Programme

Day One

Time

11:00-12:00: Opening and keynote speeches

• Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, Chairman of Board of Directors at Al Jazeera Media Network
• Majed Al-Ansari, Advisor to the Qatari Prime Minister and Spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Session One

The Gulf in view of the Russian war on Ukraine: Opportunities and challenges

1. 1. Opportunities for the Gulf
   2. Various options for Gulf countries in light of the severe international polarisation
   3. Gulf stability in a perturbed world
   4. New climates for rebuilding the Gulf system

Speakers

• Abdullah Al-Shayji, Professor and Director of the Political Science Graduate Programme at Kuwait University
• Nouf Al Doussari, Assistant Professor of Policy planning and development department of International Affairs
• Abdulaziz Sager, Founder and Chairman of Gulf Research Center
• Mahjoob Zweiri, Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University

Session Two

The Russian war on Ukraine: A threat to international security and peace or an opportunity to shape a more balanced world order?

1. Russia, the West and the Cold War legacy: Limited cooperation, constant fears and mutual threats
2. The current war and the danger of unconventional weapons to global security: Nuclear, energy and food
3. Will Russia and its allies successfully form an Eastern bloc equivalent to and parallel to that of the West?

Speakers

• Olena Tregub, the Secretary General of the Independent Defense Anti-Corruption Committee (NAKO)
• Leonid M. Issaev, Associate Professor at the Department for Political Science at the National Research University Higher School of Economics
• Liqaa Maki Al Azzawi, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
• Hassan Barari, Professor of International Relations at Qatar University

Session Three

A year into the war: A reading into conflicting considerations and strategies

1. Putin’s moving objectives: Field defeat or plans and strategies?
2. The cost of sanctions on Russia for Europe: Energy, food, security, migration and the rise of the right wing
3. The West’s alternatives to disengagement with Russia: The obtainable and possible in the context of energy transition policies

Speakers

• Jane Kinninmont, Policy and Impact Director at the European Leadership Network
• Elias Hanna, strategy and military expert and retired general in the Lebanese army
• Didier Darcet, Co-Founder of Gavekal-IS
• Salman Shaikh, former director of Brookings Doha and Founder and CEO of The Shaikh Group

Day Two

Session Four

The war and the Middle East: Implications in light of the different regional roles

1. Turkey’s multiple roles: Armament, mediation and initiatives
2. Iran: The nuclear file, regional policies and further expansion east
3. The impact of the war on the Palestinian struggle and the Arab-Israeli conflict

Speakers

• Ismail Numan Telci, Vice President of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM)
• Izadi foad, Associate Professor, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran
• Honaida Ghanim, Director of the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR) and Visiting Professor at Birzeit University
• Fatima Alsmadi, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies

Session Five

Arab crises before and after the war

• • 1. Syria and Yemen: The absence of war and the absence of a settlement
    2. Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan: Economic and political crises and the conflict of foreign agendas
    3. The shadow of war in other Arab arenas: Libya, Egypt and Tunisia

Speakers

• Mustafa Noman, Yemeni writer and politician
• Mohammed Sarmini, President and Founder of Jusoor Center for Studies
• Salah Eddin Elzein, Advisor to the Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network and expert in African affairs
• Chafic Choucair, Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies

Session Six

Media coverage of the war

• 1. How the media covered the Russian war on Ukraine
  2. War narratives in the media: Strengths and weaknesses
  3. Testimonies of correspondents (from Al Jazeera and others)

Speakers

• Fahad Ahmed, Legal Advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
• Scott Griffen, Deputy Director of the International Press Institute (IPI)
• Ahmad Vall Eddine, Professional journalist and novelist.
• Suheib Alassa,A Palestinian professional journalist
• Hoda Abdel-Hamid, is an award-winning roving correspondent for Al Jazeera English.