Europe’s role in a post-American Middle East

Who is filling the vacuum which the US is increasingly leaving behind in the MENA region? How are regional actors reacting to US disengagement?

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As the US looks to disentangle itself from various conflicts globally, it leaves behind power vacuums. In the MENA region, various regional – and global – powers are vying to fill the void. In this week’s episode, host Mark Leonard is joined by three guests directly from ECFR’s MENA Forum in Rome: Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, professor of political science in the UAE; Alia Moubayed, MENA chief economist for Jefferies; and Julien Barnes-Dacey, head of ECFR’s MENA programme. Together, they analyse the changing geopolitical and regional dynamics in the MENA region: Who is filling the vacuum which the US is increasingly leaving behind? How are regional actors reacting to US disengagement? And what does this mean for Europe’s future role in the region?  

This podcast was recorded on 5 October 2021.

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Cover image:
U.S. Airmen from the 151st Air Refueling Wing load on to a KC-135 Stratotanker at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, Ut. April 6, 2021. The Guardsmen are deploying to support th

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