Munich, 10 Dec. 2014
The year 2014 witnessed the appearance of the so called Islamic State (IS) in the geopolitical
vacuum of the Syrian-Iraqi borderland and the violations of hum- anity by jihadist fighters from the region as well as from Europe. Dr. Anja Opitz moderated a panel discussion on the topic at the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Munich, attended by Dr. Florence Gaub (EU Institute for
Security Studies Paris), Florian Hahn (Member of the German Bundestag), Thomas Gebhard (Amman Office of the Hanns Seidel Foundation) and Dr. Michael Lüders (Scholar of Islamic Studies).
Tutzing, 14-16 Nov. 2014
Dr. René Rieger, Sebastian Schäffer, Ludwig Schulz, and Christine Strassmaier gave talks at a seminar on "The conflict in Syria - Proxy War, Holy War, Struggle for Freedom" at the Academy for Civic Education in Tutzing. Ms. Straßmaier outlined the develop-ment of the conflict and asked the question whether it will turn into a full-fledged regional, asymmetric war. Dr. Rieger highlighted Saudi Arabia and Qatar's influence on the conflict. Mr. Schulz spoke about the role of Turkey and the Kurds, and Mr. Schäffer's talk focussed on Russia's policy towards the conflict. The seminar, co-organized by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education, was moderated by Dr. Anja Opitz.
Cairo, 15 Nov. 2014
From 9-15 November 2014, MEIA Research vice chairman Michael Bauer directed the Young Leaders Forum in Cairo, the main element of the dialogue and workshop project "Leading Change across the Mediterranean," funded by the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), with more than 20 participants from Egypt, Tunisia and Germany.
For more information and pictures of the meeting click here.
Munich, 31 Oct. 2014
A group of American and Canadian under-graduate students, participating at the 2014 EuroScholars program and, thus, temporarily studying at various univer-sities in Europe, visited Munich and were briefed on applied policy research, policy consultancy, and current issues develop-ments in Middle East politics by Dr. René Rieger and Ludwig Schulz at the C.A.P.
Beirut, 25 Oct. 2014
Peter Nassif, MEIA-expert on the Levante, guided a group of reporters of ZÜNDFUNK, a program of the Bavarian Broadcasting (BR), in Southern Lebanon and gave information on local and
regional political developments.
The feature can be downloaded as a podcast (only available in German).
Nice, 16 Oct. 2014
Dr. Edmund Ratka co-authored an article in the French peer-reviewed journal L'Europe en Formation on how Tunisians perceive Europe’s policies towards their country. The study demonstrates that Tunisian civil society activists perceive a clear change in Euro-Tunisian relations since 2011 and acknowledge and widely appreciate the important role Europe plays in supporting democratic transition. Remarkably, the perceived reinforcement of overall European ‘actorness’ in Tunisia is largely associated with the new presence and activism of various member states, including Germany, not that of the European Union per se.
Hanover, 9 Oct. 2014
Interviewed by the supra-regional German radio station Radio 21,
Ludwig Schulz gave information on the background of recent
clashes between Kurds and Islamists in Germany.
Cologne, 30 Sep. 2014
Ludwig Schulz contributed to a new Business Guide on Turkey, edited by BunesanzeigerVerlag and NUMOV, with
his report titled "Die Türkei als Global Player in der internationalen Wirtschafts- und Handelspolitik."
To order: https://shop.bundesanzeiger-verlag.de/laender-und-maerkte/business-guide-tuerkei/ (also available as e-book)
Berlin, 19-20 Sep. 2014
Michael Bauer heads a national network meeting with participants of the Young Leaders Forum programs 2013 and 2014, which takes place within the scope of the Leading Change Across the Mediterranean-Programm.
Kochel, 10-12 Sep. 2014
Dr. Anja Opitz, Dr. René Rieger, and Ludwig Schulz give a total of five talks at a seminar on current developments in the Middle East organized by the Karl-Theodor-Molinari Foundation, the political education institute of the German Federal Armed Forces Association. Dr. Opitz talks on the future of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Dr. Rieger talks on history and current developments in Saudi-Iranian relations, the causes, developments, and effects of the Arab Spring, and the challenges and opportunities current developments in the Middle East pose for German foreign policy. Mr. Schulz talks on current developments in Turkey's domestic affairs and foreign policy.
Hanover, 27 Aug. 2014
Dr. René Rieger is interviewed by the supra-regional German radio station Radio 21 on the latest advances of the terror organization Islamic State (IS).
Vienna, 12 Aug. 2014
Headed by Dr. René Rieger, the participants of the 2014 Middle East Summer School receive a tour and a briefing at the headquarters of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna.
Vienna, 11 Aug. 2014
Headed by Dr. René Rieger, the participants of the 2014 Middle East Summer School visit the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) in Vienna.
Headed by Dr. René Rieger, the participants of the 2014 Middle East Summer School receive a briefing at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
Munich, 8 Aug. 2014
Bill Moeller, U.S. Consul General in Munich, visits the 2014 Middle East Summer School, gives a talk, and engages with course participants in a talk on U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and beyond.
Tutzing, 4-7 Aug. 2014
Dr. René Rieger co-chairs the Academy for Civic Education and Research's summer seminar on Saudi Arabia. He gives two talks, entitled "The Historical Making of Modern Saudi Arabia" and "Saudi Foreign Policy since the Arab Spring." In addition, Dr. Rieger moderates talks given by Dr. Mark Thompson, assistant professor for political science at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Dr. Gudrun Harrer, managing editor at the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard.
München, 4. Aug. 2014
The 2014 Middle East Summer School starts. The three-week program brings 20 students and young professionals from ten different countries to Munich and, for a four-day visit, to Vienna.
For more information, click here.
Tunis, 31 July-3 Aug. 2014
Michael Bauer chairs the first meeting of the 2014 Young Leaders Forum (YLF) of the Leading Change Across the Mediterranean Program. The forum brings together young leaders from North Africa and Europe and offers them a platform to exchange perspectives and ideas, learn from each other, network, and develop joint projects. The YLF is organized by the Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP), the Arab Institute for Human Rights, and the American University in Cairo.
Cambridge, 10 July 2014
Dr. René Rieger publishes a paper with the Gulf Research Center, entitled "In Search of Stability: Saudi Arabia and the Arab Spring."
Berlin, 4 July 2014
Sebastian Schäffer wrote a comment article about the recent signing of the Association Agreements (AA) between the European Union and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine for London School of Economics' EUROPP blog.
Link: http://bit.ly/1ma3qvL
Riedenburg, 3 July 2014
Dr. René Rieger gives a talk on the history and current developments of the Saudi-Iranian conflict at a seminar for teaching officers of the German Air Force Academy.
Aldersbach, 26 June 2014
Dr. René Rieger gives a talk on the history and current developments of the Saudi-Iranian conflict at a seminar organized by the German Armed Forces Association.
Tutzing, 19 June 2014
Ludwig Schulz gives a talk on "The Arab-Israeli Conflict in the Regional Context," at the Academy for Civic Education and Research, Tutzing, Germany.
Tutzing, 18 June 2014
Dr. René Rieger gives a talk on "The Current Relations between the Arab and the Western Worlds," at the Academy for Civic Education and Research, Tutzing, Germany.
Wiesbaden, 1 June 2014
The first volume of "Young Perspectives of Turkish Studies in Germany", co-edited by Ludwig Schulz,
together with the famous scholars Klaus Kreiser, Raoul Motika, Udo Steinbach, and Charlotte Joppien, has been published by Springer VS. The new series, based on bi-annual workshops organized by
Network Turkey and the TürkeiEuropaZentrum at Hamburg University, serves as an unique, interdisciplinary forum for young scholars on Turkey and Turkish-German/European relations from different academic perspectives. This first issue collects articles from history, law, political science, and
migration studies.
Order here (also available as e-book)
Tutzing, 1 June 2014
Lecturing on current developments in the Kurdish issue in Turkey, Ludwig Schulz attended a conference on "Separatismus der Regionen. Europas Problem mit Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen" at the Academy for Civic Education and Research, Tutzing, Germany.
Munich, 16 - 17 May 2014
MEIA Research introduces to the public the 2014 Munich-Berlin-Vienna Middle East Summer School, organized in cooperation with the Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP) at LMU Munich and the
Munich International Summer University, at KUBRI EuroArab Career & Education at Munich Technical University, Garching
campus.
More information:
2014 Middle East Summer School.
Munich, 15 May 2014
MEIA Research's new member Dr. Edmund Ratka published his doctoral thesis "Deutschlands Mittelmeerpolitik. Selektive Europäisierung von der Mittelmeerunion bis zum Arabischen Frühling" at the reknown NOMOS Publishers House. Based on a comprehensive theoretical concept and an empirical research on Germany's foreign policy towards the Union of the Mediterranean, the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt as well as the international intervention in Libya, the book marks a cornerstone in the debate about what shapes Germany's foreign political attitude in the region.
Ankara, 30 Apr. 2014
Read an analysis of the results of the 2014 provincial and local polls in Turkey, including an outlook on the up-coming presidential and parliamentary elections, written by Ludwig Schulz, together with Dr. Colin Dürkop, head of the Ankara office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Munich, 8 Apr. 2014
MEIA Research organized in cooperation with the Academy of Civic Education and Research in Tutzing and the AmerikaHaus Munich a panel discussion on Afghanistan's future following the Western troop withdrawal in 2014.
Panel Guests:
John Crosby (U.S. Consulate General, Munich), Lt. Col. Jörg Schlickmann (German Ministry of Defense, Berlin), Akbar Borran (Afghan Civic Activist).
Chair: Dr. Anja Opitz
Tutzing, 15 Mar. 2014
Dr. René Rieger gives a talk on "Die saudische Ostprovinz - Ölreichtum und Quell der Revolution?" ("Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province: Oil Wealth and Starting Point of a Revolution?") at the conference "Klima, Konflikte, Konsequenzen" at the Academy for Civic Education in Tutzing, Germany.
Berlin, 20 Feb. 2014
Ludwig Schulz talks about the Turkish foreign policy at an event by the German Orient Institute (DOI) in Berlin. Together with Dr. Yaşar Aydın (SWP), he discusses current developments in the country and the region. The event is moderated by former Ambassador and DOI director Dr. Gunter Mulack.
Munich, 30 Jan. 2014
During this years Munich Security Conference, Dr. Anja Opitz participated in a panel discussion on the transatlantic renaissance, dealing with the new security challenges in the Middle East.
Innsbruck, 24 Jan. 2014
A new book, dealing with the potentials of the European External Action Service, co-edited by Dr. Anja Opitz, is out now.
Christine Straßmaier and Edmund Radtka contributed an article on
"The European Union and Syria - Reluctant and Unambitious in a Middle Eastern Imbroglio" (pp.145-62).
The book, entitled "The EU’s External Action Service: Potentials for a one voice Foreign Policy" is available at:
http://www.uibk.ac.at/iup/wop.html
Berlin, 23 Jan. 2014
Tutzing, 17 Jan. 2014
Dr. René Rieger gives a talk on “Sicherheitspolitische Herausforderungen und Perspektiven der Golfregion” (“Security-Political Challenges and Perspectives of the Gulf Region”) at the Academy for Civic Education in Tutzing, Germany.