The Euro-Gulf Information Centre, NATO Defence College and the Centre for American Studies presented our joint conference on: The Great Rivalry III: Security and Defence in the Middle East.

The Great Rivalry series examines the evolution of geopolitics in the wider Middle East. High-level scholars and policy-makers gather in Rome, annually, to provide multilayered analyses for the multidimensional dynamics at play so sense can be made and policies adjusted to suit unfolding realities.

The 2018 chapter gravitated around the question of how the security and defence configuration has changed in conjunction with the revised power-positions of local, regional and international actors involved in the unfolding rivalry. Perspectives from NATO, the US, UK, Russia, the EU and Italy’s very niche involvement were provided together with a regional perspective to paint a more complete picture.