Carnegie Moscow Center
Technology is shaping the contours of our lives like never before. In the new normal of a pandemic ridden world, questions surrounding access to data, digital payment infrastructures, and vaccine supply chains inform how countries perceive global arenas of collaboration and competition.
How do Tehran and Jerusalem intend to approach the new administration; what priorities, calculations, and attitudes will shift? And how will the Biden foreign policy team deal with the complex challenge of reentering and/or renegotiating the Iran nuclear accord?
Held on Dec. 16 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST (7:30-8:30 p.m. Beirut). With the pillars of the Lebanese Republic crumbling at an accelerated pace over the past year, the Lebanese fear for their future and speculation is rife about the impact of the financial, economic, political, and health crises that have overwhelmed the country. The panel will also address how changing regional and international dynamics will affect Lebanon. The conference will end with closing remarks by Maha Yahya.
Held on Dec. 16 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. EST (4:00-5:00 p.m. Beirut). This panel will look at the implications of the recent agreements signed between Israel and several Arab countries, most notably the United Arab Emirates. It will examine what impact these will have on Palestinian-Israeli relations, on Palestinian rights, and on prospects for a two-state solution.
Held on Dec. 16 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST (5:30-7:00 p.m. Beirut). North Africa has witnessed a tumultuous year with persistent conflict in Libya, popular protests in Algeria, tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s building of a dam on the Nile, and recent skirmishes in the West Sahara, which might threaten the region’s stability. Panelists will explore the implications of these unfolding dynamics and discuss the future of the region’s autocratic regimes, geopolitical rivalries, as well as the alliances that will shape North Africa in 2021.
The conference will consist of six virtual discussions that will provide a look ahead to 2021, focusing on what Carnegie scholars and other experts believe will be the most significant and challenging issues facing the Middle East and North Africa in their interaction with international actors.
Held on Dec. 15 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST (7:30-8:30 p.m. Beirut). This panel will explore the expanding influence of external powers such as Russia, the European Union and China in the Middle East, the alignments that they have formed, and the dynamics that have been unleashed by their intervention. Panelists will also discuss how changes in the policies of the United States may impact these dynamics.
Held on Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST (5:30-7:00 p.m. Beirut). This panel will explore the rivalries among regional actors, such as Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, and how these have contributed to regional tensions, destructive proxy wars, and surprising realignments.
Held on Dec. 15 from 8:45-10:00 a.m. EST (3:45-5:00 p.m. Beirut) with opening remarks by Marwan Muasher. This discussion will begin with a fireside chat between William J. Burns and Maha Yahya. The panel will then examine the top foreign policy priorities of the incoming Biden administration, particularly in the Middle East. Among the other topics that will be covered are the global priorities for the new U.S. administration, Washington’s relations with China and Russia, and the future of multilateral relations.
A global nuclear arms race is underway, and the threat of nuclear war is growing. Drivers of escalation—ballistic missile defense, nonstrategic nuclear weapons, and China’s nuclear modernization—cannot be easily managed through treaties, so what can be done to mitigate the real risks of the nuclear contest?