This past year has seen a number of major developments in the Middle East which are hard to
follow and interpret — and some even appear to be contradictory:

• We have witnessed a China-facilitated rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
• The U.S. on the other hand is making a major push for the Abraham Accords initiated
  during the Trump administration.
• The most reactionary government in Israel’s history has been elected, leading to internal
  crisis, stepped up murder of Palestinians, expansion of settlements, and continued Israeli
  intervention in the area.
• In Yemen the Houthis and Saudis are attempting to negotiate an end to that devastating
  war
• Despite U.S. pressure against it, Syria has been welcomed back into the Arab League —
  even as the U.S. occupation continues.
• The Iran nuclear deal appears to be dead. Does this situation open the door to an Israeli
  military intervention or do other developments noted above lessen that danger?
  These and other events are upending the status quo.

What is the meaning of these developments? What do they mean for the region? Will China
replace the U.S. as the preeminent Middle East power? Is the U.S. on a collision course with its
Arab allies? What are the implications for the U.S.-Israeli alliance?
And what are the implications of this shifting landscape for the U.S. peace movement? What
changes in the goals and strategies may be needed if we are to effectively support peace and
build solidarity with the peoples of the Middle East?
This webinar is the first in a series to address these matters in the hope of providing us with a
new and effective clarity for our work as we attempt to regain our footing in a shifting lay of the
land.

Trita Parsi is the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, as well as the founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council. He regularly writes articles and appears on TV to comment on foreign policy and is the author of Treacherous Alliance, A Single Roll of the Dice and Losing an Enemy.

Joshua M. Landis is Sandra Mackey Chair in Middle East Studies, Professor of Middle East History, and Director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.  Since 2004, he has published the blog Syria Comment.

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