Iran's Steady Rise Towards Middle East Hegemony
Egypt in distress, Syria in civil war, what next?
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The event will start on: Tuesday, 20 March 2012 6:00 PM
And will end on: Tuesday, 20 March 2012 7:30 PM
At The Glover Cottages, Sydney
Posted by: nsw
Since the Chinese and Russian veto of the UN Security Council Resolution on Syria’s Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian leader has redoubled the military assault on his opponents, ignoring any distinction between civilians and armed rebels..
ABC’s Four Corners program aired the Channel 4 documentary on Syrian torture. This was followed by a Kerry O’Brien interview with the redoubtable journalist and author, Robert Fisk, who confirmed the brutality, and anticipated that Al Assad would remain in power. (It was also a reminder of how ABC’s 7:30 viewers miss Kerry, and of our lack of foreign correspondents to match Robert Fisk)
Neighboring Iran, of course, is anxious for the al-Assad regime to prevail, so it can get on with its prime target of achieving dominace in the Persian Gulf and its oil supplies, a prospect which terrifies Saudi Arabia and Sunni countries.
The US would like to negotiate a settlement with Iran, but President Barack Obama is constrained at home and fearful of a possible Israeli strike. Meanwhile the fruits of the so called Arab Spring are proving to be very limited, especially in Egypt.
To unravel the short-term prospects for the Middle East, particularly the ascent of Iran and the options for the Western powers, we welcome back Middle East expert and international law lecturer Dr Anthony Billingsley and Dr Rodger Shanahan, a former army officer and non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute.
Dr Billingsley is a regular contributor to ABC and SBS programs. He is a lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of New South Wales. Anthony’s main work focus is on the Middle East and on international law. His specialist interests include political succession in the Arab world, the role of constitutions and law in the region and the politics of the Gulf, Syria and Egypt. He also is interested in international legal issues such as the use of force and humanitarian intervention and in the impact of US foreign policy, especially on the Middle East.
Dr Shanahan is a former army officer and now a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute. In the Army he had extensive regimental service within the Parachute Battalion Group. Operationally he served as a UN Military Observer in South Lebanon and Syria, as a battery commander in East Timor in 1999, as the Military Liaison Officer in Beirut during the 2006 war with Israel, and has deployed as an operational inquiry officer to Afghanistan several times since 2008. He has also served in the Australian Embassies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Dr. Shanahan has particular expertise in the field of Shi'a geopolitics in Middle East, specifically Iraq, Iran and Bahrain. Dr Shanahan has MAs in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the ANU and a PhD in Arab and Islamic Studies from the University of Sydney.
Entry: AIIA members $15; senior / student members $10; visitors $20