The war and its implications for the global strategic order

Following the outbreak of the US–Israeli war against Iran on 28 February, Iran responded with military strikes against both the United States and Israel, including attacks on US military facilities in the Gulf.

The expansion of the conflict into a broader regional war has generated significant implications for the global order. The vulnerability of Gulf states, despite their substantial investment in US defence systems, has raised critical questions about the effectiveness of existing security arrangements. These developments have prompted US allies worldwide to reassess their defence postures and strategic alignments. Furthermore, the two regional wars – the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Israeli-Iran war show an alarming trend towards convergence, with Ukraine hitting an Iranian ship and the Gulf states purchasing Ukrainian counter-drone expertise. This seminar explores how major powers are adapting to these challenges and considers the potential implications for future geopolitical and economic configurations.

This event is in collaboration with the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

Speaker

Dr Jonathan Fulton

Dr Jonathan Fulton is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and a non-resident senior fellow for Middle East Programs and the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. His research focuses on China's relations with the Middle East-North Africa, and his most recent book is Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math (Routledge, 2025). He is the author of The China MENA Newsletter on Substack.

Dr Ali Bakir

Dr. Ali Bakir is also Nonresident Senior Fellow with the “Middle East Council on Global Affairs”, and regional editor of academic journal “Alternatives: Global, Local, Political”. He worked as Editor in Chief of “Tajseer” journal; and Nonresident Senior Fellow with the "Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative" at the Washington-based “Atlantic Council”, and a Task Force member of the “Center for Strategic and International Studies” (CSIS) in Washington, DC. As a senior foreign policy and security analyst and consultant, Bakir has over 20 years of professional experience working with senior officials, decision-makers, and stakeholders for governmental, non-governmental, and private sector institutions. Before joining Qatar University, he served for 6 years under Qatar’s Foreign Ministry as a Senior Adviser at Qatar’s Embassy in Ankara. Additionally, he was the Head of the “Gulf Studies Unit” at the Middle East Studies Center, Senior Researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies of the International Strategic Research Organization, and a Researcher and Senior Editor at (AIWA) Group for defense and economy.

Dr Andrea Ghiselli

Dr Andrea Ghiselli is a Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Exeter. He is also a non-resident Research Fellow at the TOChina Hub and Head of Research for its ChinaMed Project. His teaching and research focus on Chinese foreign policy and China’s relations with the Middle East.

Dr Feng Zhang

Dr Feng Zhang is a Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. His research focuses on China’s foreign policy, Asian international relations, and international relations theory. He is the author of Chinese Hegemony: Grand Strategy and International Institutions in East Asian History (Stanford University Press, 2015) and A Neighbor of Neighbors: China’s Policy Toward Afghanistan, 1949–2024 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025). With Richard Ned Lebow, he has co-authored Taming Sino-American Rivalry (Oxford University Press, 2020), Justice and International Order: East and West (Oxford University Press, 2022), and Wars and Pandemics: History, Lessons, Analogies (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). His peer-reviewed scholarship has appeared in political science and China studies journals, and his commentary in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other international outlets. He has taught at Yale University, Tsinghua University, the Australian National University, Murdoch University, and the South China University of Technology. In 2024, he was a Visiting Scholar at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center.