Roundtable A: Regional Impact of the Abraham Accords
Nikolas Gardner
Mark Heller
Bashir Tofangsazi
The Abraham Accords, the peace treaties signed between Israel and Bahrain, and Israel and the UAE earlier this year, represent a new era for relations among Middle Eastern states. Signed with the promise to: “seek tolerance and respect for every person…no matter their race, faith or ethnicity; support science, art, medicine, and commerce to inspire humankind…and bring nations closer together; and; end radicalization and conflict…”, the Accords have up-ended longstanding views on pursuing peace in the region. They also pose challenges to regional spoilers like Iran and Turkey. This roundtable discussion will provide views of the Accords from the perspectives of Israel, Iran, and the UAE.
Roundtable B: "Fake News" about Israel: Ground Zero for Today’s Journalism Crisis
Richard Baehr
Richard Landes
Asaf Romirowsky
Gerald Steinberg
Sam Westrop
Starting with the outbreak of the “Al Aqsa Intifada” in September 2000, the Western legacy news media has been engaged in misreporting of the news from the Middle East that has no parallel in its widespread consensus and lengthy hegemony… twenty years and counting. Since then, and with increasing velocity in the last five years, the invasion of manipulative partisan reporting into what should be news media dedicated to accuracy and relevance has become a major plague in Western cultures, especially acute in this time of pandemic. This panel will explore the dynamics of this pandemic of distorted and inaccurate news, and its impact on Western cultures.
The New Shatterbelt of the Middle East: Geopolitics of Eastern Mediterranean in a Post Corona World
Nursin Guney
Visne Korkmaz
Discussant: Nursin Guney