March 2nd, 2020
King Abdulaziz University, in cooperation with the Gulf Research Center, organized a seminar on Saudi-U.S. relations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the meeting that brought together His Majesty King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 14, 1945.
The U.S. Consul General in Jeddah, Mr. Ryan M. Gliha, the Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, and the Executive Director of the Public Policy Program at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at King Abdulaziz University, Dr. Walid Nayef Al-Sudairy, participated in the panel discussion, moderated by the Head of the Political Science Department at the University, Prof. Saud Muhammad Al-Otaibi.
November 28th, 2019
The GRC organized a workshop (Understanding Austria’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation) on November 28, 2019 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Vienna. The seminar addressed the political, economic, and security landscape of Austria. In addition to its domestic policy, the seminar touched on the various international organizations headquartered in Vienna and current dynamics in non-proliferation and international nuclear security.
November 24th, 2019
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in the 15th Regional Security Summit (Manama Dialogue 2019) held in the Kingdom of Bahrain November 22-24, 2019, which was organized by Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) to discuss security challenges in the Middle East, including regional competition and cooperation, US policy and coalition relations, maritime security, conflicts and diplomacy, regional security, and other political issues. Participants included ministers, senior government officials, and experts from all over the world in various political, security and defense fields.
November 16th, 2019
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in the "Sir Bani Yas Forum"
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in a session titled “Iran in the Middle East: Is Diplomacy the Answer” which was part of the annual Sir Bani Yas Forum, which was organized by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and held in Abu Dhabi from November 15-17, 2019 Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and which included the participation of many foreign ministers from various countries in addition to senior officials, politicians and academic experts. The forum aimed to promote reflection and discussion on the region's most pressing issues.
November 12th, 2019
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in the 2019 Paris Peace Forum on Tuesday, November 12th, which was inaugurated by the French President Emmanuel Macron with the participation of many heads of state and government. He participated in a session entitled “Bridging the Gulf: Imaging New Mechanisms to Avert a War in the Middle East.” The session aimed to find mechanisms to bring key actors together in a comprehensive process aimed at reducing tensions in the Middle East, opening channels of communication, and engaging in dialogue on various issues. It also discussed potential long-term security arrangements that could stabilize the region.
October 23rd, 2019
Understanding the United Kingdom's Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation
The GRC organized a workshop (Understanding the United Kingdom’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation) during the period 23-24 Oct. 2019 at the May Fair Hotel in London. The seminar addressed the political, economic, security and defense landscape of the United Kingdom. In addition to its domestic policy, the seminar touched on United Kingdom’s role in the international community and its foreign policy especially with regards to Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries.
June 22nd, 2019
Understanding Germany's Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation
The GRC organized a workshop (Understanding Germany’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation) during the period 21-22 June 2019 at the Regent Hotel in Berlin. The seminar addressed the political, economic, security and defense landscape of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to its domestic policy, the seminar touched on Germany’s role in the international community and its foreign policy especially with regards to Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries.
October 27th, 2019
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in the “Core Group” meeting of the Munich Security Conference on 27 October in Cairo, which was sponsored by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and with the participation of international dignitaries. The conference discussed the political and security dynamics in the Middle East and Africa including regional security cooperation.
October 14th, 2019
Dr.Abdulaziz participation in World Policy Conference
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center participated at the 12th World Policy Conference, entitled "Global Governance", organized by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Marrakech, Morocco, from 12-14 October, where he participated as a speaker in a session entitled "Middle East and North / West Africa", held on Monday, 14 October, which sought a better understanding of the challenges of this region and the policies of its key stakeholders.
October 9th, 2019
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated as a speaker in the second session entitled "Sustainable economics and game changers . The role of energy" at conference Arab geopolitics after the Caliphate. How to exit the fragmentation trap, which was organized by the NATO Defense College Foundation in cooperation with NATO's Political and Security Affairs Division, in Rome, Italy on October 9.
October 3rd, 2019
Dr.Abdulaziz Sager participation in Chatham House’s, Session: The Future of Iraq and the Region
On October 2-3, 2019, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated as a speaker in the session entitled "The future of Iraq and the region" at a workshop on Iraq Transition: Seeking New Approaches to State Building, organized by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, UK. This session witnessed the participation of experts who presented Gulf, American, Iraqi, Iranian and international views on the recent regional developments in the region and the status of Iraq.
July 16th, 2019
The Gulf Research Center’s annual Gulf Research Meeting (GRM) commenced on Monday, July 16 at the University of Cambridge. The Gulf Research Meeting is the largest academic conference that highlights issues of importance to the Gulf region, providing a basis for undertaking and engaging in academic and empirical research in the fields of politics, economics, energy, security and the wider social sciences.
June 22, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch spoke with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung about the recent developments in Saudi Arabia and the events related to the crisis with Qatar. Excerpts can be found under: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/saudi-arabien-wird-muhammad-bin-salman-zu-stabilitaet-fuehren-15071277.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/saudi-arabien-wird-muhammad-bin-salman-zu-stabilitaet-fuehren-15071277.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2
June 21, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a forum on Qatar organized by the Near and Middle East Forum (NUMOV) in Berlin, Germany.
June 7, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a discussion with H.E. Adel Al-Jubair, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held at the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation in Berlin. The minister spoke on the topic of “Foreign Policy Challenges for a country in transition.” Following his talk, a wide-ranging discussion took place.
May 28-29, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in the Think 20 Summit on “Global Solution” held in Berlin, Germany as part of Germany’s G-20 presidency. Attended by more than 300 participants from the leading think tanks from throughout the world, the T20 Summit discussed issues such as inclusive growth in a globalized world, migration policy, reconceptualizng transnational governance, climate change, digitization, labor market challenges, social justice, and designing a new economic paradigm for a world in transition.
May 18, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in an expert-level discussion on “Yemen: Perspectives for Peace and Stability in a Fragmented Country” with H.E. Ahmed Obaid Mubarak Bin-Dagher and organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Berlin. The closed-door invitation only event was attended by 20 high-level officials and included an intensive exchange of views about the current developments in Yemen.
May 16, 2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in the 20th Arab-German Business Forum organized by the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held in Berlin, Germany. The event brought together more than 500 representatives from the Germany and Middle East Business Community. The Sultanate Oman was the country of focus.
Dr. Koch also held meeting with Dr. Edmund Ratka, Desk Officer in the Middle East and North Africa Department of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin to discuss the GRC/Adenauer Foundation event on Yemen to be held in July 2017.
April 27,2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a breakfast discussion at the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Berlin with Dr. Basmah Omair, CEO of Alsayedah Khadiyah Bint Khawilid Lobbying Center on the topic of “Economic Reform and women empowerment in Saudi Arabia – Challenges and Perspectives.”
April 24,2017
Dr. Koch engaged in the “Incidents at Sea Meeting” sponsored by Search for Common Ground and the East-West Institute held in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting explored the possibility of maritime security measures being considered for the Gulf region and brought together numerous experts on naval operation and regional security.
April 18-20,2017
Dr. Christian Koch participated in the event entitled “Saudi and Iranian Perspectives on Environmental Challenges” held the Center for Applied Policy Research on the Orient (CARPO) and the East-West Institute in Bonn, Germany. The event brought together 25 participants. Dr. Koch spoke on the panels “Political, Economic and Security Implications of Environmental Challenges” and “Exploring the need and prospect for Regional Cooperation” as well as chairing the session entitled “Environmental Challenges at the National Level.”
April 5-7,2017
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager – GRC Environmental Security and Sustainability Program, participated in the International Conference on Climate Risk Management in Nairobi, Kenya on 5-7 April 2017. The event was co-organized by the International Center for Humanitarian Affairs and the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
April 6,2017
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation held a meeting with H.E. Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Germany, in Berlin. The two sides exchanges views about developments in the region in addition to discussing potential cooperation in a variety of fields.
Dr. Koch also met with Sebastian Sons, Associate Fellow for the Middle East and North Africa of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). During their meeting, the two discussed developments in the Gulf region and talked about upcoming programs of the DGAP when it comes to the Middle Eastern region.
March 28-30,2017
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager – GRC Environmental Security and Sustainability Program, participated in the WSTA Twelve Gulf Water Conference in Manama, Bahrain, on 28-30 MARCH 2017, organized by Water Sciences and Technologies Association (WSTA), Secretariat General – GCC, and Water Resources Council of Bahrain. Dr. Raouf moderated a special session on “The Role of Regulatory Water Agencies in Efficient Water Management" aiming to share experiences from Egypt, UAE and Palestine in regulating water sectors..