Turmoil Across the Middle East: What Does It Mean?

What should we make of the Middle East’s upheavals? In recent weeks, the Islamic State (ISIS) “caliphate” collapsed. Syria’s Assad regime all but won the six-year war, thus consolidating Iranian and Russian influence. Saudi Arabia purged parts of its royal family. Lebanon’s prime minister abruptly resigned. Iraq’s Kurds voted for independence, triggering confrontation with Baghdad. Years of U.S. and international engagement has failed to rebuild fractured countries, and the very viability of states like Iraq and Syria has been challenged. At USIP, distinguished Middle East analysts will explore where the region is headed, and the U.S. roles amid this tumult.

Speakers:

Mike Yaffe, moderator
Vice President, Middle East and Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace

Robin Wright
Journalist and Author, U.S. Institute of Peace and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The New Yorker

Bruce Riedel
Senior Fellow and Director of The Intelligence Project, The Brookings Institution

Mona Yacoubian
Senior Advisor, Syria, Middle East and North Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace

Aaron David Miller
Vice President for New Initiatives and Middle East Program Director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars