[This event is organised by the Middle East Institute's Arabia Asia Research Cluster and the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore] 

In 2019, at the start of Ramadan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the country to watch a dubbed version of the Turkish period drama, Diriliş: Ertuğrul (Resurrection: Ertuğrul), on national television. In it, viewers will see that the hero struggles to impose just rule against foreign enemies. This drama was originally released in 2014 by the government-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation to shore up domestic support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by highlighting parallels between the hero’s struggles and the embattled Turkish leader’s rule. Ertuğrul is also popular among the Muslims of India and Bangladesh.

Turkey's relations with the countries of South Asia have undergone significant changes recently. While Ankara and New Delhi enjoy cordial economic ties with two-way trade at 5.42 billion dollars from 2020 to 2021, they have had an uneasy political relationship due to Turkey’s support for Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue and divergent views on the Gülen movement. With Turkey set to become a critical player in post-America Afghanistan, bilateral ties are likely to enter a difficult phase. Pakistan has generally leaned towards Turkey, which, under Erdoğan, has chased neo-Ottoman ambitions of leadership of the Muslim world. Both have supported each other on the global stage and alongside Malaysia, they have designs on an alternative Islamic axis to rival the Arab one. Turkey also has close links with Bangladesh in several areas –  bilateral trade is expected to double from the estimated 1 billion dollars that it currently is and  Ankara has also internationally-backed Dhaka over the Rohingya issue.

The panel discussion will look at the history of Turkey’s links with South Asia and extend to exploring geopolitical impacts on the growing Ankara-Islamabad and Ankara-Dhaka ties, while examining the growing distance between Ankara and New Delhi. Finally, it will survey the cultural ‘battleground’ in the Muslim world, where drama serials such as Ertuğrul and the Saudi Arabia-UAE-backed Kingdoms of Fire are used to further each side’s narrative.

This public lecture was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 20 October 2021.

The tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan marked the end of America’s “forever wars” and also highlighted the shift in America’s focus – away from the Middle East and Central Asia and towards the Indo-Pacific.

General (ret.) David H. Petraeus, former head of the CIA and former commander of the US Central Command, will discuss America’s shifting strategic priorities in a conversation with the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore (MEI-NUS).

Among other things, the discussion aims to map out how the US’ focus on the Indo-Pacific will shape its military and intelligence strategies. It will also tackle the question of how Russia and China’s jockeying for strategic positioning vis-a-vis the US will affect security and the regional military balances. This session will be moderated by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow, (MEI-NUS).

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT).

Lecture #07: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Renewables as the New Oil or the Geopolitics of Carrots

by Mr Philippe Rose [Thursday, 14 October 2021]

For more information on ME 101, click here:

https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/

In this episode, Professor Deborah Avant describes how privatisation of the monopoly of violence evolved from the two conflicts in Iraq up till the fall of Kabul.

This podcast series is presented by Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow and Dr Ameem Lutfi, Research Fellow, at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

Lecture #06: The Politics of Economic Reform by Ms Rana Karadsheh-Haddad [Wednesday, 6 October 2021]

For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/

ME 101 Lecture #05: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | Israel – More than Just Palestine

For more information about ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/ 

The chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan has added fuel to the already-raging debate on the US’ Middle East policy. With tens of thousands of troops still based in the Gulf, is America really moving towards the role of an offshore balancer? With the Biden administration’s pledge to end “forever wars”, the question has now shifted to the reliability of American commitments to its security allies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The Carter Doctrine, proclaimed in 1980 – ironically, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – promised the use of all means necessary, including force, to defend US interests in the Persian Gulf. Once a clarion call enunciating America’s stance against Soviet expansion, is the doctrine still relevant today? What lies at the core of America’s Persian Gulf interests? Most importantly, is the US rethinking its role there?

The Middle East Institute (NUS) is privileged to host Ambassador Robert Hunter, a top official in the Carter Administration who had a hand in crafting the doctrine itself, to tackle these and other questions on America’s evolving Middle East role.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 22 September 2021, from 10.00am to 11.00am (Singapore Time) / 10.00pm–11.00pm (Washington, DC time).

For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/in-conversation-with-ambassador-robert-hunter-making-sense-of-the-carter-doctrine/ 

Lecture #04: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | The US and its Allies – Boots on the Ground or Off Platforms [Thursday, 23 September 2021]

For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/

ME 101 Lecture #03: Geopolitical Competition in the Middle East | China – Can the Dragon Tame the Middle East or will the Middle East Tame the Dragon? by Dr Alessandro Arduino [Thursday, 16 September 2021]

For more information on ME 101, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/me-101-lecture-series-2021/ 

In this webinar, co-organised by MEI-NUS and the Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (CIEF-HBKU), two industry experts will explore the sociological dimensions of Islamic finance and its institutions. The session seeks to introduce the audience to:

1. The role(s) of Sharia supervisory boards (SSBs) in approving – or disapproving – financial products at Islamic financial institutions;

In that regard, some questions that will outline the discussion include:

• How do SSBs at financial institutions wield authority and influence in approving (or disapproving) financial products?

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 15 September 2021, from 4pm to 5.30pm (Singapore Time) / 11am–12:30pm (Doha, Qatar time).

For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/uncovering-the-gatekeepers-of-islamic-finance/