Southern Talks 8 - Middle East: Evolving Approaches to an Increasingly Multi-Polar Economic World

The Southern Talks #8 

Middle East: Evolving approaches to an increasingly          Multi-Polar economic world. 

 Date : 9 May 2024

The NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub welcomed Dr. Robert Mogielnicki to The Southern Talks where he discussed new Middle Eastern and North African entrants to BRICS, key aspects of the Middle East and North Africa's political economy, specifically the widely diverging economic trajectories of MENA states and key motivations behind recent MENA government engagement with new economic/security partners beyond traditional allies (U.S., Europe), with a focus on China, India, and Russia.

Dr. Robert Mogielnicki is a Middle East-focused political economist. He specializes in the political and economic trajectories of Gulf Arab states, China-MENA relations, and regional technology trends. His current professional affiliations span top-tier research institutes, academic institutions, NGOs, and consultancies. He is a Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW). Beyond managing the institute’s political economy research portfolio, he created and leads the technology-focused Next Gen Gulf research series and the China-Gulf Initiative. 

Dr. Mogielnicki is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and a Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington University. He is a Regional and Methodology Advisor with Freedom House, an External Consultant with the Eurasia Group, and a member of the Board of Advisors of Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory firm. He is a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Middle East Policy Council listed Dr. Mogielnicki in their inaugural 40 Under 40 awards for influential Middle East experts. 

He is the author of A Political Economy of Free Zones in Gulf Arab States (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), and he is working on a new edited volume covering sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Asia. 

Conor G. Sheedy is the NSD-S Hub's Head Editor and will be moderator of this online event.

The Southern Talks Webinars is an NSD-S Hub initiative that focuses on the Middle East and Africa and sees guest speakers offer a regional perspective on topics such as Conflict resolution & Security, Socio-Economic issues, Terrorism, Technology and Human Security.

Each webinar lasts an hour with 30 minutes dedicated to Q&A from the online audience