The Middle East is in the midst of a geopolitical crisis. On Friday 13th June, Israel launched an attack on Iran and escalations have led to a war between the two long standing enemies. Bombs and missiles have been exchanged and Israel has attacked central parts of Iran’s nuclear programme. Casualties in Iran and Israel grow. After speculation whether the US would become directly involved, on Saturday 21st July US strikes were carried out on Iranian nuclear facilities. This is a marked shift from President Trump’s previous claims of ending US involvement in the Middle East. On Monday 23rd, Iran announced it had attacked US forces in a Qatari air base. A ceasefire was announced by President Trump, however developments continue to unfold.

In this webinar, our panel of experts will examine the latest developments in the Middle East, providing insights into the current situation and exploring implications for the future. Speakers will also discuss the role of the international community in the future security of the region as well as internal regional dynamics, including the position of Gulf states.

Speakers:

– Professor Simon Mabon, is Chair in International Politics at Lancaster University where he directs SEPAD and the Richardson Institute.

– Dr Lina Khatib, is Associate Fellow at the Middle East North Africa Programme at Chatham House and Visiting Scholar with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative.

– Professor Clive Jones, is Professor of Regional Security and Director of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) at Durham University.

– Eyad S. Alrefai, is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah and a Fellow at SEPAD project at Lancaster University.

The discussion will be chaired by Alice Copland, FPC Policy and Parliamentary Affairs Manager

This event is organised by the University of Lancaster Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project and the Foreign Policy Centre as part of their ongoing project to explore ‘The Future of the Middle East’.

The event will take place on Zoom. Registration is required to attend, click here.