Middle East Dossier

[MEI Flagship Event] The U.S.–Israeli war against Iran, launched on 28 February, rapidly escalated into a broader conflict that drew Gulf states into the fray. Civilian infrastructure in Dubai, Doha, and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula was soon caught in the line of fire, transforming the crisis into a full-fledged regional war with far-reaching consequences for security, geopolitical alignments...

[MEI Flagship Event] The U.S.–Israeli war against Iran, launched on 28 February, rapidly escalated into a broader conflict that drew Gulf states into the fray. Civilian infrastructure in Dubai, Doha, and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula was soon caught in the line of fire, transforming the crisis into a full-fledged regional war with far-reaching consequences for security, geopolitical alignments...

[MEI Flagship Event] The U.S.–Israeli war against Iran, launched on 28 February, rapidly escalated into a broader conflict that drew Gulf states into the fray. Civilian infrastructure in Dubai, Doha, and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula was soon caught in the line of fire, transforming the crisis into a full-fledged regional war with far-reaching consequences for security, geopolitical alignments...

[MEI Flagship Event] The U.S.–Israeli war against Iran, launched on 28 February, rapidly escalated into a broader conflict that drew Gulf states into the fray. Civilian infrastructure in Dubai, Doha, and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula was soon caught in the line of fire, transforming the crisis into a full-fledged regional war with far-reaching consequences for security, geopolitical alignments...

Amid the ongoing armed conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, the Middle East is once again at the centre of global geopolitical transformation. Recent hostilities have disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints—underscoring the fragility of global supply chains and the strategic importance of the region. This onli...

[In collaboration with ORF Middle East]   Since the start of the US-Israel operation against Iran, Gulf states have experienced an unprecedented number of missile and drone attacks carried out by the Iranian regime. The rapid escalation took by surprise countries that had been largely immune to Middle Eastern conflicts since Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991. As the outcome of the war remains unce...

Attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran have prompted retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, hitting Israel and countries that host US bases in the region. Critics have argued that the operation is both illegal under US law without congressional approval and a violation of international law. Spillover effects are already emerging, with oil prices rising and Iran attempting to close th...

This webinar examines the evolving footprint of China’s Digital Silk Road in the Middle East. Drawing on recent research, the talk explores how Chinese technology firms, such as Huawei and Alibaba, have expanded their presence in the Middle East’s digital ecosystems through cloud infrastructure, AI applications, data-centre investments, and partnerships with local governments and firms. The lectur...

On 9 December, MEI hosted a talk with Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli to discuss their new book, Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. Their research explores the trajectory and potential endpoint of Sino-Middle Eastern relations. Are we on the precipice of a post-American Chinese hegemony in the region, or are we reaching the outer limits of what is feasible within these essen...

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...

Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy is not only key to its quest for leadership in its immediate region and beyond, but also central to the objectives of Vision 2030 — one of which is to project a modern image of the Kingdom. Chief among these is Riyadh’s partnership with the United States, which has transcended the security dimension. US President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh earlier in May concluded...

Launched in 2025 by G42 with partners including OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank, Stargate UAE is a landmark AI supercomputing project. As part of a $500 billion global AI infrastructure initiative, it will feature a 1-gigawatt computer cluster, expanding to 5 GW — the largest outside the United States. Aligned with both the UAE’s Vision 2031 and National AI Strategy 2031, the Stargate...

In scarcely a century, Salafism has transformed Sunni Islam. Claiming to be a revival of the purest form of Islam, this movement promotes ultraconservative social and religious norms and rejects all non-Sunni reli gious groups. In Egypt, its influence has grown to the point of reshaping mainstream conceptions of the faith. How did such a deep religious transformation sweep through Egypt so rapidly...

America is a mixed bag for Arabs. Its culture and institutions are respected, but its policies in the Middle East, especially its unwavering support for Israel, are widely despised. In this webinar, Professor Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid will examine these contradictions, drawing on public opinion surveys from across the region to show how Arab societies balance admiration with resentment. The talk wi...

In the wake of recent regional conflicts, the Middle East has once again become a testing ground for major power competition. Although US-China relations are largely defined by strategic rivalry, the region also raises the question of whether cooperation on shared concerns remains possible. Track 2 dialogues have explored potential common ground in areas such as regional stability, while also expo...

The war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023 sparked several massive aftershocks that have redrawn the geopolitical map of the Middle East. After decimating Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces went on to effectively neuter Hezbollah in Lebanon, depriving Iran of its most potent forward threat to Israel. The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria last December further weakened...

The war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023 sparked several massive aftershocks that have redrawn the geopolitical map of the Middle East. After decimating Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces went on to effectively neuter Hezbollah in Lebanon, depriving Iran of its most potent forward threat to Israel. The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria last December further weakened...

The war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023 sparked several massive aftershocks that have redrawn the geopolitical map of the Middle East. After decimating Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces went on to effectively neuter Hezbollah in Lebanon, depriving Iran of its most potent forward threat to Israel. The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria last December further weakened...

The war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023 sparked several massive aftershocks that have redrawn the geopolitical map of the Middle East. After decimating Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces went on to effectively neuter Hezbollah in Lebanon, depriving Iran of its most potent forward threat to Israel. The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria last December further weakened...

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the emergence, political economy, and foreign relations of Japan’s interactions with the Middle East, with an emphasis on its relations with the states in the Gulf region. It offers both country-specific case studies and thematic chapters, providing a comprehensive study of Japan’s relations with the Gulf and the broader Middle East. Japan enjoys a str...

The 12-day war between Iran and Israel revealed certain realities about the regional order for the Gulf Arabs, while also offering lessons for the future. The current order in the Persian Gulf is influenced by the US’ “Pivot to the East” strategy and the containment of China. The effects of this approach are evident in Israel’s increased presence in the region and the Abraham Accords. Following Ha...

Join us for a special Book Talk with Professor Jonathan Fulton on his latest publication, Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China’s Middle East Math. Drawing on the 1+2+3 Cooperation Pattern introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2014, the book offers a compelling framework to understand China’s political economy strategy in the region, centred on energy cooperation, infrastr...

In the years following the turmoil of the Arab Spring, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates jockeyed for power, becoming significant forces—and rivals—in regional politics. In her recent book published by Lynne Rienner, Dr. Emma Soubrier, director of the PRISME initiative, unpacks the nuts and bolts of these two small states’ rise to prominence, exploring how their diverging foreign and security pol...

US president Donald Trump most recent visit to three Gulf monarchies — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — saw him leave with bountiful, billion-dollar deals. According to fact sheets released by the White House, the president secured economic agreements amounting to $600 billion with Saudi Arabia, $243.5 billion with Qatar, and $200 billion with the UAE — what were deemed as...

In February, King Abdullah II of Jordan rebuffed US President Donald Trump’s proposal for his country to absorb Palestinians living in Gaza — part of the now infamous “Riviera” plan. When dealing with the Trump administration, the Jordanian king is certainly caught in a bind between rejecting Palestinian displacement and restoring the flow of foreign assistance from Washington. An aid-reliant econ...