In light of the recent Gaza ceasefire, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by a Palestinian and an Israeli – Dr Tahani Mustafa (ECFR) and Dr Miriam Rosman (Dvorah Forum) – for a frank and raw discussion that lays bare both the hope and the deep divisions that persist in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The fall of the Assad government was a serious blow to Moscow’s image in the MENA region and on the international stage. It was a reality check for those who believed the Kremlin’s support could be the key to political survival. However, Nikolay Kozhanov argues that Assad’s fall is unlikely to be a turning point in Russia’s presence in the broader Middle East. He notes that Russia has worked to diversify its relationships across the region since the mid-2010s, especially looking to strengthen ties in the Gulf.
The world shifted on 20 January 2025 with Donald Trump’s return to the White House. His bold actions—exiting the Paris Climate Agreement and World Health Organisation—signal an ambition to not only dismantle Biden’s legacy but elements of the post-war multilateral order. However, much of President Trump’s focus so far has centred on domestic issues, raising questions about the gap we may see between rhetoric and reality in US foreign policy under Trump 2.0. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El explores this with Dr Kathleen McInnis.
Last weekend, President Bashar al Assad of Syria, the cruel and brutal head of a corrupt dynasty that had ruled Syria for over half a century, fled with his family to Moscow — just two weeks after a rebel group started upon an offensive from north to south. To dissect these dramatic events, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El, is joined by Professor Hind Kabawat, a former member of the High Negotiations Committee at the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, a prominent leader of Syrian civil society, and former classmate of Bashar al Assad.
In the disaster zone that is currently the Middle East, Iran looms large. From its missile attacks on Israel to supporting Hizbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — it is perceived to be a malign presence across the region, especially from the Western perspective. To better understand Iran and its place in the world, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by her colleague, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian of Cambridge University, in a strong and enlightening discussion that touches on the history of Iran and its international position since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, through the Iran-Iraq war of the 1990s, all the way to understanding its regional and global interests today.
In October 2024, the ELN and IEP convened global peace experts to explore improving conflict resolution amid rising global violence. Discussions focused on local and international solutions, data-driven prevention, and IEP’s Positive Peace framework. Participants urged bold, inclusive strategies to stop conflict escalation and revitalise international commitment to peacebuilding.