3 August 2021 – On Tuesday, representatives from the Saudi Arabia National Defense University Strategic Implementation Office (SANDU SIO) and from the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) conducted a Senior Leader Engagement with the Rasanah International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah IIIS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SANDU SIO Provost and Read More >
Is KSA Destined to be the Last Country to Normalize Relations with Israel?
By: LTC Dusan Borak, CZE Air Force, CSAG CCJ5 04 Aug 2021 Introduction: In August 2020, news came from the US that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Mohamed bin Said Al Nahjan to begin normalizing relations between the two countries. The following month, they signed the Read More >
The Syrian Situation and its Impacts on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
By: LTC Marco PRANZO, ITA Army, CSAG CCJ5 23 July 2021 Introduction: In 2020 the conflict in Syria was further exacerbated by the country’s worst economic crisis since 2011, international sanctions, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this challenging socio-economic situation, a so-called oligopoly, encompassing Syrian and non-Syrian entities has formed. For years, the entities that Read More >
US Withdrawal from Iraq and Conditions that Enabled ISIS’ Spread: 2011 and 2021 Comparison
By: LTC Octavian Dorobantu, ROU Army, CSAG CCJ5 23 July 2021 Introduction: In early 2019, the ISIS caliphate was declared “defeated” after losing the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani. However, in 2020, a significant growth in IS attacks has been witnessed in their traditional heartlands of Syria and Iraq, as well as an increasing presence in Read More >
Turkey past Erdogan: The Turkish Expansionist Policy in the Region
By: LTC Marco Pranzo, ITA Army, CSAG CCJ5 16 July 2021 Introduction: From the Middle East to North Africa via the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey is trying to assert its influence in a region undergoing profound reorganization, and which is still highly unstable. Driven both by the ambition to become a regional power, and by specific Read More >
Silk Road Future Leader’s Seminar: Strategic Leadership for Regional Security
On 25 May 2021, the NESA Center hosted an informative one-day Silk Road Future Leader’s Seminar focused on the theme, “Strategic Leadership for Regional Security.” The virtual seminar welcomed diplomats and military officers from NESA countries across Central Asia and South Asia, including Tajikistan, India, Nepal, and Kazakhstan. The Silk Road Future Leader’s Seminar was Read More >
Turkey and Iran Geopolitical Approaches in the Middle East
By: COL Saud Alhasawi, Kuwait Army, CSAG CCJ5 16 July 2021 Introduction: Historically, Turkish-Iranian relations were characterized as a mix of both cooperation and competition. Each of the two has its own agenda and regionally projects power with ambitions towards sovereignty and control. The worsening of the Middle East’s regional situation has provided an opportunity Read More >
Air War College Virtual Visit
On 21 June 2021, the NESA Center virtually hosted the Air War College. NESA professors, Dr. Gawdat Bahgat and Dr. Hassan Abbas, discussed security challenges in the Middle East, North Africa, South and Central Asia. Dr. Anouar Boukhars from the Africa Center for Security Studies (ACSS) addressed recent development in Africa and Dr. Boris Saavedra from Read More >
Strategic Competition in the Western Indian Ocean Region – Crowded Waters in the Western IOR
From 28 to 30 June 2021, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted an event as part of its Indian Ocean Region focused series of engagements. This event centered on exploring strategic competition and its impact throughout the larger Western Indian Ocean Region. Specific themes of the event included the regional Read More >
The Geopolitical Implications of Returning to the JCPOA
By: LTC Sami Alshehri, Saudi Arabian Military, CCJ5 CSAG 15 July 2021 Introduction: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a detailed agreement reached between Iran, and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members (US, Russia, the UK, China, France), plus Germany (together the “P5+1”). The agreement was reached on July 14, 2015, and Read More >