May 8
Religion, Nationalism and Geoeconomic Imperialism in the New Middle East
Great power conflict in the Middle East is on a hiatus, with Trump in the White House and the Russians preoccupied with Ukraine. Regional geoeconomic powers backed by hydrocarbon wealth or industrial might have filled the vacuum. These regional powers seek to assert influence through ideological soft power, appealing either to strains of Muslim fundamentalism or to a more secular nationalism. A three-way geoeconomic and ideological struggle among Turkey-Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iran has contributed to the destabilization of Sudan, Libya and Yemen, and its outcome will help determine whether Syria builds a stable revolutionary state or falls into civil war, with dire consequences for the entire Levant.
Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan