Today we witness the Middle East and North Africa region that remains the epicenter of world politics and security, especially since the turn of the century. The devastating trajectory of the Arab Spring, the failed democratization attempts, and the subsequent traumatic civil wars and sectarian conflicts radically destabilized the region where hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions of others were uprooted and displaced. Further, the solution attempts have proved disheartening and fruitless with no foreseeable end to the crises in such Middle Eastern countries as Iraq, Yemen, and Syria. Part of the failure came from pursuing singular solutions to the otherwise entwined problems of the region. The Symposium offers an attempt to discuss and understand the nature and scope of this regional interconnectedness of the Middle Eastern issues by analyzing them in a larger context by paying particular attention to the agency and political orientations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Symposium will focus on the dynamics of continuity with change in North Africa, Turkey, and Iran. North Africa was the cradle of the Arab Spring from where it spread to several Middle Eastern countries and it merits spherical attention to reach an insightful analysis of the region. On the one hand, having immensely suffered from destabilization, violence, and terror in the area, especially in Syria and the chronic humanitarian crisis, Turkey has lately taken a more assertive role in regional politics. On the other hand, Iran's regional policies expanded its influence in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the removal of Saddam Hossein, and its rapprochement with the West, particularly over the nuclear crisis. Within this context IRAM, in partnership with Yıldırım Beyazıt University in Ankara, invites experts from all over the world to explore the trajectory, extent, and future of change and continuity in the Middle East in The First International Semi-Annual Trilogy Conference. The papers can be specific to one country or region or can tackle issues comparatively between them. We will publish the conference proceedings. We also plan to publish an edited volume from the selected articles presented during the Symposium.

The papers can be presented in Arabic, English, Turkish, and Persian. You can send your abstract form (between 500 to 1500 words) to our email congress@iramcenter.org.

Registration fee: $50. We will provide meals during the program and the participants cover their accommodation and travel expenses. We have a limited amount of funding for tickets and accommodation for the participants that need financial assistance. 

PROGRAM THEMES:
The following themes will be discussed during the program (without excluding others):

IMPORTANT DATES: 

ORGANIZERS

ADVISORY BOARD (Alphabetical Order):

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE