Ahead of Turkey’s 2023 elections, a six-party opposition bloc is working together to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and restore the country’s parliamentary system. This comes against the backdrop of a growing economic crisis as public opinion polls show support for the president and the AKP is falling. How reliable are these polls? Can the opposition beat Erdoğan? What is its election strategy? Who is most likely to be the bloc’s presidential candidate? Despite the country’s growing economic, political, and social problems and the opposition's efforts to form a unified front, can Erdoğan still win? Please join us on Friday, June 10, at 11:00 am EST to discuss these questions and much more with an excellent expert panel.Speakers:Berk EsenIPC-Stiftung Mercator Fellow, Center for Applied Turkey Studies, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Sabancı University, TurkeyErsin KalaycıoğluSenior Scholar, Istanbul Policy Center; Professor, Sabancı UniversityAli ÇarkoğluProfessor, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey  Gonul Tol, moderatorFounding Director of Turkey Program; Senior Fellow of the Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

Four months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has had wide-ranging implications for geopolitical and geo-economic trends in the Middle East. The war could lead to the emergence of new strategic vacuums in conflict zones across the region while reshaping Russian relations with energy players in the Middle East, including Iran. Beyond the immediate assumption that the war will create new opportunities for cooperation between revisionist powers like Iran and Russia, it has also given rise to new potential conflicts of interest. In the second in a series of events dedicated to analyzing the implications of the war in Ukraine on Russia-Iran relations, the Middle East Institute (MEI) will bring together a panel of experts to provide a detailed picture of how the war might create new areas of competition and rifts between Moscow and Tehran. Renowned experts will discuss key questions, including: What do Moscow’s adjustments in Syria mean for Tehran, and how might they impact bilateral cooperation? How does Moscow see the future of its energy policy, and how could that affect relations with Iran? Can ideological and identity factors compensate for the security and economic conflicts of interest that the war has created between Moscow and Tehran? Speakers: Jakub M. GodzimirskiProfessor at Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)Diana GaleevaVisiting Fellow, Oxford UniversityHamidreza AziziCATS Fellow, SWP BerlinAbdolrasool Divsallar, moderatorNon-resident Scholar at MEI

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had profound consequences for politics across the Middle East, and this is especially true for Russia-Iran relations and security ties. While Tehran initially accepted Moscow’s rationale for the invasion and attempted to show its political support in the United Nations General Assembly, Iran has remained cautious about fully backing the war, even as it seeks to benefit from resulting trade and security opportunities. For its part, however, Moscow initially emerged as a spoiler in attempts to revive the so-called Iran nuclear deal. The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to organize a series of expert panels to shed light on the complex relationship between Russia and Iran. The first panel in the series will bring together renowned experts to discuss key questions, including: How has Iran interpreted the Russian invasion and tried to adjust accordingly? What does Moscow expect from Tehran? How might uncertainties about Russia’s future role in the global order impact Iran's "look to the East” policy, both in general and toward Russia specifically? And how might the war change the foundations of Russia-Iran relations?Speakers:Vali NasrProfessor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International StudiesElaheh KoolaeeProfessor of Political Science and Area Studies at the University of TehranMark KatzProfessor of Government and Politics at George Mason UniversityAlex VatankaDirector of Iran Program and Senior Fellow at MEIAbdolrasool Divsallar Non-resident Scholar at MEI

Speakers:Marwa HaddarMarwa is Vice President Finance and Strategy at Blue Monsoon Capital – a Singapore-based financial advisory and asset management company with regional offices in Dubai and Washington D.C. Her work covers establishment and restructuring of financial institutions, including sovereign wealth funds, and private and public asset management companies. Her work also covers project finance for public-private infrastructure projects in emerging markets and developing countries. Marwa holds a PhD in Finance from Paris-Est Sup University (Paris, France), a master’s degree in Finance and a B.Sc. in Business Studies from IHEC Carthage (Tunis, Tunisia). She conducted research on topics related to the impact of political risk on corporate financial choices, employee welfare and inequality.Intissar HafsiIntissar Hafsi is a senior expert in socio-economic reintegration at Civipol. She has worked as grant officer for Expertise France and for National Democratic Institute. She also coordinated a few projects on green economy for various international and national NGOs. Through her working experiences she has developed a sound knowledge on international regulations, finance and economic governance, international relations, and policy analysis. Mohamed KhelilMr. Mohamed Khelil is Vice President SME Investment at the Tunisian American Enterprise Fund (TAEF) that he joined in May 2016. He has co-founded, in 2021, WeMove a startup in the sports industry. Prior to that, he has worked for 7 years in the Banking industry and had an experience in the Hospitality sector. He graduated from IHEC Carthage and holds an Executive MBA that he successfully completed in 2020. He speaks Arabic, English and French. Pietro Marzo, co-hostPietro Marzo is Assistant Professor at TÈLUQ University (Québec, Canada). He is also Programme Manager at North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) . His research focuses on the international relations of Middle East. His latest academic articles have appeared on Middle East Law and Governance, Third World Quarterly, Cambridge Review of International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies. He is currently working on a book “International Influences in Tunisian democratization”, under contract with Edinburgh University Press. Intissar Fakir, moderatorIntissar is a senior fellow and director of MEI’s North Africa and Sahel program. She is an expert on North Africa, the Sahel, and key regional thematic issues including governance, social change, migration, and security. She has written extensively on North Africa’s evolving politics including Islamist electoral politics in post-2011 Morocco and Tunisia, the Western Sahara issue, foreign policy priorities in Morocco and the broader region, and the impact of COVID-19 on regional political stability. Her research has also included political transitions, mobilization trends, energy, and social change in Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia.

During the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has engendered goodwill in the West by serving as a mediator between the two nations. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's public warning that Turkey may block Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO risks destroying that goodwill. How has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected Turkey's standing and geopolitical calculations? Has Moscow's military blunder led Ankara to rethink its defense ties with Russia? Is this an opportunity for Turkey to take advantage of a more isolated Russia and advance its interests in places such as Syria and the South Caucasus? What does Erdoğan's stance on Sweden and Finland's bid mean for Turkey's own standing in NATO? Please join us on May 27th at 11.00 am EST to discuss these questions and much more.Speakers:Alper Coşkun Senior fellow, Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace General (Ret.) Philip Breedlove Retired Air Force general and former supreme allied commander for Europe; distinguished professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Tech; distinguished chair, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI Serhat Güvenç Professor of international relations, Kadir Has UniversityGonul Tol, moderatorFounding director, Turkey Program, MEI; senior fellow, Frontier Europe Initiative, MEI

On May 15, Lebanon goes to the polls for its first parliamentary elections since the 2019 protest movement, the financial and socio-economic collapse, and the Beirut port explosion. Join the Middle East Institute for a two-part webinar series before and after this long-awaited political milestone.Key questions that will be explored include: What is the Lebanese political and electoral landscape like today? Will elections bring about the change many Lebanese have hoped for, or will establishment parties consolidate power? Who are the biggest winners and losers? From a US foreign policy perspective, what to make of the results? What will the days and months after the elections look like for Lebanon and what should international observers pay particular attention to?Speakers: Rony Al AssaadSecretary-General, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE)Philippe NassifProgram Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Democratic Institute (NDI)Randa SlimSenior Fellow and Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program, Middle East InstitutePaul Salem, moderatorSenior Fellow and Vice President of Policy, Middle East Institute

On May 15, Lebanon goes to the polls for its first parliamentary elections since the 2019 protest movement, the financial and socio-economic collapse, and the Beirut port explosion. Join the Middle East Institute for a two-part webinar series before and after this long-awaited political milestone.Key questions that will be explored include: What is the Lebanese political and electoral landscape like today? Will elections bring about the change many Lebanese have hoped for, or will establishment parties consolidate power? Who are the biggest winners and losers? From a US foreign policy perspective, what to make of the results? What will the days and months after the elections look like for Lebanon and what should international observers pay particular attention to?Speakers:Joseph BahoutDirector, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB)Makram OuaissExecutive Director, The Lebanese Center for Policy StudiesMona YacoubianSenior Advisor to the Vice President of Middle East and Africa, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)Joyce Karam, moderatorSenior US Correspondent, The National

After decades of U.S. military assistance in the Middle East — providing expensive weapons systems and conducting military exercises — why are the military capabilities of U.S. allies in the region still lacking? Why does it matter? And what can be done to remedy the status quo?In Rebuilding Arab Defense, Bilal Y. Saab addresses these vexing questions through four in-depth case studies: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. Identifying the pitfalls of diverse assistance programs, Saab convincingly demonstrates the importance of institution building in efforts to achieve effective security cooperation in a region that remains of great strategic significance.Speakers: Bilal Y. Saab, AuthorSenior Fellow and Founding Director of the Defense and Security Program, MEIKenneth Pollack, DiscussantSenior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Anne Patterson, DiscussantKissinger Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University Missy Ryan, Moderator Reporter, The Washington Post

Innovations in Climate Resilience is a new event series hosted by MEI's Climate and Water Program. The series showcases different practical applications that address climate change vulnerability in the MENA region.Mangrove forests are a surprising superstar for conservation efforts globally. This cost-effective and low-maintenance “super tree” efficiently sequesters blue carbon and is a natural alternative for storing CO2. Blue Forest, a UAE-based ‘blue carbon’ specialist, is working to implement large-scale mangrove forest restoration world wide. Using technological innovations, Blue Forest seeks to rehabilitate and expand mangrove populations with the goal of sequestering 1 million tons of CO2 by 2024. They are already well on their way and their latest effort saw over 700,000 mangrove seedlings planted with a survival rate of 80%. Join Vahid Fotuhi, the founder and CEO of Blue Forest, and Mohammed Mahmoud, Senior Fellow and director of MEI’s Climate and Water Program, for a robust discussion on the future of Blue Forest, mangrove carbon sequestration, and innovative efforts to build climate resilience in the MENA region.  Speakers:Vahid FotuhiVahid Fotuhi is the Founder and CEO of Blue Forest, a leading UAE project developer focused on mangrove forest restoration. Previously, Vahid was Vice President for Middle East and Africa for SOURCE Global, a solar powered water technology company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Vahid’s nature-based infrastructure experience is rooted in his role as Managing Director of Access Power, a developer of clean energy assets. During his six years at Access he originated, developed and helped secure financing for solar and wind power projects in 12 countries, delivering over $600m worth of clean energy projects to millions of people. Mohammed MahmoudMohammed Mahmoud is the director of the Climate and Water Program and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. His areas of expertise include climate change adaptation, water policy analysis, and scenario planning. Previously, Mohammed was a senior policy analyst with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, where he provided research, modeling, and analysis on inter-state Colorado River Basin programs and binational water issues between the United States and Mexico. In addition, he is a faculty associate with Arizona State University.

The Middle East Institute's (MEI) North Africa and Sahel Program and the North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) are excited to announce a six-part roundtable series through which Tunisian youth will examine key policy issues affecting their country. The series will consist of livestreamed discussions. Each roundtable will allow engaged Tunisian youth to present their observations and perspective on the policy issue as it presents itself in Tunisia. The inaugural roundtable will highlight education challenges and opportunities.In 2021, a region-wide poll found that 77% of respondents were dissatisfied with education - more than in any other country in North Africa, and for a reason. In the years following Tunisia’s independence in 1956, large investments in, and reform of education made it an asset that distinguished the country from others in the region and granted a real opportunity for social promotion. Nowadays, after years of neglect and an unordered development of private education that followed the 2011 revolution, education has largely become a liability and a mechanism that institutionalizes social inequality. Nowadays, education represents an increasing cost for families that can afford it, and a decreasing value for those who cannot. How did we get here? During this policy-oriented roundtable discussion, engaged Tunisian youth will provide their perspective, and will shed light on challenges and opportunities related to education in Tunisia.  Speakers:Nourjahen Gala-AliMehdi Cherif Mariem BchirWalid HedidarJean-Louis Romanet Perroux, moderatorIntissar Fakir, co-host