This discussion will address if China and Russia are benefitting from recent US policies enacted under Trump, such as the dismantling of USAID – an institution, which was regarded as key for American influence in the Middle East by some.

Panellists will outline Chinese and Russian strategies and tactics in exerting influence in the Middle East and North Africa. These include long-term goals, such as keeping airbases in Syria as well as short-term targets, such as disrupting European alignment. Tactically, Russia and China are both operating overtly and covertly – albeit in different ways. Examples for covert operations are the employment of mercenaries or online disinformation campaigns.

In the region itself existing axes of power are in upheaval as Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown, Hezbollah and other Iranian allies are struggling, the war on Gaza continues and Turkey faces internal democratic resistance.

For British and European policy makers, opportunities and challenges define this geopolitical environment. How can Russian and Chinese influence be curbed or aligned with European interests? How can the region be supported while backing self-reliance?

The panel aims to cover various case studies but leave plenty time for discussion with the audience. The panel discussion is followed by a reception.

SPEAKERS

Ahmed Aboudouh: Ahmed Aboudouh is an associate fellow with the Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme, based in London. He is a non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, and currently heads the China Studies research unit at the Emirates Policy Center (EPC). Previously, Ahmed held the position of consultant editor at The Independent.

Edmund Fitton-Brown: Edmund Fitton-Brown is a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project. From 2018 – 2022, he was the Coordinator of the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida, the Taliban, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities. Before that, he served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen from February 2015 until February 2017. Fitton-Brown joined the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1984 with his postings including Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo, Kuwait, Rome, and Helsinki.

Inga Trauthig: Dr Inga Trauthig is a research professor for cybersecurity and national security at Florida International University (FIU). She is also visiting fellow with the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) at King’s College London. She holds a PhD from the Department of War Studies at King's for which she focused on Libya. During the time of her PhD, she was a research fellow with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s.

Moderator

Francesca Ghiretti: Dr Francesca Ghiretti is a research leader at RAND Europe. She is an expert in China’s foreign policy, and Europe-China relations and an adjunct fellow (Non-Resident) at the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She received her Ph.D. from the Centre for Grand Strategy, Department of War Studies at King’s College London.