Valdai Club

THE EASTERN PERSPECTIVE

Middle East: New Stage, Old Problems? The Valdai Club Conference

Moscow

© Sputnik/Mikhail Voskresenskii

List of speakers

On February 19-20, the Valdai Club held, in partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, its eighth Middle East conference, titled “Middle East: New Stage, Old Problems?” This year’s conference continues the Club’s activities aimed at exploring Russia’s policy in the East, which was chosen as the central area of its research in 2019. During the year, the Valdai Club plans to hold a series of events dedicated to the East in the broad sense: both geographically (from Maghreb to South and Southeast Asia) and politically.

Materials

Coming Down: Why Russian Oil and Gas Companies Will Halt Expansion to the Middle East

In the coming years, we should not expect any ambitious oil and gas projects with Russian involvement in the Middle East. The Russian companies that have been involved in the Middle East market for quite a while are well aware of its specifics and risks.

Konstantin Simonov

Why the Middle East Remains Crucial for Asserting American Preeminence

Iran is a threat that the United States can use to squeeze as much money for “security” out of the Gulf States as it can. Part of the overall large picture in the Middle East could be explained as demonstrating America’s global domination to the Chinese and others vis-à-vis Iran.

Middle East: Everyone for Himself

Attempts to impose Western-style democracy on countries that are founded on tribal principles are not feasible. Russia is not involved in this and this is why it has good relations with Saudi Arabia despite shouts from Washington.

Evgeny Buzhinsky

Rebuilding Syria. Where to Begin?

It is still premature to call Syria a “post-conflict state.” However, the restoration of the country cannot be postponed and it is necessary to start with targeted measures aimed at achieving a real improvement in people’s living conditions.

Vladimir Bartenev

Security in the Middle East: Ways to a Long-Term Stability

It is better not to talk about bringing the war to an end in Syria. It is not about the war, but how the war ends, and also how the war ends in Yemen, and how the war ends in Libya. These wars are not just about the conflict between the government and the opposition, be it armed or political.

The Role of Russia, Iran and Turkey in the Post-War Reconstruction of Syria

According to Iran’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour, who is also president of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), Russia, Iran and Turkey complement each other well in the post-war reconstruction of Syria, which is a multi-dimensional process. He was interviewed by valdaiclub.com on the sidelines of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference in Moscow.

Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour

Nir Rosen: The War in Syria Is Not Over

The war is just entering a new phase, Nir Rosen writes. Syria is destroyed and there will not be a reconstruction. There will not be any political changes and there will be only a minimal return of refugees. It will never go back to what it was. And if things don’t change and the war on the economy and the siege on Syria continues then there is a threat of new social collapse.

What Will Replace OPEC? In Search of New Solutions to Global Hydrocarbon Market Instability

The fourth session of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference, “The Future of OPEC and the Prospects of World Hydrocarbon Markets,” was devoted to the future of OPEC and the prospects for global hydrocarbon markets. According to the participants of the session, the organization is unlikely to be able to regain the amount of control it had over the oil market during the “golden age” of its influence. But this also serves as an incentive for oil-producing countries to search for new forms of cooperation in order to stabilize oil prices.

Collective Security as an ‘Impossible Necessity’

The last session of the first day of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference was devoted to the collective security system in the Middle East. If earlier, when speaking of “military diplomacy” in the region, the experts focused on the present, and later turned to the past; now they were talking about the future. It is quite likely that the future will be better, because, as the speakers agreed, the present situation is too bad.

Restoring Syria: More Problems than Solutions

The second session of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference “Middle East: New Stage, Old Problems?” was devoted to the post-war reconstruction of Syria and the return of refugees. According to experts, the problems connected with the restoration of Syria are much greater than in case of other Middle Eastern states recently affected by civil wars or foreign military interventions.

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Photo

Photo Gallery: Meeting of the Valdai Club experts with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak

Photo Gallery: Meeting of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference Participants with Alexander Fomin

Photo Gallery: Session 4 of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference

Photo Gallery: Session 3 of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference

Photo Gallery: Session 2 of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference

Video

Mohamed Eljarh on Russian Engagement in Libya

15.03.2019

Roy Allison on Terrorist Dispersion in Syria

13.03.2019

Robert Malley on Global Institutions

12.03.2019

Bouthaina Shaaban: “Syria Will Blossom Again”

11.03.2019

Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega on Global Energy

05.03.2019

Infographics

Middle East Politics (VIDEOGRAPHICS)

OPEC (VIDEOGRAPHICS)

Russia in the Middle East: Missiles and Olive Branches (VIDEOGRAPHICS)