Middle East Dossier

The United States-Iran Conference held on 13 August 2019 at Orchard Hotel examined escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Dr Kazem Sajjadpour, President, Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran, spoke about the view from Iran.

The United States-Iran Conference held on 13 August 2019 at Orchard Hotel examined escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Indian Member of Parliament and Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar spoke about the view from India.

Why should Singapore care about the Middle East? MEI Chairman Mr Bilahari Kausikan kickstarted the ME 101 lecture series on 21 August with an introduction to developments in the Middle East and what they mean for Singapore. 

The lectures give an overview of the circumstances and impact of the encounters between the Middle East and the rest of the world in terms of politics, economics, and cultural norms.

"After seven years (of working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon), I'm still alive," Love Aid Singapore Founder Gilbert Goh joked. Why did this Singaporean decide to dedicate so much time and effort to humanitarian efforts there? Find out about Mr Goh's mission and the challenges he encountered in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 28 August.

Three aspects differentiate the Middle East from other regions—foreign interests, religion and ideology, and competing visions to identity and socio-political organisation, Dr Fanar Haddad argues. How do these factors interplay? How do Middle Powers play a role in the geopolitical scene? Find out about geopolitical competition in the Middle East with Dr Haddad and Ms Susan Kurdli in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 18 September. 

With the rise of Asia in the 21st century, Arabia is becoming ever more engaged with the rest of Asia. In this lecture, Dr Zoltan Pall discusses the potential trends in transregional connections, focusing on religious ties, and using Gulf charities in Cambodia as a case study.

For the past half-century, Saudi Arabia has engaged in a wide range of activities to propagate globally its distinctive brand of Islam. In this lecture, Dr Peter Mandaville discusses the impact and evolution of Saudi transnational proselytisation, and future trends in light of new Saudi leadership.

Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman challenges us to rethink what traditional Islam means in South-east Asia through exploring the shifting boundaries of Sunni Islam in this region. What are some of the current trends in Muslim political mobilisation in South-east Asia? Find out more about the new spectrum of Islamism in Malaysia and Indonesia in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 2 October.

Maritime piracy attacks have plagued the Middle East for the past decade. Operating out of the Horn of Africa, they have posed serious problems to maritime shipping and the safety of maritime navigation. In this talk, Professor Milena Sterio discusses the legal aspects of maritime piracy in the Middle East.

The Trump administration may be preparing to abandon its efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state. This raises the question as to whether a two-state solution is still a viable option to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Find out about the roots and prospects of the two-state solution with Dr Victor Kattan in this lecture of the ME 101 series held on 9 October.