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Middle East Studies Forum

AT DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
RANKED THE TOP INSTITUTION FOR MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC STUDIES RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA IN 2020 AND 2022

The Middle East Studies Forum (MESF) is a leading centre of scholarship on the Middle East at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University. MESF hosts world-class projects and scholarship in the field of Middle East and Central Asian studies and languages.

MESF Latest

News

TRT - How important are the upcoming US-Iran talks in Oman??

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

April 8, 2025
Social media, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism: between bread and geopolitics in Egypt

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

March 12, 2025
What was the Sykes-Picot agreement, and why does it still affect the Middle East today?

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. 

February 14, 2025
TRT - Has Trump effectively dismissed the idea of a two-state solution?

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

February 5, 2025
CGTN Global Watch - Syria in Transition

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

December 16, 2024
France24 - 'Fissure points: Iran's large dissenting voice challenges official narrative of fighting US, Israel'

Nearly a year after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Israel in its history on October 7, Israel announced it was shifting its focus to securing its border with Lebanon. As Iran’s supreme leader vows to fight Israel, alongside allies, defending his country’s missile strike on its arch-foe, FRANCE 24’s Oliver Farry is joined by Shahram Akbarzadeh.  Watch Now

October 4, 2024
04
March
2025
Church-State Relations in Syria through the Prism of the ‘Neo-Millet’

Church-State Relations in Syria through the Prism of the ‘Neo-Millet’

Fiona McCallum Guiney

07
October
2024
MESF Conference 2024: The Middle East After the War on Gaza

The Middle East After the War on Gaza: Navigating the Impact of Regional Rivalries, the US Position, and the Future of Authoritarianism

05
August
2024
Repressing Kurds by Turkey and Iran Against the Backdrop of War in Gaza

Repressing Kurds by Turkey and Iran Against the Backdrop of War in Gaza

A/Prof Costas Laoutides, Dr Allan Hassaniyan, Dr William Gourlay

27
May
2024
Why Peace Education Fails: Problematising Peace Curricula in the Middle East

Why Peace Education Fails: Problematising Peace Curricula in the Middle East

Maliheh Rezaei

22
April
2024
Iran in the Middle East: Building Bridges or Expanding Influence?

Iran in the Middle East: Building Bridges or Expanding Influence?Webinar:

Azadeh Zamirirad, Hamidreza Azizi, Mehran Kamrava, Shahram Akbarzadeh (Moderator)

05
April
2024
Iran and the West | A Non-Western Approach to Foreign Policy

Iran and the West | A Non-Western Approach to Foreign Policy

Dr. Andrew Thomas