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about
Hesham Alghannam is a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. His research focuses on policy and strategy in Saudi Arabia and abroad, fieldwork in conflict zones, ballistic missiles, the political economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, social movements, the Arab uprisings, political Islam, war strategies and crisis management, Iran’s nuclear program, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, radicalization, and the conflict between the GCC states and Iran. He is the director general of the Strategic Studies and National Security Programs at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. He has also worked with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, and the Gulf Research Centre. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Exeter.
areas of expertise
education
Ph.D., University of Exeterlanguages
English, ArabicAll work from Hesham Alghannam
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China has aligned its cooperation model with Saudi Arabia’s own priorities, most notably since the kingdom unveiled its Vision 2030. Although China announced the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the big push in relations happened only after the ascendance of King Salman to the throne in 2015 and Riyadh’s push for Beijing to meet Saudi needs.
The kingdom aims to foster warmer international relationships by moving away from a religious approach that earned the royal family legitimacy; however it is adopting measures to minimize the potential price paid for this realignment.
Bashar al-Assad’s regime has used the drug partly as a means of ensuring that Syria is reintegrated into the Arab world, allowing its leadership to reinforce its position after years of isolation and conflict.
The advantage that China has over other global powers, especially America, is that its foreign policy is closely aligned with those of many of the Middle Eastern countries.
- Jin Liangxiang,
- Maha Yahya,
- Hesham Alghannam
How will China-Middle East relations evolve in the years to come?
- Maha Yahya,
- Hesham Alghannam,
- Jin Liangxiang
Biden’s visit produced a few tangible gains but also raised questions about the future of Saudi-American relations.
- Hesham Alghannam,
- Mohammad Yaghi
Join us on Thursday, July 7 from 16:00 until 17:30 Beirut time for a panel discussion with Hesham Alghannam, Dana El Kurd, Aaron David Miller, Ahmed Nagi and Maha Yahya, as they explore the main issues directing Biden’s agenda during his visit and what the possible outcomes of the trip may be.
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- Hesham Alghannam,
- Dana El Kurd,
- Aaron David Miller,
- Ahmed Nagi,
- Maha Yahya