Mediterranean Strategy Group 18: Policy Planner’s Forum on Strategic Stability in the MENA : Deflating Tensions, Building Bridges
Rome, Italy
The Mediterranean Strategy Group (MSG), an event organized in a partnership between OCP Policy Center and the German Marshall Fund (GMF), is the leading transatlantic dialogue on Mediterranean affairs. The forum brings together around 40 experts and officials from the public and private sectors from both sides of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean will meet for two days of informal roundtable style discussion under the Chatham House rule.
The Policy Planners Forum’s purpose is to informally exchange perspectives on two critical dossiers affecting the outlook for strategic stability in the Middle East and the relationship between the United States, Europe and regional actors: the future of the Iran deal after the U.S. withdrawal, and the endgame in Syria.
Agenda
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NOVEMBER 21, 2018 |
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SESSION 1: PEACE GAME (IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FOREIGN POLICY AND ISPI) |
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NOVEMBER 22, 2018 |
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08:00 – 08:30 |
Registration of Participants |
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08:30– 09:00 |
Welcoming Remarks |
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09:30– 10:30 |
Session 1 | JCPOA after the US Withdrawal: What Now? What Next? Moderator: Nathalie Tocci, Director, Institute of International Affairs The US withdrawal from the JCPOA has altered the panorama of nuclear proliferation and geopolitical balance in the MENA. It has also put the US and Europe on opposing sides of a key regional security issue as the EU vies to hold on to the deal alongside Russia and China. How likely and desirable is a survival of the JCPOA in its current form without US participation? How will the disarray between transatlantic partners on this issue affect strategic stability? What is the outlook for engagement with Iran across a wider set of security issues? What can be done to reduce the risks of brinkmanship? |
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10:30– 11:00 |
Coffee Break |
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11:00– 12:30 |
Session 2 | the End Game in Syria and the Outlook for Regional Stability Moderator: Maha Yahya, Director, Carnegie Middle East Center While Washington remains ambiguous as to the scope and future of its deployment in Syria, the Assad regime continues to consolidate its position with the backing of Russia and Iran. As regime forces close in on Idlib as the last major stronghold of anti-Assad opposition forces, the war in Syria is set to enter a new phase. Pressing concerns such as access to humanitarian aid, stabilization and eventual reconstruction and return of refugees are high on the agenda, while the nature of a political settlement remains an open question. How do we assess the current situation? Where do key actors share similar goals? Under what conditions can they come together? What are the risks of a clash between regional and external actors, and how can these be reduced? How will the end game in Syria shape the broader outlook for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant? |
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12:30– 12:45 |
Closing Remarks |
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