Gulf region: Changing the status quo?
The conference "Gulf region: Changing the status quo?", organised on 22. May at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, focused on the current developments and geopolitical importance of the Gulf Region and Iran.
Historically speaking the Gulf states have long been the perifery of the Arab world. However, nowadays they represents its economic and political centre of gravity. They interfere in the Arab matters from Syria to Libya and some of them even boast to be role-models for the modernisation in the region. However the rivalry among regional actors remains high. The region is highly militarized and dependent on fossil fuel exports. Sectarian and ethnic cleavages are a source of friction in many of the countries throughout the region. Authoritarian rule appears deeply entrenched and resilient.
The Arab uprisings raised the question about a possible public uprising and/or genuine political reform among the traditional monarchies, as well as republics. US withdrawal from Iraq has an impact on the security of the country, as well as the region as a whole. Iran’s nuclear ambitions could change the current status quo of the region dramatically. Last but not least, the crisis in Syria has an impact on the position of Iran in the region and the future of the Middle East Peace Process.
Two conference panels featured following distinguished guest speakers:
Khaled Almezaini, Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Studies,
University of Cambridge, GB
Mehran Kamrava, Director, Center for International and Regional Studies, Georgetown University, Qatar
Toby Matthiesen, Research Fellow, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, GB
David R. Roberts, Deputy Director, Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Qatar
Jubin Goodarzi, Professor, Webster University Geneva, Iran/Switzerland
David Menashri, Founding Director, Alliance Center of Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University
and President of the College of Law and Business, Israel
Walter Posch, Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Germany
See more on program and organizers