Thursday, May 2, 2024 9:00am - 12:00pm - in person at the Middle East Institute, 1763 N St. NW, Washington, DC
Managing Regional Escalation Amid the War in Gaza
(note from the NENJP Calendar: This in person event is listed for educational purposes for those in D.C. and will likely center U.S. and Israeli interests)
More than six months in, the war in Gaza seems to have no end in sight, even as conditions on the ground for Palestinian civilians have grown catastrophic. Tensions have steadily risen all across the region since Israel invaded the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack. The Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah exchange fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border on a near daily basis, killing dozens of civilians (sic - Lebanese civilians) and raising fears that a northern front could open at any time. In the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis continue to harass and capture shipping vessels, disrupting one of the most vital arteries of global trade. Even further east, Iran has not sat idly by. The recent strikes launched by Iran and its proxies, along with Israel’s own retaliation, demonstrate that the rules of the game have changed for good. (sic - recent retaliatory strikes by Iran)
How can the US and its partners attempt to de-escalate tensions and avoid a regional war? What are the future prospects for Gaza following this horrific conflict? Can the region return to the de-escalatory and integrationist trends that were increasingly defining it prior to Oct. 7? In partnership with Southern Methodist University, the Middle East Institute is proud to host a half-day conference addressing these pressing issues and more.
Sessions
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM | Tackling the Proxy Problem: Mitigating the Threat Posed by Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”
Alex Vatanka, Director of Iran Program, Middle East Institute
Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Non-Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute
Sabri Ates, Associate Professor, Southern Methodist University
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM | Silencing the Guns: Bringing the War in Gaza to a Sustainable End
Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy, Middle East Institute
Khaled Elgindy, Senior Fellow and Director of Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program, Middle East Institute
James Hollifield, Professor, Southern Methodist University
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM | Avoiding a Second Front: De-escalating Simmering Tensions Between Israel and Hezbollah
Hanin Ghaddar, Friedmann Senior Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Paul Salem, President and CEO, Middle East Institute
James Hollifield, Professor, Southern Methodist University
In Collaboration With: John Goodwin Tower Center for Public Policy & International Affairs