NDC hosts High-Level Middle East Panel on the Arab Explosion and Prospects for Stability in the Region

The broader Middle East is currently undergoing a period of remarkable change. The NATO Defense College (NDC) is greatly interested in the developments taking place in the region and thus organized a High-Level Panel on the topic of “Current Developments in the Broader Middle East and Prospects for Stability”, which took place on 7 April 2011. Le Commandant of the NDC, Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter Loeser, and the NDC’s Middle East Faculty hosted and organized this special event. The high-level panel was made up of four Ambassadors from Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Bahrain, respectively. Participants from the fifth NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC-5) and  Senior Course 118, as well as Faculty and Staff of the NDC, along with students from Rome  Tre, the  American University  of Rome  and John  Cabot University were in attendance.

The members of the panel included His Excellency Dr. Mahmoud Karem, former Ambassador from Egypt to NATO and Secretary General of the Egyptian Human Rights Council, Professor Dr. Mohamed al-Momani of Jordan, Director of Training and Education and the Jordanian Institute of Diplomacy, His Excellency Aberraouf Ahmed Ounaies, former Foreign Minister of Tunisia, and His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar, Diplomatic Advisor to H.M. the King of Bahrain and former Minister of Information.

During the discussion the Ambassadors spoke about critical issues such as democratisation, reform movements, and closer co-operation between Middle Eastern and Western states. Emphasis was placed especially on the importance of dialogue and understanding in order to advance peace, security, stability, and good governance in the region. As an expert on their country of origin, each speaker spoke with a great amount of knowledge on the specific situation and developments in their country [picture 4]. Overall, the discussion was candid and allowed all those present to deepen their knowledge and exchange thoughts about the complex situations prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Commandant, Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter Loeser, concluded the discussion by underlining the major points of each speaker and giving the final thoughts to the session. He stated that there are opportunities and needs for broader NATO involvement in the Middle East. Also, the Commandant said that rapprochement between the broader Middle East and Western states and organisations is necessary in order to transition smoothly into a future of peace and stability in the region. Along with the other speakers, the Commandant reaffirmed the belief that the developments in the Middle East are unfinished, as the complex situations across the region are constantly changing.

The high-level nature of the event reflects the importance of NDC’s Middle East initiatives through the NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC), which is the NDC’s main educational programme for its partners from the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD), the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) and other states from the region that wish to participate. The visit and discussion by four prominent figures from the region reaffirmed the close cooperative relationship between the NATO Defense College and NATO’s partners in the Middle East and North Africa.

NDC Public Affairs Office