This book aims to provide a more balanced understanding of the contemporary processes of domestic policymaking and governance in Saudi Arabia. Comprehension of these two areas is pertinent given the importance of the government’s economic diversification plans: Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020, and revised NTP 2.0. This book draws on academics, researchers, policymakers and practitioners with knowledge and experience of domestic policymaking and governance in Saudi Arabia. One of the aims of this edited volume is to analyse the factors that facilitate or constrain effective and viable domestic policymaking and governance in the Kingdom. By bringing together chapters written by scholars and practitioners with first-hand knowledge and experience from a range of social, political, economic and cultural experiences, the book examines various sectors, including labour, defence, health, youth issues, energy, and the environment.

This public discussion examines the progress made in Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation efforts, their implications for state-society relations, and the economics of the rentier social contract, among other issues.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 8 June 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT). For more information, please click here.

While the Middle East has  perpetually been at the crossroads, the current juncture is no less critical in which regional powers are fast realigning in the wake of the US shifting away from being the most dominant player in the region. Under this scenario, Turkey’s role becomes crucial not only because of its intrinsic strength but also due to its relative standing by virtue of its NATO membership  which could make it a conduit for Western powers. They can leverage on Ankara to exercise control over the Middle East geopolitics, particularly out of fear of Russia and China filling the regional security void. Against these backdrops, this webinar would delve into understanding Turkey’s Middle East ambitions and regional role.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 1 June 2022, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm (SGT).

Despite receiving scrutiny as the one of the main ideological sources for extremist violence perpetrated by jihadi groups, Salafism is not monolithic. Looking beyond the literature discussing transnational jihadi networks, Dr Raihan Ismail examines how quietist and activist Salafi clerics work across borders to preserve and promote what they deem “authentic Islam”. In this talk, Ismail focuses on the ‘ulama of three countries – Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – and unveil how they have taken to the cyber domain to publicise their views.

While quietist Salafis endorse an apolitical tradition and denounce political activism, haraki, or activist, Salafi clerics advocate peaceful political change. Dr Ismail reassesses existing Salafi typology, offering new categorisations of Salafi clerics in their attitudes towards sectarian matters, and when dealing with social change. Drawing upon publications, religious rulings and cyber-ethnography, her book, Rethinking Salafism, lays out how the ʿulama cooperate to foster a collective Salafi identity based on their political, theological, and jurisprudential positions.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 26 May 2022, from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm (SGT).

The UAE has emerged as the most iconic and widely publicised of all GCC countries in the past years. Its unique and stunning landmarks, cultural and sporting events and magnetism for talent and workforce from the wider region and beyond gave it a special position among its peers. This was further enhanced by the World Expo hosted to coincide with the country’s 50th anniversary. These were all complemented by a robust political and military role at times seen by critics as bordering on adventurism but toned down to more of a realpolitik posture as the country occupied a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council this year.

The webinar examines the nature, pace and direction of the socio-cultural developments of the UAE. The objective of the webinar is to shed light on:

• the process of moving away from traditional tribal society towards nation state and what it has achieved in 50 years

The conversation also promises to contextualise the UAE’s transformation and policy initiatives with respect to its Gulf neighbours.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 5 May 2022, from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT).

For more information about this event, click here.

In this episode, Mr Omri Lavie discusses the role of artificial intelligence in cyber operations and the future of cyber security management in a complex environment.

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

The Indo-Pacific region has gained prominence as the world’s major powers gravitated towards this space to expand their influence but until recently, the Middle East seemed excluded from this geopolitical shift. Things have quickly changed: in the past years, Gulf states and Israel have become the object of increased attention from Asian powers and got themselves involved in new diplomatic arrangements such as the “Middle East Quad” that may impact the competition in the Indo-Pacific. In other words,  Middle Eastern states traditionally looked at the West for strategic matters but they are now increasingly defining their security agenda with an eye towards Asia.

To understand the implications of this new nexus between the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, this webinar will discuss with the authors of a new book dedicated to the Indo-Pacific strategies and they will help us unpack the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific and discuss the place of Middle East powers in that environment.

This public talk was conducted on Wednesday, 27 April 2022. For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/the-middle-east-the-indo-pacific-the-new-geopolitics/

As all eyes are turned towards Ukraine, a long-neglected conflict in the Middle East is entering its eighth year. Started in March 2015, the Yemen war was initially supposed to be a short and limited intervention led by Saudi Arabia. Today,  despite several failed diplomatic initiatives, there is no end in sight. Beyond the humanitarian tragedy for Yemen, the war has turned into the epicenter of regional rivalries, as reflected by Iran’s support to the Houthi rebels, the proliferation of ballistic missiles launched from Yemen to Saudi Arabia, the redeployment of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaida and the Islamic State into Yemen’s ungoverned areas. Moreover, the inability of the Gulf states to succeed militarily in Yemen exacerbated tensions and frustrations with their main Western partner, the US. Against that backdrop, this webinar will discuss the latest developments in the Yemen war and their broader implications for the region – be it in terms of terrorism trends, Gulf-Iran relations or US security policy towards the Middle East.

This public talk was conducted on Wednesday, 6 April 2022.

For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/can-gulf-states-end-the-yemen-war/

In this episode, Dr Molly Dunigan discusses how Russia’s use of mercenaries exposes what may be critical vulnerabilities in the Russian will to fight and in Russian state power.

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

The last Conference of the Parties (COP 26), held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), finalised the “rulebook” for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. Its tagline, “from ambition to action,” will be examined through the lens of the next two COP meetings – COP27 and COP28 – hosted by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. Given the varying impacts of climate change across regions, the Paris Agreement recognised that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Both the UAE and Egypt have been working with the United States to roll out further initiatives: The US-UAE venture aims to make agriculture resilient to climate change, while Egypt’s joint press release with the US stressed the need for “Implementation…Plus” which includes carrying through on existing commitments. These projects will give further importance to the Arab COPs globally, especially in the lead-up to COP28 under the Emirati presidency, where the first round of global stocktake is due to take place.

Can COP 27 and COP 28 serve as outlets for the Arab region to highlight their unique climate challenges? To what extent will the Arab countries’ position differ? Will there be an increase in regional climate cooperation? In particular, will the two COPs create Arab-African tensions? How much further along the road to action will Arab countries be pushed?

The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), will host a panel to tackle these and other questions.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 29 March 2022, from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm (SGT) / 8.00 am to 9.30 am (Washington DC time).

For more information about this event, click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/climate-commitments-less-reason-for-the-arab-region-to-cop-out/ 

In this episode, Dr Zhou Zhanggui discusses about the Chinese private security sector in highly complex environments.

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