Geopolitical unease in the Middle East and diversity in policymaking - #IISSMD19 Special Episode

In this special episode recorded at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2019, Kori Schake is joined by Tamara Cofman Wittes, Senior Fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and Maggie Feldman-Piltch, Founder and Managing Director of #NatSecGirlSquad, for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation.Recent popular protests in Lebanon and Iraq have shaken the Middle East. Such political turmoil suggests a deep level of dissatisfaction with the status quo in these, and many other, countries in the region. In the cases of Iraq and Syria, government mismanagement and corruption have been perpetuated by external interference by either Iran or Russia, or both. For Maggie, Tamara and Kori, such interference has been, in part, enabled by a general retreat from the region by the US that has allowed emerging powers such as Russia, Iran and even China, to flex their soft power credentials. As Maggie and Tamara argue, the rise of these revisionist powers has profound implications not only for regional governments seeking reliable partners, but it also impacts the information that everyday citizens receive and the opinions they form.Both Maggie and Tamara also talk about the vital importance of diversity and inclusivity in the creation of robust and sustainable national security and defence policy. Whether by modernising recruitment practices or empowering aspiring policymakers, all three women stress the need for greater female inclusion and ‘competent diversity’ in the field of national security. This episode also includes a discussion on the re-emergence of nationalism in response to Russian and Iranian intervention in the region and the key changes required in US Middle East policy to refocus strategic thinking and reassure its allies. Reading recommendations:‘Inclusion and Diversity’, The Brookings Institution (2019) ‘Tehran’s strategic intent’, Iran’s Networks of Influence in the Middle East (London: IISS, 2019) Date of recording: 22 November 2019This episode of Sounds Strategic was recorded at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.