Middle East Studies Forum

Iran and the United States had deeply troubled relations during Donald Trump’s first term, with relations tanking further after Trump ordered the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Now, amid setbacks for Iran’s regional allies, economic pressure at home, and a rapidly advancing nuclear program, the two sides have sat down for negotiations. Shahram Akbarzadeh from Deakin University weighs in.  Watch Now

Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor of Middle East Politics at Deakin University and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Council in Doha, discusses the importance of the proposed US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme.  Watch Now

This article examines the relationship between social media, conspiracy theories, and authoritarian politics in Egypt by studying three conspiracy theories that have become popular in the country in recent years: an alleged Western attempt to starve Egypt after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an alleged economic war against Egypt, and alleged Western attempts to destabilize the country since the 2013 coup. We discuss the origins, development, and key elements of these conspiracy theories, the

Some national borders are determined by natural phenomena like seas, mountains and rivers. Most, however, are created by people. This means the creation of borders is often a political exercise – usually informed by the interests of those who create them, not the local populations to whom they apply. The Sykes-Picot agreement, known officially as the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, was arguably the first in a series of attempts by colonial powers to mould the borders of the Middle East. 

Donald Trump has put forward a shock proposal for the future of Gaza – suggesting the US take ownership. He said he wants to turn it into what he called a Riviera of the Middle East. Shahram Akbarzadeh from Deakin University weighs in on whether this signals the official abandonment of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict by the US.  Watch Now

Israeli troops launch operations in buffer zone in Golan Heights. Interview with Shahram Akbarzadeh.  Watch Now