Shaping the Future: Geopolitics and the Middle East

The Middle East Institute (MEI) and Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) are pleased to host a panel on potential future geopolitical scenarios in the Middle East. Although President Trump ordered a withdrawal from Syria, the conflict is about to enter its ninth year and the prospects for a lasting diplomatic solution or military win remain slim. Russian and Iranian interests in Syria of keeping Assad in power diverge greatly with U.S.- and Saudi-backed efforts to unseat the Assad regime. What’s at stake for the United States, Europe, Russia, and other critical actors in the Middle East? What are the options for the United States and EU to engage productively in the region, in order to protect human rights, promote the rule of law, and facilitate an end to the region’s conflicts? Is diplomacy capable of reconciling the complexity of the conflicts in the Middle East?