On Saturday, 22 October 2022, the Political Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies will hold the Ninth Gulf Studies Forum. This year, the forum will discuss the topic “The Ukraine Crisis, Regional and International Competition and the Future of Energy and Security in the Gulf,” based on the political, security, and economic repercussions of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

The conference will discuss the impact of the Ukraine crisis on Gulf international relations in light of intensified international competition, including relations with the US, Russia, China, and the EU. A session will be devoted to the impact of the Ukraine crisis on Gulf relations with Japan, whose interest in the region is increasing with its growing concerns about energy supplies, months into the Ukraine crisis and amidst rising tension with China over Taiwan. The conference will also discuss the implications of the crisis for Gulf relations with Turkey and Iran, as well as the ramifications of the crisis for food security, energy security, and economic security in the Gulf.

This year’s forum hosts many accomplished scholars from around the world, including Abdullah al-Shaiji, Majed Al Turki, Mohammed Al-Mesfer, Charles A. Kupchan, Ghanim Al-Najjar, Faisal Abu Salib, Abdullah Baabood, Habib Allah Turkistani, Zafar al-Ajami, Mustafa al-Bazarkan, Jonathan Fulton, and Thomas W O'Donnell.

Agenda and participants

* Simultaneous translation is available in both Arabic and English.

** The forum will be held in person in the cultural building of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and livestreamed across the Center's social media accounts.