MEI Events

President Saied’s New Constitution: Implications for Tunisia’s Future Aug 11, 2022

On July 25, Tunisians will vote on the new constitution drafted by President Kais Saied. The constitutional referendum comes during a difficult economic and political period in Tunisia. Economically, the country is reeling from high inflation, spiking unemployment, as well as sharply elevated commodity prices, and is in desperate need of an IMF deal—which the Tunisian government is currently negotiating. Politically, Kais Saied threw the country’s entire structure into chaos one year ago by suspending parliament and subsequently dissolving the legislature and suspending the constitution, which he has now redrawn to reflect a hyper-presidential system.

Please join the Middle East Institute on Thursday, July 21, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, for a panel on the details of the new constitution, the opposition’s reaction to it, and what it means for Tunisia’s political future.

Speakers

Zaid Al-Ali
Senior Advisor, Constitution-Building for the Arab Region, International IDEA

Mouna Ben Halima
Founder and CEO, Hotel La Badira in Hammamet

Rafik Halouani
General Coordinator, Mourakiboun

Intissar Fakir, moderator
Senior Fellow and Director, North Africa and Sahel Program, MEI

The Grain War and Global Food Crisis: From the Black Sea to the Middle East Aug 11, 2022

Russia’s war against Ukraine is the largest military conflict Europe has seen since World War II, with 15 million people displaced and thousands of civilian casualties. Russia has waged a war of destruction not just against Ukraine, but also against the world. For months Moscow has prevented the export of Ukrainian grain that countries in the Middle East and Africa depend on. Half of the World Food Programme’s grain comes from Ukraine, meaning the Russian blockade has affected international humanitarian relief efforts. The devastating consequences of food shortages and increased prices are being felt around the world, leading to a heightened risk of famine in the coming months.

How is Russia waging a grain war in the Black Sea region? How are food shortages impacting Middle East countries that depend on Ukrainian grain? What role does the Crimean Peninsula play in Russia’s blockade? What can the international community do to ease the food crisis and prevent a major famine?

Speakers

Mirette Mabrouk
Senior Fellow and Founding Director, Egypt Program, Middle East Institute

Tamila Tasheva
Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea

Maria Tomak
Coordinator of the Media Initiative for Human Rights in Ukraine

Iulia Joja, moderator
Director, Frontier Europe Initiative; Project Director, Afghanistan Watch, Middle East Institute

High Expectations and Higher Stakes: The UN Climate Change Conference, COP27 Aug 11, 2022

The UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27) will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November. With the ever-clearer impact of climate change being brought home the world over, each successive COP takes on greater urgency. Last year’s event, COP26 in Glasgow, in the United Kingdom, was felt by climate change activists to have fallen short of what was needed for meaningful progress on this critical issue. This year, Egypt is the host and there has been a stated emphasis on the importance of adaptation, mitigation, and financial support for climate change work. What does it mean for an emerging economy to host this conference? What are the organizers hoping to achieve? And what are the stakes for emerging economies, which have contributed so little to climate change but are bearing the brunt of its impact?

Speakers

Ambassador Mohamed Nasr
Director of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development Department, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sarah El-Battouty
Non-resident Scholar, MEI; CEO, ECOnsult; UNFCCC Global Ambassador

Hani Sewilam
Professor, Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, American University in Cairo

Mirette F. Mabrouk, moderator
Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Egypt Program, MEI

What to Expect on President Biden's Middle East Trip Aug 03, 2022

President Joe Biden makes a four-day trip to the Middle East this coming week where he will meet leaders of the region to discuss a long list of issues including regional security, Iran, Israeli-Palestinian relations and global economic and energy dynamics, among other issues. What can we expect from this visit, and how might it impact trends within the region and the impact the Middle East has on broader geopolitical dynamics?

Speakers

Khaled Elgindy
Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs

Mick Mulroy
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Program

Alex Vatanka
Director, Iran Program; Senior Fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative

Karen Young
Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Economics and Energy

Brian Katulis, moderator
Vice President of Policy and Senior Fellow

Five Key Takeaways

President Biden should focus on energy security over oil production: Karen Young recommended that President Biden should not ask Saudi Arabia to break with its OPEC+ partners and exhaust global spare capacity. Rather, the United States should focus on building a long-term energy partnership with the Gulf states to meet the broader needs of an emerging-market energy transition. However, this is an unlikely scenario since the trip agenda will likely focus on security matters.
The United States must remain consistent in its regional partnerships: Mick Mulroy argued that human rights should be an integral aspect of American foreign policy. In order to protect human rights on an international scale, the United States must remain a consistent partner to its foreign allies, including Saudi Arabia. This imperative has become more important as Russia and China continue to expand their reach in the Middle East.
The Biden visit will uphold the status quo in Palestine and Israel: Khaled Elgindy explained that President Biden has not done enough to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel and that the Palestinian leg of Biden’s visit is ancillary. Biden has made little breaks with the Trump administration’s Palestine-Israel policy. On the other hand, the Israel leg is central to the trip since Israeli regional integration is one of Biden’s main goals.
Iran does not hold high expectations for Biden’s visit: Alex Vatanka described that Tehran does not expect that Biden’s visit will result in the creation of a Middle Eastern NATO with Iran as its key nemesis, nor that the Arab Gulf states will become direct participants of the nuclear negotiations. However, Tehran feels threatened by the prospect of a U.S.-led integrated defense system and will lash out if the idea gains traction.
Normalization is on the agenda, but don't expect major steps this visit: The scholars concurred that a key goal of the trip is to push normalization with Israel in the region, especially in pursuit of a collaborative security system. Young explained that there are already major regional initiatives including Israel on the energy front, especially regarding Eastern Mediterranean gas. Vatanka assured that Iran will not cut its budding relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE if normalization with Israel progresses further. However, it is unlikely that any formal commitments will materialize.

Will the War in Ukraine Push Iran and Russia to Compete? Jul 06, 2022

Four months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has had wide-ranging implications for geopolitical and geo-economic trends in the Middle East. The war could lead to the emergence of new strategic vacuums in conflict zones across the region while reshaping Russian relations with energy players in the Middle East, including Iran. Beyond the immediate assumption that the war will create new opportunities for cooperation between revisionist powers like Iran and Russia, it has also given rise to new potential conflicts of interest.
In the second in a series of events dedicated to analyzing the implications of the war in Ukraine on Russia-Iran relations, the Middle East Institute (MEI) will bring together a panel of experts to provide a detailed picture of how the war might create new areas of competition and rifts between Moscow and Tehran. Renowned experts will discuss key questions, including: What do Moscow’s adjustments in Syria mean for Tehran, and how might they impact bilateral cooperation? How does Moscow see the future of its energy policy, and how could that affect relations with Iran? Can ideological and identity factors compensate for the security and economic conflicts of interest that the war has created between Moscow and Tehran?

Speakers:

Jakub M. Godzimirski
Professor at Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Diana Galeeva
Visiting Fellow, Oxford University

Hamidreza Azizi
CATS Fellow, SWP Berlin

Abdolrasool Divsallar, moderator
Non-resident Scholar at MEI

Turkey’s 2023 Elections: The Opposition Bloc’s Strategy & Prospects Jul 06, 2022

Ahead of Turkey’s 2023 elections, a six-party opposition bloc is working together to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and restore the country’s parliamentary system. This comes against the backdrop of a growing economic crisis as public opinion polls show support for the president and the AKP is falling. How reliable are these polls? Can the opposition beat Erdoğan? What is its election strategy? Who is most likely to be the bloc’s presidential candidate? Despite the country’s growing economic, political, and social problems and the opposition's efforts to form a unified front, can Erdoğan still win? Please join us on Friday, June 10, at 11:00 am EST to discuss these questions and much more with an excellent expert panel.

Speakers:

Berk Esen
IPC-Stiftung Mercator Fellow, Center for Applied Turkey Studies, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Sabancı University, Turkey

Ersin Kalaycıoğlu
Senior Scholar, Istanbul Policy Center; Professor, Sabancı University

Ali Çarkoğlu
Professor, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey

Gonul Tol, moderator
Founding Director of Turkey Program; Senior Fellow of the Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and its Implications for Turkey Jun 06, 2022

During the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has engendered goodwill in the West by serving as a mediator between the two nations. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's public warning that Turkey may block Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO risks destroying that goodwill. How has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected Turkey's standing and geopolitical calculations? Has Moscow's military blunder led Ankara to rethink its defense ties with Russia? Is this an opportunity for Turkey to take advantage of a more isolated Russia and advance its interests in places such as Syria and the South Caucasus? What does Erdoğan's stance on Sweden and Finland's bid mean for Turkey's own standing in NATO? Please join us on May 27th at 11.00 am EST to discuss these questions and much more.

Speakers:

Alper Coşkun
Senior fellow, Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
General (Ret.) Philip Breedlove
Retired Air Force general and former supreme allied commander for Europe; distinguished professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Tech; distinguished chair, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI
Serhat Güvenç
Professor of international relations, Kadir Has University

Gonul Tol, moderator
Founding director, Turkey Program, MEI; senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

The War in Ukraine and Its Impact on Russia-Iran Relations Jun 06, 2022

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had profound consequences for politics across the Middle East, and this is especially true for Russia-Iran relations and security ties. While Tehran initially accepted Moscow’s rationale for the invasion and attempted to show its political support in the United Nations General Assembly, Iran has remained cautious about fully backing the war, even as it seeks to benefit from resulting trade and security opportunities. For its part, however, Moscow initially emerged as a spoiler in attempts to revive the so-called Iran nuclear deal.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to organize a series of expert panels to shed light on the complex relationship between Russia and Iran. The first panel in the series will bring together renowned experts to discuss key questions, including: How has Iran interpreted the Russian invasion and tried to adjust accordingly? What does Moscow expect from Tehran? How might uncertainties about Russia’s future role in the global order impact Iran's "look to the East” policy, both in general and toward Russia specifically? And how might the war change the foundations of Russia-Iran relations?

Speakers:

Vali Nasr
Professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Elaheh Koolaee
Professor of Political Science and Area Studies at the University of Tehran

Mark Katz
Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University

Alex Vatanka
Director of Iran Program and Senior Fellow at MEI

Abdolrasool Divsallar
Non-resident Scholar at MEI

Tunisia’s Economic Crisis: Possible Paths Forward? Jun 06, 2022

Speakers:

Marwa Haddar
Marwa is Vice President Finance and Strategy at Blue Monsoon Capital – a Singapore-based financial advisory and asset management company with regional offices in Dubai and Washington D.C. Her work covers establishment and restructuring of financial institutions, including sovereign wealth funds, and private and public asset management companies. Her work also covers project finance for public-private infrastructure projects in emerging markets and developing countries. Marwa holds a PhD in Finance from Paris-Est Sup University (Paris, France), a master’s degree in Finance and a B.Sc. in Business Studies from IHEC Carthage (Tunis, Tunisia). She conducted research on topics related to the impact of political risk on corporate financial choices, employee welfare and inequality.

Intissar Hafsi
Intissar Hafsi is a senior expert in socio-economic reintegration at Civipol. She has worked as grant officer for Expertise France and for National Democratic Institute. She also coordinated a few projects on green economy for various international and national NGOs. Through her working experiences she has developed a sound knowledge on international regulations, finance and economic governance, international relations, and policy analysis.

Mohamed Khelil
Mr. Mohamed Khelil is Vice President SME Investment at the Tunisian American Enterprise Fund (TAEF) that he joined in May 2016. He has co-founded, in 2021, WeMove a startup in the sports industry. Prior to that, he has worked for 7 years in the Banking industry and had an experience in the Hospitality sector. He graduated from IHEC Carthage and holds an Executive MBA that he successfully completed in 2020. He speaks Arabic, English and French.

Pietro Marzo, co-host
Pietro Marzo is Assistant Professor at TÈLUQ University (Québec, Canada). He is also Programme Manager at North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) . His research focuses on the international relations of Middle East. His latest academic articles have appeared on Middle East Law and Governance, Third World Quarterly, Cambridge Review of International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies. He is currently working on a book “International Influences in Tunisian democratization”, under contract with Edinburgh University Press.

Intissar Fakir, moderator
Intissar is a senior fellow and director of MEI’s North Africa and Sahel program. She is an expert on North Africa, the Sahel, and key regional thematic issues including governance, social change, migration, and security. She has written extensively on North Africa’s evolving politics including Islamist electoral politics in post-2011 Morocco and Tunisia, the Western Sahara issue, foreign policy priorities in Morocco and the broader region, and the impact of COVID-19 on regional political stability. Her research has also included political transitions, mobilization trends, energy, and social change in Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Lebanese Elections Part Two: The Debrief May 26, 2022

On May 15, Lebanon goes to the polls for its first parliamentary elections since the 2019 protest movement, the financial and socio-economic collapse, and the Beirut port explosion. Join the Middle East Institute for a two-part webinar series before and after this long-awaited political milestone.

Key questions that will be explored include: What is the Lebanese political and electoral landscape like today? Will elections bring about the change many Lebanese have hoped for, or will establishment parties consolidate power? Who are the biggest winners and losers? From a US foreign policy perspective, what to make of the results? What will the days and months after the elections look like for Lebanon and what should international observers pay particular attention to?

Speakers:

Joseph Bahout
Director, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB)
Makram Ouaiss
Executive Director, The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Mona Yacoubian
Senior Advisor to the Vice President of Middle East and Africa, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
Joyce Karam, moderator
Senior US Correspondent, The National

Lebanese Elections Part One: The Countdown May 26, 2022

On May 15, Lebanon goes to the polls for its first parliamentary elections since the 2019 protest movement, the financial and socio-economic collapse, and the Beirut port explosion. Join the Middle East Institute for a two-part webinar series before and after this long-awaited political milestone.

Key questions that will be explored include: What is the Lebanese political and electoral landscape like today? Will elections bring about the change many Lebanese have hoped for, or will establishment parties consolidate power? Who are the biggest winners and losers? From a US foreign policy perspective, what to make of the results? What will the days and months after the elections look like for Lebanon and what should international observers pay particular attention to?

Speakers:
Rony Al Assaad
Secretary-General, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE)
Philippe Nassif
Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Randa Slim
Senior Fellow and Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program, Middle East Institute
Paul Salem, moderator
Senior Fellow and Vice President of Policy, Middle East Institute

Book Talk | Rebuilding Arab Defense: US Security Cooperation in the Middle East May 26, 2022

After decades of U.S. military assistance in the Middle East — providing expensive weapons systems and conducting military exercises — why are the military capabilities of U.S. allies in the region still lacking? Why does it matter? And what can be done to remedy the status quo?
In Rebuilding Arab Defense, Bilal Y. Saab addresses these vexing questions through four in-depth case studies: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. Identifying the pitfalls of diverse assistance programs, Saab convincingly demonstrates the importance of institution building in efforts to achieve effective security cooperation in a region that remains of great strategic significance.
Speakers:
Bilal Y. Saab, Author
Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Defense and Security Program, MEI
Kenneth Pollack, Discussant
Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Anne Patterson, Discussant
Kissinger Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University
Missy Ryan, Moderator
Reporter, The Washington Post

Education in Tunisia: Current Challenges and Opportunities May 04, 2022

The Middle East Institute's (MEI) North Africa and Sahel Program and the North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) are excited to announce a six-part roundtable series through which Tunisian youth will examine key policy issues affecting their country. The series will consist of livestreamed discussions. Each roundtable will allow engaged Tunisian youth to present their observations and perspective on the policy issue as it presents itself in Tunisia. The inaugural roundtable will highlight education challenges and opportunities.

In 2021, a region-wide poll found that 77% of respondents were dissatisfied with education - more than in any other country in North Africa, and for a reason. In the years following Tunisia’s independence in 1956, large investments in, and reform of education made it an asset that distinguished the country from others in the region and granted a real opportunity for social promotion. Nowadays, after years of neglect and an unordered development of private education that followed the 2011 revolution, education has largely become a liability and a mechanism that institutionalizes social inequality. Nowadays, education represents an increasing cost for families that can afford it, and a decreasing value for those who cannot. How did we get here? During this policy-oriented roundtable discussion, engaged Tunisian youth will provide their perspective, and will shed light on challenges and opportunities related to education in Tunisia.

Speakers:

Nourjahen Gala-Ali

Mehdi Cherif

Mariem Bchir

Walid Hedidar

Jean-Louis Romanet Perroux, moderator

Intissar Fakir, co-host

Innovations in Climate Resilience: Restoring the World’s Mangrove Forests May 04, 2022

Innovations in Climate Resilience is a new event series hosted by MEI's Climate and Water Program. The series showcases different practical applications that address climate change vulnerability in the MENA region.

Mangrove forests are a surprising superstar for conservation efforts globally. This cost-effective and low-maintenance “super tree” efficiently sequesters blue carbon and is a natural alternative for storing CO2.

Blue Forest, a UAE-based ‘blue carbon’ specialist, is working to implement large-scale mangrove forest restoration world wide. Using technological innovations, Blue Forest seeks to rehabilitate and expand mangrove populations with the goal of sequestering 1 million tons of CO2 by 2024. They are already well on their way and their latest effort saw over 700,000 mangrove seedlings planted with a survival rate of 80%.

Join Vahid Fotuhi, the founder and CEO of Blue Forest, and Mohammed Mahmoud, Senior Fellow and director of MEI’s Climate and Water Program, for a robust discussion on the future of Blue Forest, mangrove carbon sequestration, and innovative efforts to build climate resilience in the MENA region.

Speakers:

Vahid Fotuhi
Vahid Fotuhi is the Founder and CEO of Blue Forest, a leading UAE project developer focused on mangrove forest restoration. Previously, Vahid was Vice President for Middle East and Africa for SOURCE Global, a solar powered water technology company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Vahid’s nature-based infrastructure experience is rooted in his role as Managing Director of Access Power, a developer of clean energy assets. During his six years at Access he originated, developed and helped secure financing for solar and wind power projects in 12 countries, delivering over $600m worth of clean energy projects to millions of people.

Mohammed Mahmoud
Mohammed Mahmoud is the director of the Climate and Water Program and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. His areas of expertise include climate change adaptation, water policy analysis, and scenario planning. Previously, Mohammed was a senior policy analyst with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, where he provided research, modeling, and analysis on inter-state Colorado River Basin programs and binational water issues between the United States and Mexico. In addition, he is a faculty associate with Arizona State University.

Report Launch: Forecasting Growth in the Middle East and North Africa in Times of Uncertainty Apr 26, 2022

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host the World Bank for the launch and presentation of its latest Middle East and North Africa Economic Update, a twice-yearly forecast that looks at growth prospects for the region. This latest edition, titled Reality Check: Forecasting Growth in the Middle East and North Africa in Times of Uncertainty, highlights that uncertainty reigns with compounding risks from ongoing variants of COVID-19 to inflationary pressure added by the war in Ukraine. The region faces uneven growth, with rising food and energy prices hitting the poor hardest.

Economic forecasting is a valuable tool, particularly during times of uncertainty. The new World Bank report delves into the accuracy of growth forecasts in MENA over the past decade, finding that these forecasts have often been over-optimistic. Hear more about how accurate and transparent data can reduce the uncertainty of forecasts and help policymakers as they prepare to cope with future shocks.

This event kicks off with opening remarks by MEI’s president and the World Bank’s vice president for the MENA region, followed by a presentation on the latest report. Next, the World Bank’s chief economist for the MENA region will join MEI’s senior fellow and director of the Program on Economics and Energy for a fireside chat to discuss what lies ahead for the region’s economies.

Speakers:

Ferid Belhaj
Vice president, Middle East and North Africa, World Bank

Roberta Gatti
Chief economist, Middle East and North Africa, World Bank

Paul Salem
President, MEI

Karen Young, moderator
Senior fellow and director, Program on Economics and Energy, MEI

MEI Defense Leadership Series: Episode 17 with Congressman Mike Waltz Apr 26, 2022

Created in June 2020, MEI’s Defense Leadership Series is a speakers' forum for current and former high-level military and defense leaders from both the United States and the Middle East to discuss the most important policy issues facing the two sides. The Series was inaugurated on June 10 with a conversation with U.S. Marine Corps General and Commander of CENTCOM Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.

In this episode, MEI Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense and Security Program Bilal Y. Saab speaks with Florida Congressman Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret. This conversation will focus on U.S. Middle East policy under the Biden administration.

Speaker biography:

Congressman Mike Waltz represents Florida’s 6th congressional district as a proud Florida native, a Colonel in the National Guard, a combat-decorated Green Beret, former White House and Pentagon policy advisor, small business owner and a proud father.

Mike has served his country his entire life. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, has served over 24 years in the U.S. Army, and is presently serving in the National Guard. After being commissioned as an Army lieutenant, Mike graduated Ranger School and was then selected for the elite Green Berets, serving worldwide as a decorated Special Forces officer with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, Mike was awarded 4 Bronze Stars and 2 with valor. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.

Mike’s servant leadership continued in the Pentagon as a defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. Mike then went on to serve in the White House as Vice President Dick Cheney's counterterrorism advisor, where he saw the difficult decisions the President and his Cabinet must make to protect our national security firsthand. Mike’s position in the White House was unique, as he advised the Bush administration on policy he actually carried out in the military.

Following his time in the White House, Mike then co-founded a small business which grew to over 400 employees and was listed on the Inc. 500, a ranking index of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Breaking the Mold: Can the MENA Region be a Leader in Inclusive Capital? Apr 26, 2022

In recent years, MENA has produced increasing numbers of unicorns as international companies like Yahoo, Amazon, and Uber acquire local firms like Maktoob, Souq.com, and Careem. These exits have injected billions into the region’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. The ex-unicorn employees that are founding new generations of businesses and risk capital are defining the startup ecosystem in MENA. Some refer to these networks of ex-employees turned founders and investors as a “mafia” because they resemble an archetype: the “PayPal Mafia.” However, as entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems accelerate across MENA, how can its stakeholders make sure to move beyond that to something that is truly inclusive?
In this panel, we will discuss the evolution of the ecosystem in MENA with a group of founders who are shaping the future of inclusivity in entrepreneurship and innovation.
The panel will reflect on the article "Breaking the Mold: Can the MENA Region be a Leader in Inclusive Capital?" written by Dina Sherif and Regie Maurcio from the Legatum Center at MIT for MEI’s publication Thinking MENA Futures.

Speakers:

Mona Ataya
CEO and founder, Mumzworld.com

Fadi Ghandour
Executive chairman, Wamda Group

Regie Jesus Miacrucis Mauricio
Research manager, Legatum Center, MIT

Mohamed Okasha
Founder and managing partner, DisrupTech

Hadeer Shalaby
Managing director, Talabat

Dina Sherif (moderator)
Executive director, Legatum Center, MIT; co-founder, Ahead of the Curve

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Implications for Black Sea Security Apr 05, 2022

Over one month into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this panel discussion will assess the strategic situation in Ukraine and its implications for Black Sea security. The Kremlin’s atrocities in Ukraine have led to millions of refugees and internationally displaced persons, and to immeasurable destruction. Russia’s invasion has divided the world and united the West. But Russia’s aggression expands far beyond Ukraine and has multiple implications for Black Sea countries. Has the West been effective in curbing Russia’s invasion? How has the war affected Black Sea countries such as Romania, Turkey, and Georgia? What more can the West do in terms of sanctions against Russia and humanitarian and military aid to help Ukraine?

Speakers:

Ret. General Philip Breedlove
Distinguished Chair, Frontier Europe Initiative

Iulia Joja
Director, Frontier Europe Initiative; Project Director, Afghanistan Watch

Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli
Non-resident Scholar, Frontier Europe Initiative

Gonul Tol, moderator
Director of Turkey Program and Senior Fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative

Impacts of Russia/Ukraine Crisis on North Africa's Food and Energy Security Apr 05, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February sent a shock through the global economy. The crisis comes on the heels of disruptions to supply chains and pressure on commodity prices worldwide. For countries in North Africa, this has exacerbated economic strains from the COVID-19 pandemic.
How will the Ukraine crisis further impact food security and energy prices in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco? What are the fiscal and budgetary impacts on these economies and are there feasible solutions to reduce the pressure on citizens?

Please join us for a panel discussion with MEI’s North Africa and Sahel program experts.

Speakers:

Roberta Gatti
Chief Economist of Middle East and North Africa region, World Bank

Geoff Porter
President, North Africa Risk Consulting, Inc.

Michael Tanchum
Non-resident scholar, Economics and Energy program, MEI

Intissar Fakir, moderator
Senior Fellow and Director of Program on North Africa and the Sahel, MEI

Climate Change in MENA: Discussing Targeted Strategies to Address the Implications Apr 05, 2022

Mohammed Mahmoud, director of MEI's Climate and Water program, will be hosting an affiliate event during the United Nation's first ever Middle East and North Africa Climate Week. The conference aims to provide an opportunity for a robust discussion on development in the MENA region and the current climate crisis in the hopes of identifying avenues for specific climate action.

The MENA region is highly vulnerable to today's climate change. What are the current climate change impacts for the region? What are the projected climate change impacts for the region? In addition, what are the strategies to curb these impacts from further intensifying? This side event will showcase concrete recommendations for the MENA region contributing to the UN conference's broader solution-based conversation.

Speaker:
Mohammed Mahmoud
Senior Fellow & Director of Climate and Water Program, MEI

MEI Defense Leadership Series: Episode 16 with U.S. NAVCENT Commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper Apr 05, 2022

Created in June 2020, MEI’s Defense Leadership Series is a speakers' forum for current and former high-level military and defense leaders from both the United States and the Middle East to discuss the most important policy issues facing the two sides. The Series was inaugurated on June 10 with a conversation with U.S. Marine Corps General and Commander of CENTCOM Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.

In this episode, MEI Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense and Security Program Bilal Y. Saab speaks to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in U.S. Central Command (NAVCENT), the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces. This conversation will focus on present and future challenges and opportunities facing U.S. maritime goals and plans in the region.

Speaker biography:

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper is the son of a career Army Officer. He is a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He has also studied national security policy and international relations at Harvard and Tufts Universities.
A career Surface Warfare Officer, he served on guided missile cruisers, guided-missile destroyers, aircraft carriers, and amphibious assault ships. His ship commands include USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Gettysburg (CG 64). Cooper is particularly proud of the extraordinary men and women with whom he served on sea duty during 9 deployments and 13 real-world operations all around the world. His amazing Sailors in USS Gettysburg earned the Battenberg Cup as the best ship, submarine or aircraft carrier in the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.
Ashore, he served in a variety of executive, military assistant and special assistant roles in the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters. He also served as principal U.S. Advisor to the Interior Minister of Afghanistan and Director, Surface Warfare Officer assignments (Pers-41).
As a flag officer, he most recently served as commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic. Previous tours include service as Chief of Legislative Affairs, where he led the Navy’s engagement efforts with the U.S. Congress; commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea during the height of tensions on the Korean Peninsula in 2016-2017; and, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7 in Okinawa, Japan, where he led 7th Fleet’s Navy-Marine Corps team on the U.S. military’s first F-35 deployment.
Cooper has been recognized with various personal and unit-level awards including the Distinguished Service Medal and Bronze Star Medal. He is a recipient of the Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Award for Visionary Leadership.

Artist Talk | Shifting Illusions: A Conversation with Emirati Artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz Apr 05, 2022

The Middle East Institute Arts and Culture Center is pleased to host an art talk with renowned visual and performance artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz, whose work is featured in the exhibition Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE, currently on view at the MEI Art Gallery.

Abdulaziz will discuss her seminal work as the first female Arab artist to do public performance art in the Gulf, as well as her current performance-based work created in the United States. She will speak about the conceptual landscapes of living between these two spaces and how her overall body of work relates to her painting, Focal Illusion (see image above), currently on view at the MEI Art Gallery. Abdulaziz will be in conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Rauh, art historian of global modernism and contemporary art of Iran, Iraq, and the Islamic world.

Between the Sky and the Earth is curated by Abu Dhabi-based independent curator Munira al Sayegh, in partnership with The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. The exhibition brings together12 artists reflecting the diverse contemporary art ecosystem in the UAE today. Through themes such as the environment, consumerism, and the impact of rapid urbanization in the UAE, the artists reflect on their social, cultural, and natural landscapes and challenge standard narratives about the Emirates.

The event is part of the on-going programming around Between the Sky and the Earth, which runs until April 29, 2022. Please make a timed appointment to visit the gallery or check out the show online.

Speaker Biographies:

Ebtisam Abdulaziz is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. With a BA in Math and Science, Abdulaziz incorporates her unique perspective on mathematics and the structures of systems to explore issues of identity and culture through installations, performance pieces, video, paintings, and works on paper. Focal Illusion employs themes of Islamic geometry in its use of multiple layers and mathematical structures, and calls to mind muqarnas, the honeycomb-like structures found in mosques. Abdulaziz has been widely exhibited in the UAE and internationally. She was among the featured artists in the inaugural UAE and ADACH Pavilions at the 53rd Venice Biennale, as well as at the 7th and 10th Sharjah Biennials. She has shown at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; the Kunst Museum, Bonn, Germany; FotoFest Biennial, Art in Houston, Texas; and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, Florida, among other museums.

Elizabeth Rauh is an art historian of global modern and contemporary arts of Iran, Iraq, and the Islamic world. Her work examines contemporary artist engagements with Islamic heritage, popular image practices and visual cultures in Shi`i Islam, and arts of the 1960s “Shi`i Left.” She also pursues research in ecological art practices in the history of the Persian Gulf, such as in her new article: “Experiments in Eden: Midcentury Artist Voyages into the Mesopotamian Marshlands” (2021), online mini-lecture “A Hot Wind Blows: Ecocritical Art in the Middle East” with Khamseen Islamic Art History Online, forthcoming article “Iridescent Modernism: The Troubling Artistic Legacy of Pearl Diving in the Arab Gulf” (2022) and her new exhibition project Iraq En Route: A Photographic Journey, 1952-1953 with the Cranbrook Institute’s Center for Collections and Research in Detroit (2022). She is Assistant Professor of Modern Art & Visual Cultures at the American University in Cairo and the 2021-2022 Art History Faculty-in-Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Will Iran’s Pro-natalist Population Policy Succeed? Mar 29, 2022

Demographics have worried kings, politicians, and even philosophers as early as the Greek Republics. Population policy is an important lever to balance short-term goals with long-term economic growth, prosperity, and power, as well as social and environmental sustainability.

The revolutionary governments in Iran initially reversed the pre-1979 family planning policies of the previous regime. But, in the early 1990s, Iran reversed its course and implemented one of the most successful family planning schemes by international standards, reducing fertility rates from 6.2 to 1.9. Now, three decades later, Iran is making another U-turn, with a policy to mitigate the graying of its population in decades to come. A host of measures, some highly controversial, have been put in place together with a generous budget and the establishment of a campaign headquarters to induce families to have more children. Is this objective justified? And will the measures taken be acceptable to the people, or be effective? This topic will be discussed by a panel of experts.

Speakers:
Nadereh Chamlou
Former Senior Advisor, The World Bank, and current Nonresident Senior Fellow, the Atlantic Council

Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet
Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, and Author of “Conceiving Citizens, Women and the Politics of Motherhood in Iran”

Farzaneh Roudi
Former Director, Middle East & North Africa, The Population Reference Bureau

Alex Vatanka, moderator
Director of Iran Program and Senior Fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, The Middle East Institute

Book Talk | A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: the Saudi Struggle for Iraq with Kitty Harvey Mar 22, 2022

Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s new leadership prioritized a return to the Arab fold. To do that, they recognized that building a relationship with Saudi Arabia was essential to the success of their effort. But their outreach to the Saudi leadership was firmly rejected, as Riyadh convinced itself that the new leaders in Baghdad were inextricably linked to the Iranian regime. Despite pleas from Saudi Arabia’s closest friends and partners, and even from its own foreign policy advisors, the Saudi leadership remained committed to its hard line on Baghdad. The result, in the end, was pushing a reluctant Maliki government to the very embrace of Tehran that the Saudis feared.

In A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Kitty Harvey revisits Saudi decision-making in the first decade of the 21st century on Iraq and shows how King Abdullah’s conviction that the new Iraqi government was of necessity beholden to Tehran. But she then builds on that analysis as a jumping off point to a contemplation of how perceptions often shape decisions and how self-perpetuating images of others often veer dangerously to become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Speaker:

Kitty Harvey
Author, A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Amb. Gerald M. Feierstein, moderator
Senior VP, MEI

Global Repercussions: Exporting the Israeli Surveillance Model Mar 22, 2022

Session 2: Global Implications of the Israeli Surveillance State

The Israeli tech sector’s increasing reliance on surveillance technology and spyware has global implications, particularly as more governments around the world borrow from the Israeli playbook and purchase these tools, often for the purpose of spying on dissidents, journalists, and others. The growing question of the spyware industry, as well as its reach and potential use, have prompted concern among many digital rights and free speech advocates, many of whom draw attention to the ways in which these tools might be mobilized against movements for democracy and human rights around the world. Building on our first event in the series, we take an understanding that Israel uses Palestinian communities as a testing ground for surveilliance technologies, and pose the question, what might the rise of the Israeli surveillance state mean for the rest of the world? This expert panel, co-hosted by 7amleh (The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement) and the Middle East Institute, will be part two of a two-part series examining this and other vital questions about this increasingly vital topic.

Speakers:

Lara Friedman
President of Foundation for Middle East Peace
Twitter: @LaraFriedmanDC

Mona Shtaya
Advocacy Advisor, 7amleh
Twitter: @Monashtayya

Eliza Campbell, moderator
Director, Cyber Program, MEI
Twitter: @elizaecampbell

Partner: 7amleh

Women in the U.S. Military Mar 15, 2022

If women are integral to all phases of conflict, then why do they continue to face significant challenges and constraints when it comes to empowerment and increased responsibilities in U.S. national security? History has shown that women have crucial roles to play not just in conflict prevention and resolution but also in other aspects of war.

How can the United States best leverage its female civilian and military personnel to maintain its competitive advantage in an era of strategic competition with China? What bureaucratic and legislative changes need to be made? How can women’s role(s) in peace and security be expanded and further institutionalized? Please join the Middle East Institute for an expert panel to discuss these questions and more.

Speakers:

Katie Crombe
Non-resident Scholar, Defense and Security Program, MEI

Melissa Horvath
Non-resident Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Program, MEI

Erin Moffit
Non-resident Scholar, Defense and Security Program, MEI

Bilal Y. Saab, moderator
Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Defense and Security Program, MEI

Life Under Digital Occupation: The Global Implications of the Israeli Surveillance State Mar 08, 2022

Session 1: Life Under Digital Occupation

The Israeli tech sector is booming more than ever and has come under increased scrutiny for its direct facilitation of the surveillance and spyware industries. Experts and activists have long drawn attention to the ways in which the Israeli state is directly complicit in technology-aided abuses of Palestinians living in the occupied territories - what might this mean for the future? This expert panel, co-hosted by 7amleh (The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement) and the Middle East Institute, will be part one of a two-part series on mass surveillance in Palestine examining the impact of the Israeli surveillance state on the lives of Palestinians.

Speakers:

Mariam Barghouti
Palestinian writer and researcher

Sahar Francis
General director, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Nadim Nashif
Co-Founder and executive director, 7amleh

Khaled Elgindy, moderator
Director, Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program, MEI

Partner: 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Climate Policy Outlook for MENA: 2022 and Beyond Mar 01, 2022

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is poised to take the spotlight on climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Early last year Egypt joined five other countries to form the Adaptation Action Coalition, to accelerate global action on adaptation to help achieve a climate-resilient world by 2030. And just ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, several countries from across the MENA pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions within the period 2050-2060. Several nations also shared their vision on how they plan to achieve that carbon neutrality target; e.g. the Middle East Green Initiative and the framework for a carbon circular economy. With the next two Conference of Parties (COP) meetings taking place in the MENA; COP27 in Egypt and COP28 in the UAE, MENA countries are in a unique position to demonstrate climate policy leadership and move the global climate change management agenda forward by delivering successful back-to-back conferences that push world nations to achieve a more climate-resilient world.

Please join us at this program launch event for the Middle East Institute’s Climate and Water program as we explore how the Middle East and North Africa can capitalize on this momentum concerning global climate policy leadership and the opportunities and priorities that the region should pursue.

Speakers:

Vahakn Kabakian
Climate change advisor and portfolio manager, United Nations Development Programme

Brian Katulis
Vice president for policy, MEI

Hajar Khamlichi
Board member, Moroccan Alliance for Climate and Sustainable Development

Tina Latif
Advisory council member, Strategic Foresight Initiative, MEI

Mohammed Mahmoud
Director, Climate and Water Program, MEI

Karim Elgendy, moderator
Founder, Carboun; non-resident scholar, MEI

MEI Defense Leadership Series: Episode 15 with Saeid A. Alzahrani Feb 23, 2022

Created in June 2020, MEI’s Defense Leadership Series is a speakers' forum for current and former high-level military and defense leaders from both the United States and the Middle East to discuss the most important policy issues facing the two sides. The series was inaugurated on June 10, 2020 with a conversation with U.S. Marine Corps General and Commander of CENTCOM Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.

In this episode, MEI Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense and Security Program Bilal Y. Saab speaks to Saudi defense specialist and aerospace engineer Saeid A. Alzahrani. This conversation will focus on unmanned aerial systems, the missile war in Yemen, and Saudi Arabia's evolving missile defense capabilities.

Biography:
Saeid is CTO & Co-Founder of SRB Aerial Systems LLC and Managing Partner of BRAQ Industries LLC. He is one of MENA’s leading and youngest innovators under 35 in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), holding several patents. He is an aerospace engineer and considered as a pioneer in UAS technologies. He is the first Saudi national to pursue UAS studies in the United States. Saeid believes he can influence young professionals through promoting STEM education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

He has received numerous awards throughout his career including being named as a Top 5 KPMG Global Tech Innovator, Forbes 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing & Industry, and EmTech MENA Innovator Under 35 by MIT Technology Review. He has been selected as an astronaut candidate for Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) Astronaut Program in 2019.

His patents include a Multi-Mode Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, a Multi-Mode Aerial Vehicle, and Methods and Apparatus for Multi-Role Air-Launched Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) and Loitering Munitions. Saeid is a member of the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) and the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), among several other prestigious organizations.

The Olympics and Russian Invasion Feb 23, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 took place during the summer Olympics in Beijing. The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 took place during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Because of this pattern, many analysts have pointed to an increased risk of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. At this year’s Olympic opening, China’s President Xi and Russia’s President Putin are due to meet for the first time in two years in person and to extensively discuss Ukraine and Russia’s demands from the United States to withdraw from Eastern Europe. This panel discussion will focus on Russia’s intentions vis-à-vis Ukraine and the West and what role strategic competition between the West, Russia, China plays in Eastern Europe. It will also look at the complex role of regional powers in the conflict, such as Turkey.

What is the role of strategic competition in the Black Sea region? What are the effects of Russian aggression and demands on Ukraine? How can regional powers navigate strategic competition and maintain security and dialogue?

Speakers:

Gen. (ret.) Phillip Breedlove
Distinguished Chair, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

Robert McConnell
Co-founder, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation; coordinator of external relations, Friends of Ukraine Network

Gonul Tol
Director of Turkey Program and senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

Iulia Joja, moderator
Director, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

Climate Change and Security Implications in the Mediterranean Feb 23, 2022

Home to more than 0.5 billion people, the Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average. Consequently, the projected impacts of climate change in this region include further aridity and drought, frequent wildfires, and significant sea level rise. Additionally, hotspots of climate migration may appear as early as 2030, as both coastal and inland communities are facing additional pressure on food security. Historically, the Mediterranean region is also home to multilayered spheres of influence, driven by numerous economic, political, and military dimensions.

As climate change will exacerbate existing tensions, the overall regional security is at risk. NATO is becoming an increasingly relevant actor in the Mediterranean in supporting climate change mitigation, as well as in aiding through disaster relief. The panel aims to identify the current drivers of climate change effects, to anticipate regional security risks for the decades to come, as well as to define mitigation strategies for the Mediterranean region.

Speakers:

Ali Ahmad
Research fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; senior consultant, World Bank

Andrei Covatariu
2020 Fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI; energy and climate change expert

Iulia Joja
Senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative; project director, Afghanistan Watch, MEI

Mohammed Mahmoud
Senior fellow and director, Climate and Water Program, MEI

Brian Katulis, moderator
Vice President for Policy and senior fellow, MEI