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The Middle East and the Arab World went through dramatic changes since 1914, the outset of the 1st World War. Nation-States have been established, borders have been demarcated, sources of wealth have been discovered, revolutions took place and the relative power of political and social groups have changed. In the last two decades alone, drastic changes took place in the whole Middle East and the Arab World such as the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the collapse of authoritarian regimes in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia among others since 2011, the collapse of the totalitarian theological regime in Egypt in 2013, the division of Yemen into 6 regions, the civil war in Syria and the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Arab-Israeli conflict, a protracted social conflict, still unresolved. There are potentials for two very new wars in the region, on one hand, an ethnic/sectarian one between the Arabs and the Kurds, between Shiites and Sunnis, and war over scarce water.
The people of the Middle East yearn, like all humans, for peaceful and secure life. However, international competition over the geostrategic importance of the region in addition to internal conflicts, hinder their desire for peaceful life. The question is how could nations of the Middle East develop their standard of leaving and quality of life, like others, while interacting cooperatively with other nations? How could they avoid the harsh impact of the competition over the leadership of the international system on their lives, while dealing with all partners? How could they set friendly and healthy environment conducive for better life for their young generations/youth which compose at least 60% of the population? Could they create diversified societies or at least neutralize differences while they are building the basis for their future? Could they manage positively these issues or the agreements which took place during and after 1st World War and 2nd World War between great powers at the time prevent them from doing this?
The international conference on Middle East Strategic Landscape 100 Years after the
First World War with participants from different fields of study and investigation will analyze the strategic landscape of the Middle East as well as its future.