On 4–5 December 2023, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) organized a workshop entitled ‘MENASIA: Geopolitics, Energy and Security’. The workshop was held in-house at SIPRI in partnership with the Doha-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs. The event convened 20 experts from Asia, Europe and the Middle East and North Africa for in-depth discussions and reflections.
The sessions focused on three broad themes: (a) geopolitics, economics and regional dynamics; (b) hydrocarbons, energy transitions and environmental risks; and (c) defence and technology. Each of these areas is becoming paramount against an ever-challenging and intricate geopolitical landscape where political economy, energy and war are no longer confined only to local or regional contexts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the escalating competition between the United States and China, exemplify situations that have numerous knock-on-effects on geopolitics, socio-economics, security and the environment.
In addition to the expert-led discussions, the workshop served as an opportunity to openly exchange research ideas and offered a space for networking and developing future research collaborations.
About SIPRI’s Middle East and North Africa Programme
SIPRI’s work on MENA aims to provide in-depth analyses of the political, social, economic and environmental drivers of conflict and pathways to peace in the region with the purpose of informing actors involved in peacebuilding efforts. The programme conducts research at different levels, taking a holistic view of peacebuilding that considers the levels to be intricately connected and to have a mutual influence on each other.
Click here to read more about SIPRI’s MENA Programme.