The third edition of the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate 2016, ADSD, officially opened yesterday with nearly 400 prominent international and regional decision makers, politicians, researchers and academics in attendance.

The event is organised by the Emirates Policy Centre, EPC, in cooperation with the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the US based Atlantic Council. In a keynote speech marking the official launch, Dr. Ibtisam Al Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Centre said that the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate is a platform of regional and global experts aiming to reach a better and in-depth understanding amongst regional and international influential players, enhancing policy-making efforts and consolidating Abu Dhabi’s role as a hub for exchanging ideas, suggesting peaceful solutions and generating strategic alternatives for all-scale pressing issues in the region and beyond.

"The GCC-linked outcome of the previous two editions of ADSD can be highlighted in few points starting with the emphasis on the increasing strategic importance of the Gulf Arab countries and their vital roles in battling regional turmoil, and the irreplaceable U.S. role in the GCC as a strategic partner with deeply-rooted ties, interests and presence in that region including military bases, at a time when no other significant global powers like Russia and China have shown an interest of similar nature in the GCC", Dr. Al Ketbi said.

The UAE Minister of State For Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar Gargash, commented on the timing of the crucial conference as it falls within the week following the election of Republican candidate Donald Trump as President-elect of the United States, and said "Events of the past week have demonstrated that politics can be highly unpredictable, there are certainly more exclamation marks than answers. While we do not yet know the path of the new administration’s foreign policy, we can be certain that US engagement remains stable and crucial in the region. We live in an increasingly multipolar world but Washington’s role remains important in the Middle East and the eight past years have seen US disengagement. It looks like we will wait a bit longer to see improvements in the region".

In a series of panel discussions, experts looked at how to interpret a vision of future trends of the international system, and ways to address these challenges in their various forms.

The first panel, "The Gulf in a Changing Global and Regional Order" featured Dr. Sheikh Mohammed Al Sabah, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, and Dr. Ibtisam Al Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Centre, and was moderated by Turki Al Dakhil, General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. The panel members discussed a number of challenges and threats facing the GCC, including Iran, terrorism and Israel.

Commenting on the strength of the GCC block, Dr. Ibtisam Al Ketbi, said "I cannot ignore the fact that the GCC has a lot of achievements, as we have been able to face terrorism waves in Bahrain, Yemen, and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. We have passed through various crises but the GCC has successfully continued the mission".

The day's second panel discussion, "Traditional, Rising, and Declining Powers in a Shifting World Order", included Dr. Mark Abdollahian, CEO of ACERTAS, and Professor at the School of Social Science, Policy at Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Zaid Eyadat, Professor of Political Science at UCONN, Georgetown and EPC advisor, and Dr. Roy Kamphausen, Senior Vice President for Research and Director, Washington, DC office of the National Bureau of Asian Research. It was moderated by Dr. Daniel Weiner, Vice President for Global Affairs at the University of Connecticut.

Speakers at the third session, "Regional Security Cooperation in the Gulf: Helsinki as a Model", included Abdulrahman Al Rashed, MBC Board Member, writer for Asharq- Al-Awsat, Dr. Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Princeton University, Dr. Michael Singh, Managing Director and Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, Dr. Sultan Al Nuaimi, Expert on Iranian Affairs and faculty member of the University of Abu Dhabi, and Moderator Dr. Mahmoud Mohamedou, Deputy Director and Academic Dean at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Panelists examined a wide range of themes, including the impact of prime international strategies and security visions in shaping a regional system in the Gulf, with a special focus on Iranian political ambitions in the region and Tehran’s military intervention in several Arab countries.

The final session of the day, "Strategic Uncertainty in the Arab World: Shifts and Scenarios", welcomed to the stage speakers Amr Moussa, Egyptian politician and diplomat, former Secretary-General of the Arab League, Dr. Nassif Hitti, Professor of International Relations at USEK Lebanon and former ambassador of the Arab League, Dr. Mahmoud Gebril, President of the National Forces Alliance and former Prime Minister of Libya, Dr. Khalid Al Dakhil, Professor of Political Sociology at King Saud University and columnist at Al Hayat, and Mushreq Abbas, columnist and director of Al-Hayat newspaper’s Iraq office. The moderator was Yusuf Serif, presenter and producer at Sky News Arabia.

The final day of the leading strategic event will continue today and will address and discuss, through several panels, a diverse array of pressing issues focusing on related dimensions of the situation across the GCC, the Middle East and beyond.

ADSD 2016 aims to reach a better understanding among regional and international participants, enhancing policy-making efforts and consolidating Abu Dhabi’s role as a hub for exchanging ideas and suggesting solutions and alternatives for all-scale issues.

The ADSD has gained a reputation as a prestigious platform at an international level to discuss policy and strategy, geopolitical shifts, regional and global political ends, and national security issues in the Arab world, as well as threats posed by an unprecedented pattern of terrorist and extremist groups. The conference’s objective is to provide a clear vision of future trends of the international system, and to address these challenges in their various forms.

Source: WAM