event
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

A World on Edge: What to Expect in 2018

Wed. December 13th, 2017
Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel

The year 2017 witnessed serious upheavals, from Saudi Arabia’s internal purge and the Kurdish-Arab conflict in northern Iraq to the serial Iranian and Russian triumphs in Syria. Given these momentous events, prospects for the year ahead remain dim, amid signs of potential regional confrontations. Should these occur, they would drive the Middle East toward even deeper political and economic instability.

In light of these historic shifts, the Carnegie Middle East Center held its second annual conference which took place at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. The conference provided a look ahead to 2018, focusing on what Carnegie scholars believe will be the most important and pressing issues facing the Middle East and North Africa region. The conference brought together scholars from Carnegie’s offices in Beirut, Brussels, Moscow, Washington, and New Delhi to provide cross-cutting perspectives on the challenges facing the region.

Program

9:30 to 9:45 a.m.
Welcome Remarks

9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
The U.S. and the World

Moderator: Marwan Muasher

10:45 to 11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break

11:00 to 12:00 p.m.
Dialogue: Lebanon in a Turbulent Region

Saad Hariri, President of the Council of Ministers
With Maha Yahya

12:00 to 12:15 p.m.
Coffee Break

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
The Growing Threat of Cyberwarfare

Moderator: Kim Ghattas
 
1:15 to 2:15 p.m.
Lunch Break
 
2:15 to 3:15 p.m.
Gulf Tensions and Regional Conflicts
Moderator: Yezid Sayigh
 
3:15 to 3:30 p.m.
Coffee Break
 
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Fireside Chat: What is Russia up to in the Middle East?
Moderator: Elizabeth Dibble

SPEAKERS

Collin Anderson is a Washington D.C. - based researcher focused on measurement and control on the Internet, including network ownership and access restrictions.

Joseph Bahout is a visiting scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. 

Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Elizabeth Dibble is the chief operating officer at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Michele Dunne is the director and a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

Kim Ghattas is a BBC journalist based in Washington D.C. covering international affairs and a senior visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Saad Hariri is the President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Lebanon

Tim Maurer is the co-director of the Cyber Policy Initiative and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Mustapha Noman is the former deputy minister for foreign affairs in Yemen.

Marwan Muasher is the vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East.

Yezid Sayigh is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Dmitri Trenin is the director of Carnegie Moscow Center.

Sinan Ülgen is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe Center.

Tomáš Valášek is the director of Carnegie Europe Center.

Maha Yahya is the director of Carnegie Middle East Center.

This event was made possible in part thanks to a generous donation from Mr. John Buoymaster. 

Political ReformMiddle EastNorth Africa
event speakers

Collin Anderson

Collin Anderson is a Washington-based researcher focused on measurement and control on the internet, with an emphasis on countries that restrict the free flow of information.

Joseph Bahout

Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Joseph Bahout was a nonresident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. His research focuses on political developments in Lebanon and Syria, regional spillover from the Syrian crisis, and identity politics across the region.

Jarrett Blanc

Senior Fellow, Geoeconomics and Strategy Program

Jarrett Blanc was a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Elizabeth Dibble

Chief Operating Officer

As Carnegie’s chief operating officer, Elizabeth Dibble worked closely with the president to oversee and manage all aspects of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Michele Dunne

Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Kim Ghattas

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Kim Ghattas was a nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Saad Hariri

Tim Maurer

Senior Fellow, Technology and International Affairs Program

Dr. Tim Maurer was a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs program.

Mustapha Noman

Mustapha Noman is the former deputy foreign minister of Yemen.

Dmitri Trenin

Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

Trenin was director of the Carnegie Moscow Center from 2008 to early 2022.

Sinan Ülgen

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Ülgen is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, where his research focuses on Turkish foreign policy, nuclear policy, cyberpolicy, and transatlantic relations.

Tomáš Valášek

Director, Carnegie Europe

Valášek was director of Carnegie Europe and a senior fellow, where his research focused on security and defense, transatlantic relations, and Europe’s Eastern neighborhood.

Marwan Muasher

Vice President for Studies

Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications.

Yezid Sayigh

Senior Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Yezid Sayigh is a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where he leads the program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States (CMRAS). His work focuses on the comparative political and economic roles of Arab armed forces, the impact of war on states and societies, the politics of postconflict reconstruction and security sector transformation in Arab transitions, and authoritarian resurgence.

Maha Yahya

Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.