On September 21, AGSIW hosted Amatalalim Alsoswa, Leslie Campbell, and Fatima Abo Alasrar for a panel on the crisis in Yemen. Moderated by AGSIW Executive Vice President Ambassador Stephen Seche, the panelists discussed the prospects for a political solution to the conflict in Yemen and how to tackle reconciliation and reconstruction in a post-conflict scenario.
Addressing Saudi Arabia's concerns over the Iran nuclear deal, The Media Line suggested that if the kingdom feels threatened, it could "go down the nuclear path." AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibishnoted, “The decisions Riyadh makes in the next few years on this issue will depend hugely on the outcome of the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, and on the policy moves by others, especially Iran and the US. They [the Saudis] would be willing to go there, ultimately, if they conclude they have no choice.”
Addressing talks planned between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama on Syria, Ibish told Al Jazeera that Putin has the upper hand, stating, "American policy on Syria is at a crossroads, not because there is any appetite for a different policy in the White House but because all the existing approaches have collapsed." Speaking to the Middle East Eye Ibish noted, "US policy toward Syria is in crisis. It emphasizes avoiding the collapse of all national and governance institutions in the country, and so it ends up deferring to the current regime even though it is US policy that the dictatorship has lost all legitimacy and must go.” He continued, “There has to be some kind of reconciliation between these contradictory imperatives before the administration can develop a policy on Syria that is internally coherent.”
Visiting Scholars are individuals who possess a PhD or equivalent professional experience, and whose primary purpose for residence at AGSIW is to conduct independent research. The length of stay for a Visiting Scholar is typically a semester or academic year. AGSIW is actively seeking candidates with significant regional experience and fluency in written and spoken Arabic. AGSIW will provide a stipend that can be used to cover living expenses, travel costs, or incidental research expenses. Read more
