Archives: Events List

Turkey is recalibrating its regional policy. On the one hand, Ankara is pursuing a policy of de-escalation and reset towards its erstwhile antagonists, namely Arab-Gulf states and Israel.  On the other hand, the dynamics of escalation are clearly on display in Turkey’s policy towards Iraq, Syria, and regional Kurdish geopolitics. Furthermore, more confrontation appears to be looming on the horizon in Turkey’s relations with Iran and Greece. Finally, these policy trends are unfolding against the backdrop of upcoming elections and an economic downturn in Turkey.  

Since Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the country has faced relentless international scrutiny of its labor policies. Major media outlets have called on both Qatar and FIFA to better safeguard migrant worker welfare. Over the past decade, Qatar has enacted a series of significant reforms and established a cooperation programme with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2018, placing it at the forefront of regional efforts to improve the lives of migrant workers. Yet, despite these efforts, international organizations continue to mount criticism of the reforms’ implementation and to question their durability after the World Cup. From within the country, citizens have expressed concern about media misinformation and portrayals that hold Qatar to a different standard than previous World Cup hosts. 

The Middle East Council on Global Affairs in Doha (Council), in partnership with the Arab Barometer, hosted a webinar discussion on October 31, 2022 about the growing challenge of food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The webinar will examine ongoing efforts to form a government, the future of the post-2003 political order, and the role outside actors, like the United States and Iran, can play to de-escalate tensions.

The Middle East Council on Global Affairs convened its first webinar with a panel of experts to discuss the present and future of the Gaza Strip.