The Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center invites you to its fourth annual conference, titled A Global Renewal? What to Expect in 2021. The conference will consist of six virtual discussions that will provide a look ahead to 2021, focusing on what Carnegie scholars and other experts believe will be the most significant and challenging issues facing the Middle East and North Africa in their interaction with international actors. The panels will include scholars from Carnegie's offices in Beirut, Beijing, Brussels, Moscow, and Washington, who will examine the region from diverse viewpoints. The event will be held in English, live on YouTube @CarnegieMENA.
To watch the discussions live, please click on each panel individually in the program below.
The United States and the World: A New Direction?
Held on Dec. 15 from 8:45-10:00 a.m. EST (3:45-5:00 p.m. Beirut) with opening remarks by Marwan Muasher. This discussion will begin with a fireside chat between William J. Burns and Maha Yahya. The panel will then examine the top foreign policy priorities of the incoming Biden administration, particularly in the Middle East. Among the other topics that will be covered are the global priorities for the new U.S. administration, Washington’s relations with China and Russia, and the future of multilateral relations.
Ryan Crocker
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Ryan Crocker is a nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Regional Actors in the Emerging Middle East: Iran, Turkey, Israel, and the UAE
Held on Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST (5:30-7:00 p.m. Beirut). This panel will explore the rivalries among regional actors, such as Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, and how these have contributed to regional tensions, destructive proxy wars, and surprising realignments.
Kristin Smith Diwan
Kristin Smith Diwan is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Her current projects concern generational change, nationalism, and the evolution of Islamism in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
International Actors in the Emerging Middle East: Russia, China, and the EU
Held on Dec. 15 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST (7:30-8:30 p.m. Beirut). This panel will explore the expanding influence of external powers such as Russia, the European Union and China in the Middle East, the alignments that they have formed, and the dynamics that have been unleashed by their intervention. Panelists will also discuss how changes in the policies of the United States may impact these dynamics.
Florence Gaub
Florence Gaub is the Deputy Director of the EUISS, where she is in charge of coordinating research activities. In addition, she works on strategic foresight, as well as security and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa.
What Happens to Palestine if the Arabs Go to Peaces?
Held on Dec. 16 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. EST (4:00-5:00 p.m. Beirut). This panel will look at the implications of the recent agreements signed between Israel and several Arab countries, most notably the United Arab Emirates. It will examine what impact these will have on Palestinian-Israeli relations, on Palestinian rights, and on prospects for a two-state solution.
Zaha Hassan
Fellow, Middle East Program
Zaha Hassan is a human rights lawyer and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
North Africa: Tension as the New Normal?
Held on Dec. 16 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST (5:30-7:00 p.m. Beirut). North Africa has witnessed a tumultuous year with persistent conflict in Libya, popular protests in Algeria, tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s building of a dam on the Nile, and recent skirmishes in the West Sahara, which might threaten the region’s stability. Panelists will explore the implications of these unfolding dynamics and discuss the future of the region’s autocratic regimes, geopolitical rivalries, as well as the alliances that will shape North Africa in 2021.
Dalia Ghanem
Senior Resident Scholar, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Dalia Ghanem was a senior resident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where her research focuses on Algeria’s political, economic, social, and security developments. Her research also examines political violence, radicalization, civil-military relationships, transborder dynamics, and gender.
Lebanon in 2021: A Year of Existential Challenges
Held on Dec. 16 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST (7:30-8:30 p.m. Beirut). With the pillars of the Lebanese Republic crumbling at an accelerated pace over the past year, the Lebanese fear for their future and speculation is rife about the impact of the financial, economic, political, and health crises that have overwhelmed the country. The panel will also address how changing regional and international dynamics will affect Lebanon. The conference will end with closing remarks by Maha Yahya.
Emile Hokayem
International Institute for Strategic Studies
Emile Hokayem is a senior fellow for Middle East Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
