexus highlights the need for future transition to involve both political and economic change and the international community can contribute to that by designing sanctions accordingly.
In this episode, Mr Jason O’Connor, Deputy Director (North America), GISF – Global Interagency Security Forum, speaks about protecting people working in the development and humanitarian response sectors (in challenging environments) from physical violence and cyber risks. He also elaborates on how to promote proper security risk management practices and improving security of aid workers.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
In this episode, Mr Ashley Coles, Director of Security Risks, Price Forbes & Mr Brett Davey, Founder and Managing Director of Insurance Consultants & Experts, I.C.E, Singapore look at the insurance sector – from kidnap and ransom risk management techniques to anti-piracy and cyber security crisis management.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow, and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
The Middle East Film Festival 2021 taking place from 19 February to 3 March 2021 at the Shaw KinoLounge, is presented by the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore and supported by the Singapore Film Society.
Director Foreword What is a film? A story. An event. A set of moving images. The sound of a train. An eavesdropped conversation. Recorded on camera. Screened in a cinema. Shown on television. Streamed via the Internet.
Movies are the window into our humanity. And they are a respite, though brief, from the challenges of navigating an increasingly complex world.
Each story told, each event recalled, allows us into a world that might mirror the one we live in or looks nothing like our own everyday. And yet something speaks to us through these films. Language and dress may differ but hopes and dreams seem somehow familiar. We are placed in situations we may never have to face. As the stories unfold, we find ourselves rooting for the main characters, willing them to find the solutions, the success or the peace that they seek.
The films we have chosen for this year’s Middle East Film Festival may sometimes be confronting, set against backdrops of family and expectation, harsh landscape, or tumultuous social change. But they each tell of the resilience of spirit, the unbowed soul. And unlike the grand scale, blockbuster films of Hollywood or even Bollywood, those from the Middle East focus more closely on individual struggles and society, giving us a more intimate look into their everyday and how they must navigate these hurdles.
We hope you enjoy the films that the Middle East Institute at NUS has curated this year in partnership with the Singapore Film Society. Thank you again for joining us.
In 2011, almost 42 years of dictatorial rule came crashing down on Libya’s Muammar el Qaddafi, as revolution swept across the country. Alsatoor (The Cleaver), a Libyan satirist in exile in the UK, had been criticising the regime for decades through his cartoons. Once Qaddafi fell, his work didn’t stop there. Libya tumbled into chaos and civil war, while Alsatoor pushed on for political and social change until he passed away in 2016.
Coinciding with the Libyan revolution’s 10th anniversary, this event is a reflection of the life and works of Hasan ‘Alsatoor’ Dhaimish (1955–2016), and an exploration of contemporary Libyan culture and history.
Through satire and art spanning from the 1980s to 2016, attendees will experience Libya’s transition from autocracy to liberation and civil war through Alastoor’s work. Hosted by the artist’s son, Mr Sherif Dhaimish, the talk will be aired from London and will be apart of the forthcoming exhibition, “Resistance, Rebellion & Revolution — A Libyan Artist in Exile”, Hoxton 253, and will feature some of the show’s video installations and artworks.
Mr Dhaimish will delve into his father’s life in exile and his eclectic body of work — from depictions of pre-Qaddafi Libya, to satirical cartoons, and paintings inspired by blues and jazz — while offering an insight to Libya’s modern history.
To conclude, Mr Dhaimish will discuss the artist’s legacy, and introduce a new wave of Libyan art that celebrates and preserves culture.
This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, principal research fellow, and Dr Ameem Lutfi, research fellow, at Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.
In this episode, Ms Candace Rondeaux, an expert on international security apparatuses, breaks down the purpose, demographic and long-term implications of Russian private military companies in the international and domestic arena.
In this episode, the hosts talk to Gene Yu, CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity incident response firm Blackpanda Group. Yu argues that cybersecurity is just physical security on a different terrain, that it is a security, not an information technology problem, and shares anecdotes from his time on the "blue team" of cybersecurity first responders, including in Singapore.
Date: 26 Nov 2020, 4pm to 5.30pm (SGT) Speaker: David Rundell (Former Chief of Mission, American Embassy in Riyadh)
Saudi Arabia remains to many an enigma despite significant social and economic reforms enacted since King Salman ascended to the throne in 2015. The crackdown on activists as well as the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the subjugation of powerful members of the ruling family and the business community, and the war in Yemen have tarnished its relationships in the West.
Providing a unique and granular analysis of the inner workings of the kingdom, Mr David Rundell, who served a total of 15 years as a US foreign service officer in Saudi Arabia, illustrates King Salman’s long-standing focus on combatting corruption that is at the core of Saudi reforms in his recently published book, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads. The former diplomat also delves into the governing of King Salman’s governing of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for nearly five decades before his ascension to the throne.
Anti-corruption has played a dramatic role since Salman became king in solidifying and concentrating power in the kingdom and breaking with a past of slow and gradual change. Instead, King Salman introduced rapid reforms with little consultation. To do so, he picked his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince because he saw in him a bulldozer with the needed ambition, drive, and ruthlessness to undermine the traditional pillars of support of the Saudi system like elite cohesion and the maintenance of rival armed forces.
In doing so, Mr Rundell argues that King Salman may have made Saudi Arabia less stable by turning it into a country in which absolute political and military power have been concentrated in the hands of one man, ruling over a young population that aspires for greater transparency and accountability.
Image caption: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attending the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Palácio do Planalto / Flickr
In this episode, we speak to Professor Simon Chesterman about the possibilities and limitations of regulating private military and security companies through international law. We will also explore whether there are better alternative solutions that are local and market-based.
The Middle East Institute organises webinars on relevant and current topics related to the Middle East region and their ramifications for Asia and the world. In this webinar, we will be exploring the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its initiatives in renewable energy.
Across the Gulf Arab states, the main drivers of this new focus on renewables have not been climate change goals (eg the Paris Agreement) as in the OECD countries. Rather it has been the need to keep up with growing domestic oil and gas demands for electric power grids while also increasing exports, and to free up fuel needed for downstream economic diversification projects such as oil-based petrochemical projects. The countries in the GCC are among the few countries in the world still using oil for power generation during peak demand in the summer months, which is a major loss in economic value as oil is far more valuable as a transport fuel and as feedstock for petrochemicals.
The purpose of the talk would be to assess the progress to date, the extent to which solar power can alleviate local oil and gas demand in the power generating sector (and hence release more oil and gas for exports in the future), the potential for this sector to promote new economic activity in the GCC countries’ diversification efforts and job creation, the potential for Asia-based companies to invest in this sector, among other questions. The UAE nuclear power plant coming on-stream, as part of non-oil and gas development, would also be part of the discussion.
30 Oct 2020, 3.30pm to 5pm (SGT) Speaker: Charlene Winfred, Photographer, Singapore
What comes to mind when you think of Iraq? Deserts? Bombs? Soldiers? Destruction? Over the last 50 years, Iraq has seen multiple wars ― the Iran–Iraq war, the first Gulf war, the US invasion, the war with the Islamic State ― and the devastation that comes with prolonged conflict. Millions of lives were lost, and millions were displaced. What does ordinary life look like when you’re a refugee?
Ms Winfred spent a year in Kurdistan, the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, working for a small NGO helping refugees to rebuild their lives in the long shadow of war, and listening to the stories of many refugees. She was struck not only by how unimaginable these stories were to someone like her ― from safe, stable Singapore ― but unexpectedly, also by how much they resonated. These are stories most of us can identify with, no matter who we are, and where or how we live.
What do people who have lived in conflict long for, just like those who live in peace?
In the concluding lecture for our ME 101 series, Dr Alessandro Arduino examines Central Asia, a region of particular importance and increasingly a destination for Chinese investment. It is a critical bridging point, not only between China, Russia and Europe but also between South Asia and the Middle East.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation; its predecessor was the Shanghai Five mechanism. The SCO’s creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Currently, the organisation comprises eight member states, namely the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Four other states have observer status: they are the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mongolia.
The organisation has two permanent bodies: the SCO Secretariat, based in Beijing, and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, based in Tashkent, and has six dialogue partners, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Turkey, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
In this lecture under our Prominent Speaker Series, HE Vladimir Imamovich Norov, the secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, will talk about the crucial role that the SCO plays in ensuring stability and sustainable development in the region.
Lecture #10: Religion and Political Islam in the Middle East and Its Impact on Our Region by Norshahril bin Saat [Thursday, 22 October 2020]
9/11 has refocussed analysis of Islam in Southeast Asia towards the security lens. Concerns about terrorism and radicalism dominate academic and journalistic writings, creating many academic positions in universities and think-tanks, and promoting Muslim theologians as the spokespersons for “moderate” Islam. Examination of other equally pressing concerns which can also impede progress and development of Muslims, such as non-violent extremism and quality religious education, are neglected. Lately, contextualization of Islam has become an area of interest. Malays are perceived to import Middle Eastern cultures, practices, and theology at the expense of local ones. Policy makers and academics refer to this process as “Arabization” of Southeast Asian Islam. Some consider this “Talibanization” referring to borrowing of radical ideas from the Talibans in war-torn Afghanistan.
This lecture examines critically dominant images of Southeast Asian Islam focussing on three countries, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. In highlight interaction between the region and Middle East. Applying the socio-historical approach, the lecture makes three arguments: (1) while Islam originated from Middle East, the type of Islam brought to Southeast Asia was predominantly the Sufi type; (2) the heterogeneity of Islam in the Middle East also shapes Southeast Asia differently, depending on which era is discussed, and the country of focus; and (3) Islam and politics take many forms in Southeast Asia, and they adopt and adapt to global and local dynamics, such as capitalism, feudalism, socialism, and revivalism. The impact of Middle East movements Sufism, Shiism, Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi-Wahhabism, Hizmet and reformism will also be discussed.
In an increasingly multipolar world, small states are facing many dilemmas. Can small states prosper while they are continuously facing threats to their existence? How can small states navigate their way through questions of development, globalisation, security and multilateralism while preserving and defending their autonomy and identity?
The Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister will discuss how her country is thriving despite a land, sea and air blockade that its neighbours illegally imposed three years ago, and how small countries can navigate their geopolitical positions in this contested era. Qatar is notably present in the international arena, being the world-leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the mediator of the peace agreement between the US and Taliban, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup host. Qatar achieved this despite active efforts from its neighbours to sideline it.
Drawing from the many similarities and shared interests between Qatar and Singapore, Her Excellency Lolwah Alkhater’s lecture will examine such questions: what are the most effective tools for small states to navigate their way and define their position? How can small states learn from history and create a prosperous future? Finally, what are the mechanisms and areas for small states to collaborate?
Youths make up 16 per cent of the world’s population today. Over the next 30 years, the youth population is expected to continue to grow in some regions like the Arab Middle East (UN 2019), which will in turn change the demography of the region. In this lecture, we will discuss how these demographic shifts and political instability in the region are upturning social expectations, especially for women. They present challenges and opportunities, both in terms of women’s and youth’s socio-economic expectations, and to current sociopolitical norms, especially as the states’ authority and familial bonds weaken, and guidance increasingly comes from social media and other independent external stakeholders. Disrupted “visions” and changing labour force demands are intersecting with painful political changes in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and will continue to impact the uncertain future of youth and gender politics of the Middle East.
In a world of autocracy, repression and conflict, polls often offer ordinary citizens a rare opportunity to express an opinion. Independent pollsters operating in cooperation with local polling companies have gathered more than a decade of data that provides crucial insight into public opinion often not reflected in much of the Middle East’s print and broadcast media. Polling data has, over time, been supplemented by insights gained from the monitoring of social media. The polling lifts the veil on public sentiment towards issues such as Israel, the Palestinians and Iran as well as hot button items, including religion, protest and political Islam. The data demonstrates that failure to understand public sentiment and/or take it into account produces misinformed and misguided policies not only by rulers in the region but also governments like that of the United States. This webinar brings together pollsters and social media monitors to provide insights into trends in public opinion in the Middle East as well as how they operate in a restricted environment.
In this episode, we turn to the role of the United Nations. Specifically, we will be talking to Dr Sorcha MacLeod about the vision of the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of people to self-determination. This working group is an independent expert body established by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.
ME101 Lecture #08: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Climate Change in a Desert by Aisha Al-Sarihi [Thursday, 08 October 2020]
Climate scientists show us that ‘warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia’: the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice have diminished, the sea level has risen, and extreme weather events have become more frequent than before.
The Gulf Arab states – characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as a main source of income – are particularly vulnerable to not only the adverse impacts of climate change but also the to the outcomes of global climate change mitigation measures aiming to keep climate change at a (relatively) safe level.
This lecture will focus on four main themes: (i) how climate change contributes in exacerbating readily existing challenges of energy security, food and water security, economic stability, and in some cases transboundary political conflicts; (ii) what is the current state of climate action (governance, policies and regulations) across the Gulf Arab states, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation; and (iii) what are the advantages of enhanced climate action; and (iv) what else can be done to strive towards effective climate action.
The United States has long been regarded as the pivotal power player in the Middle East — leaving its mark in war and in peace for half a century. If President Donald Trump wins a second term, will he double down on his “maximum pressure” against Iran — and will it yield the better-than-JCPOA grand bargain he has promised? Will his Israeli–Palestinian “Vision for Peace” gain traction and wider Arab–Israeli peace achieve momentum? If Vice President Joe Biden assumes the presidency, will American diplomacy take a different tack in the region — asking more of traditional allies and also seeking convergence with now-disaffected European partners? And how is America’s Middle East policy likely to factor into the US election? We’ll look at the two candidates’ records, and domestic and regional factors.
The leaking in recent months of an alleged 25-year economic and military cooperation agreement between China and Iran has sparked intense debate among Western and Middle Eastern policymakers, pundits and journalists. If indeed signed, the agreement would significantly alter the balance of power in the Middle East, potentially draw China into the Saudi–Iranian conflict, and add one more dimension to tension between the United States and China. The impact of a signed agreement would be magnified by the likely failure of US attempts to persuade the United Nations Security Council to extend an arms embargo that prevents Iran from acquiring conventional weapons.
Discussion about the alleged draft agreement inevitably involves debate about China’s evolving Middle East policy. Broadly, two camps have emerged in the debate about what is real and what is shadow boxing in reports about the agreement. One school of thought takes the reported draft at face value and focuses on what it would mean for the Middle East as a region as well as individual Middle Eastern states. The other school sees the leaking of the alleged draft as a tactic employed by Iran and China in a bid to advance their separate objectives. Middle East Institute scholars James M Dorsey and Asif Shuja will discuss the two different camps. In doing so, they will provide a basis for discussion of Iran’s and China’s perspectives on creating a regional security architecture in the region that could reduce tension and help ensure that regional conflicts do not spin out of control.
More than a quarter-century of fitful, failed and abandoned attempts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict blocked efforts to formally widen the circle of Arab–Israeli peace after the Jordanian–Israeli treaty of 1994 — although under-the-table contacts and cooperation, mutually beneficial to Israel and key Arab states, were maintained. Shifting US policies, shared concerns about common enemies and recognition of potential opportunities created a different dynamic in recent years, culminating in the 13 August announcement of UAE–Israel normalisation. We’ll look at the long road to that milestone agreement and what might lie beyond it.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on 2 October (Friday), from 9.00am to 10.30am (SGT).
About the Speaker(s):
Mr Jason Isaacson is the chief policy and political affairs officer for the Global Jewish Advocacy (AJC). He has played a central role in shaping the organisation’s diplomatic and political profile since assuming the position of director of Government and International Affairs in Washington, DC, in 1991, after serving in senior staff positions in the US Senate and House of Representatives and after a decade in journalism.
In addition to his broader policy responsibilities, he has focused particular attention on the Middle East — beginning with his participation as AJC’s observer in the Madrid Peace Conference in October 1991 and the launch of the multilateral Middle East peace process in Moscow the following January.
For more than a quarter century, Mr Isaacson has maintained close contact with officials and civil society leaders across the Middle East and North Africa, breaking down barriers of misunderstanding, forging common agendas, and advancing the cause of Arab–Israeli reconciliation and cooperation.
ME 101 Lecture #06: The Politics of Economic Reform by Rana Karadsheh-Haddad [Thursday, 24 September 2020]
After focusing on the geopolitical aspects of the region during the first six lectures, we will now turn to another important aspect, particularly for Singapore: The economic transformation being undertaken by many countries in the region, particularly the oil-producing ones. This effort has been underway for several years now, but has advanced in fits and starts, despite ambitious plans to diversify away from hydrocarbons, such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic and global oil price collapse have made matters worse, and hard-won gains may be reversed as a result.
Ms Rana Karadsheh will discuss the future of the Middle East’s economic transformation programmes and the challenges they face, as well as their potential. Ms Karadsheh is the regional industry director, Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services for Asia and the Pacific at the International Finance Corporation, which is part of the World Bank group. IFC is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Its portfolio in the region totals over US$5 billion and spans 55 active advisory projects.
In this webinar, Dr Sean McFate, Mr Jamie Williamson and Mr Doug Brooks will discuss how mercenaries and private military companies are changing the rules of war and peacebuilding. Since the second Iraq conflict, the growing presence of private military contractors has generated the need for effective public and private participation and re-statement of existing international law regarding the contractors’ oversight, enforcement and accountability, specifically in armed conflict environments.
With the exception of Kuwait, the Gulf states’ interest in cultivating ties with Israeli and Jewish figures in the United States is an open secret. With the UAE’s recent normalisation of relations with Israel under the Abraham Accord, the commonly held notion that territorial concessions to the Palestinians are a prerequisite for formalising diplomatic relations with Arab states has been called into question. Will other Gulf states follow suit? How will Arab public opinion shape their governments’ reaction? What are the solutions left for the Palestinians? The Middle East Institute will be hosting a panel of speakers in a discussion on these questions. The session will be moderated by MEI Research Fellow Clemens Chay.
In this week's lecture, Kevjn Lim examines the current axes of Israel's cooperation and competition, addressing Israel's military and security doctrine, its Mediterranean politics and relations with Turkey, and the implications of the United States’ gradual abdication of responsibility in the region and China’s increasing presence.
The United States became a strategic player in the Middle East only in the second half of the 1950s as its reliance on Persian Gulf oil increased and it realized that it could no longer rely on Britain to protect its interests in the region. This pattern – a combination of interests and balance of power calculations – would shape the evolution of American policies in the Middle East ever since. Even America’s most substantial ties in the region – its relations with Israel – became “special” only after Israel was able to “prove” it was a strategic asset.
Notably, the United States “won” the Cold War in the Middle East early on (in the 1970s), but went on to pay a premium price in terms of strategic entrapments (the energy crisis, Iran hostage crisis, etc.). Following the end of the Cold War, the Middle East was yet another arena for demonstrating America’s “hegemonic moment”, but 9/11 reshaped its outlook. For the United States, regional under-development became a threat to national security and it sought to “fix” the Middle East. However, the huge toll and poor track record – combined with the 2008 economic crisis – decreased America’s strategic ambitions for the region, as it sought to divert attention to Asia and contend with the rise of an increasingly assertive, and now aggressive, China.
No longer dependent on Middle East oil and rid of grand ambitions of transforming the region, America’s strategic footprint is diminishing, and its allies and adversaries alike are adjusting their policies accordingly. Nevertheless, two main factors will probably keep the U.S. regionally engaged, at least to some extent: (a) the growing presence and influence of its great power competitors – China and Russia – across the region; and (b) the enduring geopolitical relevance of the Middle East on the periphery of the Indo-Pacific (energy and maritime security; source of terror; nuclear proliferation). A combination of these factors might actually rekindle, even if reluctantly, America’s strategic appetite in the Middle East before too long.
In the third instalment of our Salon series, we dive into the fascinating world of Arabic culture with Ms Zeinab Hendawi. Understanding the differences between Arab culture and others can prevent cultural misinterpretation and can build a better appreciation and respect towards Arabs.
In this week’s ME101 Lecture, Alessandro Arduino examines China's geopolitical interest and influence in the Middle East, and evaluates the sustainability of its cautious, non-interference approach in the region.
In this week’s ME101 Lecture, Serkan Yolaçan and Asif Shuja analyse the visions and capabilities of Turkey and Iran, their cooperation with Russia, and their political reach into Asia.
What are the costs of participation in the global art world? This talk highlights recent debates about the value of art in Syria both before and after the 2011 uprisings, regime reprisals and devastating wars. Professor Anneka Lenssen will be drawing on her fieldwork in Syria between 2008 and 2010 to discuss the acute changes in Syria’s national art scene after Bashar al-Asad’s regime opted to open the controlled arts sector to private galleries and international auction houses.
As dealers grew rich while artists remained penniless (and fakes flooded the market), members of the Syrian art world fought bitterly over their divergent understandings of art objects. Are they a form of personal expression, a social good or a private investment tool? This talk aims to contextualise the criticism of market value we find in these fights — including repeated accusations that the artists were “selling out” — in longer patterns of trade in art and artifacts extracted from the region.
As a conclusion, Professor Lenssen will turn to consider image politics in an activist register, with an emphasis on the emergence of important new thinking about the right to a dignified self-image. After the regime crackdowns of 2011, younger artists from Syria, most prominently the filmmaker collective known as Abounaddara, proposed to rethink the costs of art on ethical rather than economic grounds.
Event details: 26 August 2020, 10.30am to 12.00pm (SGT)
Speaker: Anneka Lenssen, Associate Professor, Global Modern Art, History of Art Department, University of California, Berkeley
What are the new developments in the Middle East and why should Singapore care? MEI Chairman Bilahari Kausikan kicks off this year's ME 101 lecture series answering these key questions.
In this episode of Boots Off the Ground, Dr Francesco Milan and Dr Aniseh Bassiri talk about the prevalence of drone usage in contemporary warfare, breaking down the political risks and implications of using drones as opposed to human soldiers.
The book Palestinian Refugees in International Law deals with the largest, most protracted and politically fraught refugee situation of the post-WWII era. In this talk, Ms Francesca Albanese and Dr Lex Takkenberg debate the issue of Palestinian refugees and the need for principled action to realise their rights.
Mr Masakazu Toyoda, Chairman & CEO of The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) examines the need for cooperation between the Middle East and Asia in terms of energy, and elaborates on the future of energy beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
In this podcast, we talk with Mr Liu Qing (director of international business development and management division, Huaxin Zhongan Security Group) about the role Chinese private security companies play in the industry.
With her video highlights of her 2013 Persian trip, visual storyteller Mandy Tay showed us a very different side of Iran. In this MEI Salon session, she talked about her experience working in Dubai and how being a solo female traveller has transformed her.
The gradual shift in the global economic order, which is becoming increasingly apparent over the last decade, has re-oriented the contours of the Gulf–Asia relations. The rise of Asia and the Gulf, itself a part of Asia, led to a shift and restructuring of the global economy. The Gulf “Look East” policy coincided with some Asian countries’ “Look West” policy. Will this global economic shift continue? Are current crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, the consequent fall in oil prices and the global economic downturn bound to alter this trajectory and interest between the Gulf region and Asia? To what extent will the US–China cold war affect this shift? What do all of these mean for the future Gulf–Asia relations?
Speakers Professor Anoush Ehtesami Professor of International Relations Durham University
Dr Wu Bingbing Deputy Director Institute of Arab–Islamic Culture Peking University
Dr Li-Chen Sim Assistant Professor Zayed University
Dr Shareefa Al-Adwani Assistant Professor American University of Kuwait
Dr Satoru Nakamura Visiting Scholar Gulf Research Center Qatar University
Image caption: Photo by Roman Logov on Unsplash
Dr Kristian Ulrichsen, author of Qatar and the Gulf Crisis, elaborates on the implications of the Qatar blockade, which was implemented three years ago. The isolation of Qatar from its Gulf neighbours may have had limited successes, due to a tense political–economic climate and the decisions to act according to international pressures as opposed to the GCC's regional mechanisms.
In this podcast, Mr Raffaello Pantucci will talk about the risks and threats posed by returning foreign fighters.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has recently finalised a production cut of nearly 10 million barrels of oil due to the impact from the coronavirus pandemic. In this event, Dr Fereidun Fesharaki discusses the grim economic outlook for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and its implications for net oil-importing Asian countries.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, practitioners of Tablighi Jamaat, a transnational Islamic piety movement, continued their mass gatherings called Ijtimah. Taking reference from his extensive fieldwork with Pakistani Tablighi, Dr Arsalan Khan outlines how a ritualised form of face-to-face preaching, or dawat, creates a distinct pious sociality based on what he calls the “ethics of hierarchy”.
In contrast to the conventional wisdom that hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia is inevitable, Dr Ibrahim Fraihat takes a critical but constructive approach to the reformation of conflict strategies between the two countries.
Dr Mark C Thompson explores the effects of socio-economic development and changing societal norms on Young men in Saudi Arabia, diving into phenomena like modernisation, socio-economic liberalisation, and the increasing role of Saudi women in society.
In the third podcast, Mr Doug Brooks, the founder of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA) elaborates on the role of the US private military sector in the Middle East and beyond.
Listen to our panel of seven speakers dissect and unpack the rationale and motives behind the UAE’s foreign policy moves, and why it is becoming the centre of attention regionally and internationally.
Travelling by land is the best way to develop a deeper understanding of the differences between cultures and languages due to the richness of personal interactions, said Ms Juvena Huang who travelled solo on a motorbike around Asia and the Middle East.
How do complex geopolitical dynamics play out in the world’s oceans, which are theatres not under the sovereign control of any one actor but of great strategic importance to many? In this talk, MEI Chairman Mr Bilahari Kausikan, RSIS Research Fellow Dr Collin Koh and MEI Visiting Research Professor Dr Abdullah Baabood discuss security and maritime conflicts in the South China Sea, the Persian Gulf and beyond.
How has Saudi Arabia campaigned to propagate its brand of ultraconservative Islam worldwide after becoming oil-rich in the 20th century. In this lecture, journalist Krithika Varagur explores the Kingdom’s influence across the breadth of the Muslim World, from Nigeria to Indonesia to Kosovo.
In this second podcast, Mr Jamie Williamson, Executive Director of International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA), joins us to examine the role of the ICoCA in promoting transparency and accountability for the private security sector.
How has the oil price war and demand slump as a result of Covid-19 affected the global economy? In this lecture, Dr John Sfakianakis and Professor Giacomo Luciani explore the economic implications for the Gulf economies in the aftermath of the crises.
The Middle East and the global security architecture are undergoing rapid transitions that will change the future of war and conflict. In the first podcast of the series, Dr Sean McFate explains his theory of the world returning to a state of "durable disorder" and how private actors and mercenaries are replacing uniformed soldiers on the ground.
In his speech, Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE's minister of state for higher education and advanced skills, examines whether the UAE, and other countries in the Middle East, can learn from East Asia, and his answer is a definitive yes. One of the biggest lessons is that of adaptability, he said, citing Singapore as an example of a nation-state that recognises when change is required and can quickly implement it.
Dr Al Falasi argues that while the UAE is blessed with natural resources, it must change and adapt to the current market demands and invest in the one thing that really matters — its human capital. And this, simply put, could be achieved with education — always, everywhere and lifelong.
Instead of solely relying on a university degree as a marker of success, there is a need for education systems to develop multiple pathways for progressions and achievement, argues Mr Ong Ye Kung, Singapore's education minister. Mr Ong was one of the keynote speakers on the second day of the MEI Annual Conference on 16 January 2020.
In his speech, Professor Ezra F Vogel outlines the main development tracks of five East Asian nations, identifying what he believes to be the critical turning points in their modernisation, and suggests the common strategies that enabled their success.
Delivering the first keynote speech at MEI’s Annual Conference, HE Nabil Fahmy, former Egyptian foreign minister, argues that Middle Eastern states must overcome foreign interference in the Middle East by taking charge of their own future in order to resolve the troubled affairs of their countries. He also talks about the three key challenges which he foresees will pose a threat to the stability of the region in the coming years.
The fundamental shifts in the global environment have vast impact on how lessons from East Asia can be applied to the Middle East, says Guest of Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's senior minister and coordinating minister for social policies, at the MEI Annual Conference on 15 January 2020.
Beating the Odds Together is a book jointly published by the Middle East Institute at National University of Singapore and World Scientific Publishing to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Israel. Israel's ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency Sagi Karni, spoke at the book launch at The Arts House on 9 December.
Beating the Odds Together is a book jointly published by the Middle East Institute at National University of Singapore and World Scientific Publishing to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Israel. Singapore's former Foreign Minister George Yeo, who wrote a chapter, officiated the book launch at The Arts House on 9 December.
Iran will hold legislative (2020) and presidential elections (2021) under heavy unilateral sanctions imposed by the US after withdrawing from the JCPOA. The processes will serve to measure the capacity of the current pragmatic-reformist governmental coalition to remain in power in the midst of heightened international, regional and domestic tensions, resulting from the latest developments in the Persian Gulf waters, and the demonstrations taking place in Iran after the elimination of fuel subsidies. The talk featured in this episode addresses the current factional scheme, the future prospects in face of the upcoming electoral processes, and the possible implications for Iranian foreign policy.
The role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf has been a topic that has become increasing polarising. In this lecture, Dr Courtney Freer examines the specific functions and ideologies of Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, as well as the ways in which they differ from Brotherhood affiliates elsewhere.
With China projected to surpass the United States as Israel’s top source of foreign direct investment in the near future, Israel, a key US ally in the Middle East, will face high stakes and hard choices as relations between the two giants become increasingly contentious. In this lecture, Dr Mercy Kuo discusses the strategic relevance of Israel’s role in US–China relations.
A robust private sector is crucial to achieve broad-based economic growth in the Middle East, argues Ms Rana Karadsheh, Regional Industry Director, Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services, Asia Pacific for the International Finance Corporation (IFC). In this ME 101 lecture, Ms Karadsheh discusses key challenges and mitigation in the Middle East, as well as potential technological opportunities to improve competitiveness in the region.
The current tech revolution is different from previous ones, argues Professor Eugene Kandel, CEO of Start-up Nation Central and former head of Israel’s National Economic Council. Find out how small advanced economies like Singapore and Israel can deal with today's uncertainties and future challenges in this year's S R Nathan Distinguished Lecture held on 17 October.
How do we explain the rise and fall of neo-Ottoman Turkey? Dr Serkan Yolaçan suggests shifting our focus from Erdogan to two ideologically distinct networks of the Anatolian Tigers and Fethullah Gülen in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 16 October.
The Trump administration may be preparing to abandon its efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state. This raises the question as to whether a two-state solution is still a viable option to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Find out about the roots and prospects of the two-state solution with Dr Victor Kattan in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 9 October.
Maritime piracy attacks have plagued the Middle East for the past decade. Operating out of the Horn of Africa, they have posed serious problems to maritime shipping and the safety of maritime navigation. In this talk, Professor Milena Sterio discusses the legal aspects of maritime piracy in the Middle East.
Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman challenges us to rethink what traditional Islam means in South-east Asia through exploring the shifting boundaries of Sunni Islam in this region. What are some of the current trends in Muslim political mobilisation in South-east Asia? Find out more about the new spectrum of Islamism in Malaysia and Indonesia in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 2 October.
For the past half-century, Saudi Arabia has engaged in a wide range of activities to propagate globally its distinctive brand of Islam. In this lecture, Dr Peter Mandaville discusses the impact and evolution of Saudi transnational proselytisation, and future trends in light of new Saudi leadership.
With the rise of Asia in the 21st century, Arabia is becoming ever more engaged with the rest of Asia. In this lecture, Dr Zoltan Pall discusses the potential trends in transregional connections, focusing on religious ties, and using Gulf charities in Cambodia as a case study.
Three aspects differentiate the Middle East from other regions—foreign interests, religion and ideology, and competing visions to identity and socio-political organisation, Dr Fanar Haddad argues. How do these factors interplay? How do Middle Powers play a role in the geopolitical scene? Find out about geopolitical competition in the Middle East with Dr Haddad and Ms Susan Kurdli in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 18 September.
"After seven years (of working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon), I'm still alive," Love Aid Singapore Founder Gilbert Goh joked. Why did this Singaporean decide to dedicate so much time and effort to humanitarian efforts there? Find out about Mr Goh's mission and the challenges he encountered in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 28 August.
Why should Singapore care about the Middle East? MEI Chairman Mr Bilahari Kausikan kickstarted the ME 101 lecture series on 21 August with an introduction to developments in the Middle East and what they mean for Singapore.
The lectures give an overview of the circumstances and impact of the encounters between the Middle East and the rest of the world in terms of politics, economics, and cultural norms.
The United States-Iran Conference held on 13 August 2019 at Orchard Hotel examined escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Indian Member of Parliament and Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar spoke about the view from India.
The United States-Iran Conference held on 13 August 2019 at Orchard Hotel examined escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Dr Kazem Sajjadpour, President, Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran, spoke about the view from Iran.
The United States-Iran Conference held on 13 August 2019 at Orchard Hotel examined escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage spoke about the view from the US.
Automated Twitter accounts, or bots, have played a crucial role in poisoning online discussions in the Arabic Twitterverse. Dr. Marc Owen Jones discusses the extent to which bots have been weaponised by Saudi Arabia to spread disinformation and fake news in the Middle East.
The establishment of Israeli settlements throughout the Palestinian territories has had an immense impact on the lives of Palestinians living in Jerusalem and beyond. In her talk, Ms Nur Arafeh discusses the logic behind the settlement project and explores its impact on the lives of Palestinians.
From the 1948 war to the 1967 war, where Jerusalem was divided between Jerusalem and Israel, the city has changed demographically and geographically. In his talk, Professor Menachem Klein summaries the major changes the city has undergone and comments on how these changes have affected Israeli and Jordanian national policy.
The dynamic nature of Jerusalem's city borders have had a great impact on the outcome of political agreements between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. By closely examining the history of this contested city, Professor Michael Dumper comments on the potential for a negotiated agreement.
As China’s economic ties with the Middle East continues to expand, some expect that the Middle Kingdom will start to play a bigger role in regional security by deploying its own armed forces in the region, as the United States is doing now. Professor Jonathan Fulton of Zayed University explains why this may not be the case.
To many, the history of colonialism is far removed from the logistical landscapes of today. However, this view is inaccurate as Professor Laleh Khalili argues why the two are more closely related than one would expect. Tune in to find out more!
Many assume that Sufism in southern Thailand came about because of Middle Eastern influences. But Dr Srawut Aree and Dr Christopher M. Joll, who spoke at MEI on Sufi movements in Thailand's southern provinces, said this is inaccurate. Tune in here to find out why.
The Chagos Islands, a group of seven atolls disputed between the UK and Mauritius, came to the fore on February 25, 2019 when the International Court of Justice ruled that the decolonisation of the latter was not lawfully completed. MEI Senior Research Fellow Victor Kattan examines how the Chagos issue could be relevant to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Listen to his talk!