Over the next decade, the most interesting Asian pivot will have far less to do with ties between the United States and its Asian partners, but with deeper integration between countries on both sides of the Eurasian continent. While both Asia and the Middle East have traditionally looked to the United States as their most significant economic and security partner, this dynamic is changing. As Asia’s rising powers continue to expand their global reach, a new East-West nexus is emerging — between Asia and the Middle East.

This one-day dialogue will explore major geopolitical trends that are reshaping the strategic landscape of relations across East and West Asia, as well as emerging security challenges facing countries across the two regions. The conference will open with a discussion on the “New Geopolitics of Asia-Middle East Relations,” which will focus on the forces transforming the strategic dynamics between the two regions. A lunch session will feature a conversation with a senior government official from Singapore. And a final session on “Emerging Security Challenges and Developments” will address shared transnational challenges including proliferation, violent extremism, and the impact of emerging technologies. 

The dialogue will allow experts and officials to identify underlying drivers of changing ties between the regions, explore the strategic implications of these trends, and candidly consider potential policy responses to deal with shared challenges.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only. For more information, please contact Anubhav Gupta at [email protected].

Keynote Address:

Nicholas Rasmussen, Senior Director for National Security and Counterterrorism Programs, McCain Institute; Former Director, U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (Keynote Address)

Dialogue speakers:

Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman, Middle East Institute, NUS (Dialogue Chair)

Lindsey Ford, Director of Political-Security Affairs, Asia Society Policy Institute (Moderator) 

Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, President, Emirates Policy Center

Eran Etzion, Executive Director, Forum of Strategic Dialogue

Pan Guang, Vice Chairman and Professor, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

C Raja Mohan, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, NUS

Kazuo Takahashi, Professor, Open University of Japan

James Acton, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Sidney Jones, Director, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict

Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Regional Director, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue