Russia And The Arab World
The conference will be in English and Arabic, with simultaneous translation available
May 12 - Day One:Session One 12:00 - 2:00Russia and the Arab World
Alexander Zasypkin, Ambassador of Russia to Lebanon, IntroductionNikolay Kozhanov, Nonresident Scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center,“The Russian -Arab Relations Today”Talal Nizameddin, Dean of Student Affairs at AUB, “The Making of Russia’sForeign Policy Today”
May 13 - Day Two:Session Two 10:00 - 12:00Religion, Nationalism, and Geopolitics
Antoine Courban, Professor at the Saint Joseph University in Beirut,“On Religion and Nationalism in Russia”Bassam Mokdad, Political Analyst, “Geopolitics and Russian Nationalism”Assad Haidar, Political Analyst , “Russia’s Intervention in Syria and itsImplications on its Relations with Iran”
Session Three 12:30 - 2:30Russia's Policies in the Region
Tarek Mitri, Director of the Issam Fares Institute, “Russia and theResponsibility to Protect Civilians”Mazen Ezzi, Political Analyst, “Russia’s Intervention in Syria ”Samy Nader, Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs (LISA),“The Implications of Russia’s Middle East Policy on Lebanon”
Following the official announcement of Russia’s military intervention in Syria on 30 September 2015, a discussion around the Russian role in the Middle East became an increasing necessity that requires concentrated efforts in research and follow-up, to enable us to understand the political motives of the Kremlin in the region. The discussion also involves understanding the roles played by nationalism and religion in shaping President Putin's political goals.
It is also vital to understand the political repercussions that accompany the military intervention, and the dynamics of the regional/international alliances in light of the US retreat from the Middle East.
Furthermore, the newly adopted Russian foreign policy towards the Middle East stirs a round of questions with regards to its determinants and ambitions, in addition to the Russian vision of the different conflicts in the region and their mode of solving them. Additionally, the aforementioned policy asks a series of pressing questions with regards to the military intervention and its effects on the relations between Damascus and Tehran, and between Tehran and Moscow.
Finally, the conference will focus on: the geopolitical nationalistic factors that determine President Putin's new policy; how the Russian foreign policy is being made; and what is the future of Russian-Arab relations and how it effects Lebanon. What is the limit of exercising military might by Moscow, and what does that incur in terms of responsibility for Russia with regards to protecting civilians?
