"How can we interpret the current rapprochement of two traditionally hostile regional powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and what impact will this have on alliances and the ongoing transformation in the region?" This was one of the questions addressed at the sixth edition of the Middle East Mediterranean Summer Summit (MEM) in Lugano by Professor of International History and Politics Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Deputy Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute, who chaired the panel “Current Geopolitical Configurations in the Middle East Mediterranean region”.
Held on 26 August 2023, the panel was the result of a collaboration between the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), organiser of the MEM Summer Summit, and the Geneva Graduate Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Federica Frediani (MEM project Leader) and Dr. Souhail Belhadj Klaz (Center on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding Researcher and Lecturer in the Institute’s Interdisciplinary Programmes).
The joint panel addressed the profound changes in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East Mediterranean region in the context of fast-paced global reordering, notably the war between Ukraine and Russia and its effects on food stability and socioeconomic development. “The panel discussion was rich in insights, as was the rest of the forum”, said Professor Mohamedou, “and, importantly, it allowed for a deepening of the excellent working relationship between the Institute and the Università della Svizzera Italiana”.
This year’s summit was opened by Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and it featured three other panels examining “The role of Culture: Between Dialogue and Diplomacy”, “Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities” and “Future Scenarios for the Middle East Mediterranean Region”.
The MEM Summer Summit offers the opportunity to bring together young change-makers from the Middle East Mediterranean region with a series of plenary lectures, participatory workshops, brainstorming sessions, working groups and cultural activities. Through facilitation that supports open dialogue, the MEM aims to identifies ideas that are then elaborated on during the summit and beyond.
