The CIC Middle East Study Group invites you to this discussion with Professor Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University Qatar, who will provide a Middle Eastern perspective about the current state of affairs in the region, particularly in view of the recent rapprochement between Israel and the UAE, which is likely to be highly consequential for Iranian politics in the coming years.

Overview: Contemporary politics in the Middle East is being defined by the lingering consequences of two tectonic events that have fundamentally changed the political landscape of the region, namely the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States, and the 2011 Arab uprisings. The compound consequences of both events were the proliferation of weak states on the one hand and the rise of sectarianism on the other. An absence of strong central authority in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, along with strategic competitions being justified and reinforced by sectarian sentiments, have added new dimensions to long-existing tensions and animosities in the Middle East. In the coming years, there are three developments to watch. These include the coming leadership transition in Iran, further shifts in regional alliances, and the direction and consequences of the continuing role of the United States. Whatever the outcome of these developments, the Middle East is likely to continue experiencing regional and international tensions and domestic instability for years to come.

Speaker Biography: Mehran Kamrava is Professor of Government at Georgetown University Qatar. He is also the Director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar. Dr. Kamrava is the author of a number of journal articles and books, including, most recently, A Concise History of Revolution (2020); Troubled Waters: Insecurity in the Persian Gulf (2018); Inside the Arab State (2018); The Impossibility of Palestine: History, Geography, and the Road Ahead (2016); Qatar: Small State, Big Politics (2015); The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War, 3^rd ed. (2013); and Iran’s Intellectual Revolution (2008). His edited books include The Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics (2020); The Great Game in West Asia: Iran, Turkey, and the Southern Caucasus (2017); Fragile Politics: Weak States in the Greater Middle East (2016); Beyond the Arab Spring: The Evolving Ruling Bargain in the Middle East (2015); The Political Economy of the Persian Gulf (2012);  The Nuclear Question in the Middle East (2012); and The International Politics of the Persian Gulf (2011).

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am EDT

TO REGISTER: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4mTZfefZS4OCkVgCfdQx_g