From 8-10 November 2021, Dr. Gawdat Bahgat led the Qatari Diplomatic Institute Virtual Seminar to help foster a shared understanding of the evolving strategic landscape in the Middle East and promote mutual cooperation. The seminar was attended by over 100 officials from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sessions were led by NESA director LTG Read More >
Middle East
International Military Officers’ Forum
From 1-5 November 2021, the NESA Center hosted foreign military officers assigned to U.S. Central Command in Tampa in Washington D.C. for an International Military Officers’ Forum titled “World Power Competition and Middle East Turmoil.” NESA Center experts, including Professor Dr. Richard Russell, Deputy Director COL David Lamm, Academic Dean Dr. Roger Kangas, and Professor Read More >
Omani Diplomatic Institute Seminar
From 16 to 18 August 2021, experts from the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies arranged a three-day virtual seminar with 23 distinguished Omani diplomats to exchange their perspectives of the ongoing opportunities and challenges in the Middle East writ large. The overarching objective of this seminar was to promote mutual cooperation Read More >
Strategic Survey Seminar: The Middle East and U.S. National Security
From 27 to 29 July, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a three-day webinar series to explore key political, military, and socio-economic dynamics impacting the wider Middle East and U.S. security policy. The webinar was joined by various internationally recognized scholar-practitioners, primarily intended for both U.S. and foreign military officers, Read More >
View of China from Israeli Perspective
20 October 2020 – In this edition of the NESA IOR Digital Series, Dr. Yoram Evron of the University of Haifa in Israel discusses how Israel’s society, analytical community, and government interpret the actions of major non-regional powers in the larger MENA region. The views presented in this article are those of the speaker or Read More >
Great Power Perceptions and the Middle East
8 October 2020 – In the newest iteration of the IOR digital series, Mr. Jeff Payne of NESA hosted a discussion on the perceptions of the MENA region states towards the major non-regional powers. Mr. Payne was joined by Jonathan Fulton of Zayed University and the Atlantic Council, Dr. Meena Singh Roy of the Manohar Read More >
Regional Organization and System Design for Security Governance
07 October 2020 – In the third edition of the NESA Alumni Virtual Interview Series, NESA’s Fahad Malaikah hosts Al Sharif Nasser bin Nasser of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for a discussion on the system design and organizational culture challenges facing Middle East governments, particularly under the Covid-19 crisis. The pair further discussed Read More >
From Democratization to Securitization: Post‐Arab Spring Political Order in the Middle East
This article examines the question: why and how the wave of democratization in the Middle East has receded, giving way to the prioritization of security in the post‐Arab Spring by conducting analyses at three levels: societal, state, and international. By applying the main concepts and theories found in the literature on democratization and securitization and Read More >
Why Saudi-Israeli Normalisation Could Be Dangerous
Driven by succession plans and a strategy to confront Iran’s influence in the Arab region, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) has engaged in several taboo-breaking steps. These include the arrest of dozens of princes and ministers and a process of normalising relations, at least partially, with Israel. But taking concrete measures to end Read More >
Saudi Arabia and Iran: Main Factors Ascending Their Rivalry In the Middle East Since the Islamic Revolution
The struggle for influence between Riyadh and Tehran has reached its highest level to encompass nearly every conflict within the Middle East. Although sectarianism has been the main aspect characterizing this rivalry, this research extends far beyond the sectarian reading of the crisis. In fact, it explores further political and economic factors that brought these Read More >