Middle East Dossier

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 Afgha...

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 Ce...

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...

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 tha...

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 M...

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 a...

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 finan...

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 Mi...

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 sho...

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 gl...

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 dynas...