GRC partnerships
April 15, 2013
The Gulf Research Center (GRC) and the Institute for Energy Economics Japan (JIME) signed a wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding during the visit of the GRC to Tokyo on April 15, 2013. Masakazu Toyoda, Chairman and CEO of JIME and Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the GRC signed the MoU to cover areas such as joint research, workshops and conference events, and exchange of publications. The GRC has in the past hosted researchers from JIME and with the GRC office location in Tokyo, it is the intention to foster this cooperation further. Also present at the meeting were Koichiro Tanaka, Managing Director of JIME, Akiko Yoshioka of JIME, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia.
February 13, 2013
The Gulf Research Center Foundation, the Gulf Research Center and the Beirut Institute have signed a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Lebanon. Through this Memorandum, these organisations have agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
The Beirut Institute is a cutting edge independent think tank for the Arab region that is organic, forward looking, solution driven and adamant about achieving a sustainable impact on local and global policy. It develops and disseminates impactful policy options, provides a platform to enlightened leaders and thinkers to shape the policy debate in the Arab region and foster Arab East-West relations.
November 18, 2012
The Center for Pakistan & Gulf Studies (CPGS) is a non-partisan organization established to undertake studies, policy research, advocacy and consultancy to enhance understanding and relations in diverse fields between Pakistan and the Gulf countries. The Center has been instituted to harness mutual potential for cooperation to attain peace, security, economic development and to asses emerging trends and to devise strategies for possible future challenges.
The Gulf Research Center Foundation, the Gulf Research Center and the Center for Pakistan & Gulf Studies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation. Through this memorandum, these organizations have agreed to work together to create greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to stability and security in the Gulf region and Pakistan. The cooperation will involve collaborative efforts and support of each other in relevant areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
October 14, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan and Prof. Hoshino of the Osaka School of International Public Policy at Osaka University (OSIPP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on the occasion of “Saudi Week” in Osaka. The Saudi Week Osaka was held at the celebration of the Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia’s permanent presence at Osaka International House Foundation. The MOU signing ceremony was an official event of the Saudi Week, and was done with the presence of the former Saudi Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Mr. Kurdi and senior officials of the Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia.
This MOU will enhance joint activities related to promoting Gulf-Asia ties, research, seminars and the exchange of scholars.
This signing ceremony will be broadcast by Al Thaqafiya TV Channel in Saudi Arabia.
October 13, 2012
The Faculty of Economics and Administration of King Abdulaziz University, a highly esteemed university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Research Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation. Through this memorandum, these organizations have agreed to work together to carry out and promote scientific research and specialized studies, as well as contribute to disseminating research and studies results, in this way supporting the broader scientific community and serving the society at large.
March 12, 2012 The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) is an institute that combines research and academic development, strategic reflection and intellectual discourse to engage the strategic issues facing South Africa from a long-term perspective. MISTRA’s mission is to advance South Africa’s development by addressing the complex challenges that straddle issues of nation-formation, economic growth, social equity, science and technology and positioning in a globalized world. It devotes specific attention to strategic approaches across a wide range of areas, including economics, sociology, history, arts and culture and the natural sciences.
The Gulf Research Center, the Gulf Research Center Foundation and the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to development, security and stability in the Gulf region and South Africa through collaboration and mutual support in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
January 16, 2012
The Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) is a think tank in the Kingdom of Bahrain dedicated to encouraging the use of research and dialogue to inform policy makers and interest groups and to increase understanding of current and emerging international issues in the pursuit of a prosperous and peaceful world for all.
After successful collaboration on a number of joint initiatives, including a 2010 conference on “ Energy Security: Potential for EU-GCC Cooperation”, the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies, the Gulf Research Center, and the Gulf Research Center Foundation have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to stability and security in the Gulf region through collaboration and mutual support in relevant areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dr. Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies and Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center and the GRC Foundation.
August 18, 2011
The Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) is an independent non-profit research organization that focuses on development and governance issues through empirical research addressing a wide range of contemporary African affairs; AISA is also involved in community outreach programs.
The Gulf Research Center Foundation, the Gulf Research Center and the Africa Institute of South Africa have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to stability and security in the Gulf region and the African continent through collaboration and mutual support in relevant areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
August 1, 2011: Upon the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the Gulf Research Center Foundation has been awarded the special consultative status of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. The status allows the GRCF to attend all UN conferences; request the Secretary-General to place items of special interest in the provisional agenda of the Council; designate representatives to the UN Headquarters in New York and the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna; submit written statements and oral presentations to the work of the council; be part of research and consultancy consortiums as well as apply for funding. This accreditation significantly widens the scope of GRCF activities and further accredits the work carried out by the Foundation.
May 23, 2011 Dr. Sager presented Honorary Fellowship
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, received an honorary fellowship from the Università Ca’Foscari Venezia on May 23, 2011 during a ceremony at the university in Venice, Italy. The fellowship was bestowed to Dr. Sager by the Rector of the Ca’Foscari University, Prof. Carlo Carraro. In his laudatio, Prof. Matteo Legrenzi, Associate Professor for International Relations and Gulf Studies noted Dr. Sager’s philanthropic work for the promotion of Gulf studies and his overall contribution to the scholarly development of the discipline. As part of the ceremony, the Gulf Research Center and the Ca’Foscari University Foundation signed an agreement on long-term cooperation. Dr. Sager thanked the university for the honor and as part of the ceremony gave a lecture entitled: “The Arab Spring: What Role for Europe?”
The following are links to the cooperation between the GRC and the Ca Foscari University as well as some of the local press reports.
The official news on the university website:
http://www.unive.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=90617
Press Report in Nuova Venezia:
http://nuovavenezia.gelocal.it/cronaca/2011/05/24/news/nasce-una-scuola-sui-
Quotation Il Gazzettino:
http://carta.ilgazzettino.it/MostraOggetto.php?TokenOggetto=2836260&Data=201
Reports by some magazines:
http://www.connessomagazine.it/università/firmata-la-partnership-tra-gulf-re
November 30, 2010
The Faculty of Economics and Administration at King Abdulaziz University and the Gulf Research Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to organize the first scientific conference on "National Economy: Challenges and Ambitions" to be held from 7-9 May 2012 under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The Memorandum was signed by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Hussam Bin Abdulmuhsen Al-Angari, and Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center.
November 18, 2010
Institute for Relations between Italy and the Countries of Africa, Latin America, Far and Middle East (IPALMO) is an organization that aims to promote and develop Italian political economic and cultural relations in an international context, including Europe's economic and institutional integration processes, through engaging in research and cultural activities, as well as organizing conferences, workshops and training activities.
The Gulf Research Center and IPALMO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to stability and security in the Gulf region and Italy through collaboration and mutual support in relevant research domains.
November 1, 2010
The Gulf Research Center and Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on environmental issues of common interest through events, research, training and public awareness campaigns. A similar MoU was also signed with the Arabian CSR (Cooperate Social Responsibility) Network.
EEG is a voluntary, non-government organization (NGO) based in Dubai, UAE, devoted to protecting the environment in UAE through a number of activities, projects and public awareness lectures. The Arabian CSR Network, hosted and supported by EEG, aims to promote sustainable development in cooperation with the corporate sector in the Arab World.
October 6, 2010The Gulf Research Center and the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry e.V. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of establishing mutually beneficial business and investment relations between the Arab countries of the Gulf region and Germany through collaborating and supporting each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
The Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry e.V. is an organization based in Berlin that facilitates the establishment of business and financial links between the Arab countries and Germany through information dissemination, events, consultations, logistical support on a wide variety of business and financial issues including general economic trends, industry-specific developments and potential business and investment opportunities.
May 1, 2010
The Gulf Research Center and Hochschule Darmstadt (h_da) of the University of Applied Sciences have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on environmental issues of common interest through events, research, training and exchange of researchers.
In the field of environmental issues, the Hochschule Darmstadt offers Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in “Energy Economics.” Its other main interests are climate and environmental protection.
April 4, 2010The Gulf Research Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on environmental issues of common interest.
IUCN is a global environmental network that helps the world find pragmatic solutions to the most pressing environment and development challenges through supporting scientific research, managing field projects and bringing governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.
March 25, 2010
The Gulf Research Center and the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on relevant issues in the economic, political, social and environmental spheres.
IDSC is primarily tasked with supporting decision-makers on issues of relevance to economic, social and political reform. IDSC was established in 1985 by virtue of decree No 41/1985, issued by the Minister of the Council of Ministers' Affairs. IDSC is a fully-fledged think tank linked to the Egyptian Cabinet in the decision support area addressing economic, social and political development issues. Also, the center plays a key role is providing access to information and data to various stakeholders.
March 1, 2010Riyadh Techno Valley (RTV) is a science park associated with King Saudi University in Riyadh, which aims to establish a national base for science and technology in Saudi Arabia, capable of supporting innovation and transforming the products of innovation into successful business frameworks. RTV is also dedicated to attracting local and global investment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Gulf Research Center and Riyadh Techno Valley have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to scientific research, technological development, innovation and the creation of knowledge-based economies in the Gulf region.
February 13, 2010The Gulf Research Center (GRC) and RTI International (RTI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the Jeddah Economic Forum 2010, agreeing to work together in pursuit of enhancing national and regional capabilities on issues pertaining to economic and social policy, international development, health, education and training, as well as advanced technology as they relate to the Gulf region.
RTI International is one of the world’s leading not for profit research and development organizations dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice through the provision of research and technical expertise to governments and businesses in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, as well as laboratory and chemistry services.
GRC and RTI have agreed to cooperate in a variety of areas, including: conducting joint consulting projects and research; convening of joint conferences, seminars and workshops; organizing exchanges of scholars and regional experts; exchanging of technical capabilities and transferring of knowledge, including best practice information; and promoting capacity building through the conduct of training programs.
November 23, 2009A delegation from Sojitz Research Institute and Sunrock Institute visited the Gulf Research Center and a joint Memorandum of Understanding was signed relating to research-based collaboration, which will be international in scope, with an emphasis on the Gulf region, Asia, Japan, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The Sojitz delegation, which consisted of Shuhei Inoue (President and CEO, Sojitz Middle East and Africa), Yukio Tada (President, Sojitz Research Institute), Shunichi Ijichi (President, Sunrock Institute) and Mayu Menjo (Senior Researcher and Project Co-ordinator, Sojitz Middle East and Africa) met with Abdulaziz Sager the Chairman of GRC, Dr. Christian Koch (Director of International Studies), Dr. Mustafa Alani (Senior Advisor and Director of Security and Defence Studies), Dr. Samir Pradhan (Senior Researcher, GCC Economics & Gulf-Asia Programs) and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis (Director of Cooperation).
Sojitz Research Institute, based in Tokyo, is a think tank and business consulting organization which is the hub of the Sojitz Group’s intellectual infrastructure and which provides research, analysis and dissemination of information related to domestic and global issues in political, economic and industry related areas, with specific focus on environmental sustainability and economic development. Sunrock Institute, based in Washington, is a similar research organization and an affiliate of Sojitz Group; its specific focus is on macro economic policy and business development.
November 11, 2009 The Vietnam Institute for Africa & Middle East Studies (VIAMES) is an institute under the Vietnamese Academy of Social Science, devoted to research on the Middle East and Africa, including especially development in thee regions and the relations of these regions with Vietnam.
The Gulf Research Center and the Vietnam Institute for Africa & Middle East Studies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to sustainable development, security and stability in the Gulf region and Vietnam, as well as collaborate and support each other in areas of research relevant to relations between the Gulf region and Vietnam.
November 9, 2009
The St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies is an independent Swiss foundation with a focus on international projects that interfaces between business, politics and society and serves as the supervisory body for the activities of the St. Gallen Symposium and the St. Gallen Students’ Committee.
The Gulf Research Center and the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of internships, research, knowledge dissemination, networking and the internationalization of higher education in the field of International Studies, especially taking into account activities related to the St. Gallen Symposium.
October 11, 2009
The Gulf Research Center and the Institute of Environmental Studies and Applied Research (IESAR) of the University of Applied Sciences, Bingen, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on environmental issues of common interest.
IESAR is a practice-oriented academic institution founded in 2003. It carries out applied research projects and undertakes advisory services mainly in the areas of environmental law and economy, environmental management and international cooperation for development.
May 28, 2009
Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) founded in 2000 is an independent, non-profit organization that innovatively promotes and works for sustainable security. CMI headquarters are in Helsinki, Finland, from where it works to strengthen the capacity of the international community in comprehensive crisis management and conflict resolution. CMI's work builds on wide stakeholder networks, combining analysis, action and advocacy to support the efforts of the international community in strengthening capacity for efficient civilian crisis management in post-conflict environments.
The Gulf Research Center and the Crisis Management Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to increase understanding of long-term conflict prevention and crisis management as these relate to environmental, social and economic issues in the Gulf region and the Arab world.
May 28, 2009
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is a regional research institute established in 1991 and operating across sub-Saharan Africa. As a leading African human security research institution, ISS is guided by a broad approach to security reflective of the changing nature and origin of threats to human development. The Institute also engages on a collaborative basis with state institutions at national, regional and continental levels in Africa.
The Gulf Research Center and Institute for Security Studies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of greater awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Africa through collaborative in areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
May 13, 2009
Holisizwe Healthcare Holding, a broad-based African empowerment house which has a focused investment and operational niche in the healthcare industry and the related medical services arena is based in South Africa.
The Gulf Research Center and Holisizwe Healthcare Holding have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater awareness on issues pertaining to healthcare in the Gulf region and Africa. Through this Memorandum, the organizations agree to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research and policy facilitation, addressing the resolution of outstanding healthcare issues and the promotion of regional and trans-regional cooperation relating to healthcare.
May 3, 2009 The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (NCEIS) aims to advance knowledge and understanding of the rich traditions and modern complexities of Islam and to be a world-class centre of research and educational excellence. The Centre brings together established expertise in teaching and research and plays an important leadership role in public debates on contemporary Islam, particularly in the Australian and Middle Eastern contexts. The NCEIS is based at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
The Gulf Research Center and the National Center of Excellence for Islamic Studies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research and policy facilitation with the goal of promoting long-term conditions for peace, security and sustainable development in the Gulf Region and Australia.
April 19, 2009 The International Institute for Family Enterprises (IIFE), founded in 2008 as the international unit of the WIFU at Witten/Herdecke University in Germany, is dedicated to Family Business research in the Arab region and German speaking Europe. All IIFE activities and conferences are conceptualized to support Arab Family Business leaders and the future generation in developing sustainable Family Business strategies.
The Gulf Research Center and International Institute for Family Enterprises have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater, national and international awareness on issues pertaining to Family Business strategies in the Gulf region, as well as collaborating and supporting each other in areas of research relevant to Family Business strategies.
February 1, 2009 Tamkeen (Labour Fund) has the role of enhancing and developing the national economy and developing the private sector to make it the prime mover of economic growth in the Kingdom of Bahrain. At the same time, Tamkeen seeks to enhance the efficiency of Bahraini workers and their productivity and ability to compete in the labour market.
The Gulf Research Center and Tamkeen (Labour Fund) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in studies and research through exchanging expertise and experience, conducting joint studies, sharing data and information, as well as working together in the area of conferences, seminars and workshops.
February 1, 2009 The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry is the official federation for the 24 Saudi Chambers. The Council is based in Riyadh and its main objective is to observe the common interests of the Saudi Chambers, represent them on local and international levels and assist in the enhancement of the private sector's role in the development of the national economy.
The Gulf Research Center and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on a variety of issues of mutual interest and benefit.
January 12, 2009 The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) is a think tank devoted to European policy studies and a leading forum for debate on EU affairs, with a strong in-house research capacity, complemented by an extensive network of partner institutes throughout the world.
The Gulf Research Center and the Centre for European Policy Studies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation with the goal of creating greater national, regional and international awareness of relevant Gulf-Europe issues. GRC and CEPS are currently cooperating in a European Commission FP7 project addressing "Public Diplomacy and Outreach devoted to the European Union and EU-GCC Relations."
December 24, 2008 The Federation of GCC Chambers (FGCCC) wishes to enhance economic cooperation among the GCC countries, which share common characteristics, objectives, and destinies. Specifically the objectives of the FGCCC include the realization of GCC economic integration, representation of the GCC private sector in Arab, regional and international forums and consolidation of the role of member chambers, councils and federations.
The Gulf Research Center and the Federation of GCC Chambers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on a variety of issues of mutual interest and benefit for all GCC countries.
December 23, 2008 The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) is considered to be one of the premier strategic and security studies Think Tanks in India. The Institute has enlarged its focus of research from Defence Studies to cover issues of National and International Security and its expertise is frequently utilized by the Indian Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence.
The Gulf Research Center and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish academic and scholarly ties with the aim of cooperating in research on national and international security issues.
October 28, 2008 The Dubai School of Government is a research and teaching institution committed to the advancement of good governance in the Arab world by serving as a platform for the creation of applied research, the dissemination of best practice and the education of policy makers in the region.
The Gulf Research Center and the Dubai School of Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge exchange and policy facilitation with the goals of: strengthening interactions between civil society, government and inter-governmental institutions in the Gulf region; working towards the development of a common agenda in the Gulf region; and building the capacity of the Gulf region to improve development, resolve outstanding issues and promote regional and trans-regional cooperation.
October 12, 2008 The GRC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Oslo with the view of promoting cooperation in academic education and research between the parties.
The cooperation will involve a variety of fields and will include activities such as collaborative research, lectures and symposia, exchange of scholars, researchers and students, as well as exchange of information and materials in fields of mutual interest.
August 11, 2008 Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany is a private cultural non-profit institution committed to the ideas and basic values of social democracy. It seeks to contribute in strengthening an inclusive political system and a people-centered economic development. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is a part of the network of German political foundations.
The Gulf Research Center and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Europe. Through this Memorandum, the organisations agree to collaborate and support each other in mutually agreed areas and modalities of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
May 27, 2008 The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V. is the largest organization for applied research in Europe, actively involved in applied research of direct utility to private and public enterprise and of wide benefit to society.
Believing that mutual benefit can be derived from cooperation in various fields including, but not limited to energy (including renewable and nuclear energy aspects), environment and education related issues, involving research, joint acquisition of relevant projects and interchange/dissemination of information, the Gulf Research Center has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft through its Middle East Office in Dubai, to work together, collaborate and support each other in the identified areas of cooperation.
May 23, 2008 Tribal Education is one of the UK's most experienced and innovative educational consultancies delivering a wide range of consultancy services across the entire education spectrum, from early schooling to further and higher education.
The Gulf Research Center and Tribal Education have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the educational field and carry out educational research as well as cultural interchange, working together, collaborating and supporting each other according to mutually agreed principles, values and modalities.
May 12, 2008 Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), based in Qatar is a knowledge hub and industrial investment promotion catalyst supporting industrial diversification and development within the GCC countries by providing the public, industrial and economic sectors with distinctive knowledge and a complete set of specialized research, information, consultancy and technical services. GOIC also provides solutions and recommendations that support business operations through: developing a better product and market selection and positioning, including market research; elaborating advanced techniques on energy conservation and waste management; improving productivity and protecting the environment; conducting pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for identified projects, etc.
The Gulf Research Center and the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting have agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to industrial diversification and development in the Gulf region. Through this memorandum, the organizations agree to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
April 27, 2008
The GRC has signed an MOU with Birzeit University in Palestine. BZU is among the foremost tertiary educational institutes in Palestine and has played a significant role in the Palestinian political dialogue. It is also is the first institution of higher education to be established in Palestine. The parties have decided to enter into this MOU to work together in pursuit of “Knowledge for All”. They agree to support each other the fields of international relations, global politics and contemporary Arab studies as well as networking and internships.
April 9, 2008 The GRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with McGill University, Canada. McGill is a research university, originally founded as the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning in 1801.
The objective of the Memorandum is to enhance knowledge about the Gulf region and IR-related topics, to enhance on-the-job experience by organizing internships for McGill students at GRC in various subject areas and to enhance research focused on the Gulf Region by coordinating and collaborating in research. The primary focus of the cooperation under this MOU will be the Department of Political Science of the Faculty of Arts.
March 19, 2008
On the occasion of the visit of Dr. Thomas Goppel, State Minister for Science, Research and the Arts in the Free state of Bavaria, Germany, the Gulf Research Center and the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the area of scientific cooperation and joint research projects. The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Karl-Dieter Grüske, Rector of the University Erlangen-Nürnberg and Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center. Accompanied by a delegation of dignitaries from Bavaria, including several University Presidents, the memorandum seeks to further the GRC’s objective to collaborate with universities, think-tanks and research organizations in order to promote solid academic work on the GCC states and the Gulf region. This agreement will allow the GRC and the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg to cooperate on event organization as well as staff and student exchange.
March 18, 2008 The GRC has signed an MOU with the Transfer Center for International Projects in Education (IPE) of the Zurich University of Teacher Education.IPE is a center that initiates, supports and realizes projects on the international level in the fields of school and education, focusing on countries where it can contribute to a sustainable development in the education sector. Both GRC and IPE believe that mutual benefit can be derived from cooperation in the educational field, joint acquisition of projects, educational research and cultural interchange.
March 3, 2008
The GRC has signed an MOU with the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Saudi Arabia. The Center is a research institute with strong ties to the King Faisal Welfare Foundation. It aims to make Islamic Studies more widely available and to make the role of the Islamic culture more prominent. The objectives of this agreement are to exchange expertise and organize joint meetings and training programs. Also, both parties are keen to invest in human resources and to diversify resources to make knowledge available for all.
January 24, 2008
THE GRC HAS SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE 'INSTITUT D'ETUDES POLITIQUES DE PARIS' BASED IN PARIS. Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris ( Paris Institute of Political Studies), often referred to as Sciences Po is a Grand Établissement in Paris. Sciences Po is an elite and highly selective institution: Sciences Po has traditionally educated the French political and diplomatic elite, but its academic focus spans not only the political and economic sciences, but also law, communications, finance, business, urban policy, management, and journalism.
The main objectives are to enhance knowledge about the Gulf Region and on IR-related topics by disseminating information openly and as widely as possible. Through this memorandum, the organizations agree to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, the internationalization of higher education in the fields of International Relations and Global Politics, networking, internships and events.
January 20, 2008 The GRC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), based in Rome, Italy. The IDLO is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law and good governance in developing countries, countries in economic transition and in those emerging from armed conflict. The two parties have agreed to enter this MOU in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to rule of law and good governance. Areas of cooperation will include conducting joint research, convening of joint conferences, seminars and workshops and the capacity building of NGO and expert networks.
November 8, 2007 The Graduate School of Intercultural Studies and the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration of the University of Kobe and the Gulf Research Center have signed an agreement with the objectives to pursue joint research activities, exchange research fellows as well as research results, academic publications and other information. This agreement will be effective for three years.
November 8, 2007
The Institute of International Relations (IRI) was created on 28 November 1989 by the Higher Council of the Universidad Nacional de la Plata and started its activities within the scope of the faculty of Juridical and Social Sciences on 28 September 1990.
It has as its aims:Teaching, at graduate and postgraduate levels. Extension, with the aim of linking to other institutions at national at international level. Research, with the aim of creating new developments in the context of the international community.
The parties will pursue amongst others the following objectives:Work towards the development of a common agenda for peace and security in both the gulf region and Latin America based on the principles of non-violent interaction and mutually sustaining cooperation; build the capacity of the gulf region and Latin American institutions and peoples to assist in the planning, coordination and implementation of national, regional and international initiatives aimed at improving mutual understanding, resolving outstanding issues of conflict and promoting regional and trans-regional cooperation for stability and security.
September 2, 2007 The Near East and Middle East Association (NUMOV), Germany's largest non-profit and independent service provider for the Near East and Middle East region, and the GRC signed a MoU to work together in creating greater awareness on issues pertaining to security, stability, and economic and political development in the Gulf region and Europe. The two organizations will collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.NUMOV, established in 1934, is the founder of the German Orient-Foundation/German Orient-Institute and supports bilateral business activities between Germany and the Near and Middle East by organizing seminars, conferences, and business delegations, and encouraging member companies to develop their business activities within the region.
August 22, 2007Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Selects the Gulf Research Center to Design and Implement the Jeddah Economic Gateway SolutionMr. Saleh Al – Turki, Chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), signed an agreement with Mr. Abdulaziz bin Othman bin Sager, Chairman of the Dubai – based Gulf Research Center, to design and implement the on – line the Jeddah Economic Gateway Solution (JEGS). This state-of-the-art electronic portal will be the first of its kind in the kingdom as it will contain a full – fledged database for the JCCI. After signing the agreement, Mr. Al-Turki said: “the JCCI compiled an extensive economic database and a specialized library to cater for scientific and economic development and the upgrading of the technological infrastructure for a total cost of twelve million Saudi riyals”.
He stressed the importance of the economic database which will keep the business community informed about the ways of using the data for developing their businesses. He said the JEGS will contain an up-to-date economic database to serve the business community.
The new portal will feature economic reports, major annual reports as well as public and private sector publications, government five-year plans, in addition to a manual of government regulations and procedures for the private sector.
The site will contain economic data related to population statistics, infrastructure, foreign trade, electronic shopping, investment opportunities and timetable of local and international exhibition events.
The JCCI received and evaluated many offers from various companies and institutions. The main evaluation criteria included fulfillment of certain terms such as the scope of the project, provision of additional support points, previous experience and projects, cost – effectiveness of the offer, and period of completion. The Gulf Research Center offer was chosen as the best. The main reasons for its selection is the uniqueness of its electronic systems, the software chosen for upgrading the portal, and the provision of a comprehensive plan for the development of an appropriate infrastructure, in addition to the provision of annual support, maintenance and staff training. The database of the “Gulf Research Center” will provide the necessary political, financial, economic, social and security information related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
June 12, 2007The National Maritime Foundation (NMF), a New Delhi-based think tank, signed a MoU with the GRC to work towards creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf and Indian Ocean regions.
The NMF is a non-governmental and non-political maritime think tank that undertakes studies and analyses across the various dimensions of maritime domain relating to India vis-à-vis the Indian Ocean countries and also global actors in order to formulate policies and present options.
May 1, 2007The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), an autonomous graduate school of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the GRC signed an MoU to work together on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf and Asia-Pacific regions.
Originally started as the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, which was established in 1996, it was inaugurated as the RSIS on 1 January 2007. Besides doing research in subjects pertaining to security, defense, international affairs and diplomacy, the RSIS also teaches postgraduate programs in strategic studies, international relations, and international political economy. The school also organizes lectures, conferences and seminars that are aimed at helping policy makers to develop comprehensive approaches to strategic thinking.
February 19, 2007
The Environmental Center for Arab Towns (ECAT) will cooperate and collaborate with the Gulf Research Center on environmental issues, especially awareness, training and waste management.
The ECAT is a scientific research institute dealing with issues concerning the natural resources and sustainable development of Arab cities, and specializes in offering consultation and research services in different environmental fields to all Arab Town Organization members. The center’s headquarters is in Dubai.
February 15, 2007The agreement with JIME Center, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (JIME-IEEJ), encourages working together in pursuit of greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Japan. The two organizations will collaborate in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
JIME-IEEJ is the only non-profit, private research institute in Japan specializing in Middle Eastern economies and politics in particular and worldwide energy issues in general, with three core groups focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as Iraq and Iran.
February 1, 2007
The GRC signed a memorandum of understanding to be the “Lead Knowledge Partner” for the Arab-Asian Dialogue organized by the Young Arab Leaders on April 27-28 in Singapore.
As part of the agreement, the GRC will provide concept papers for some of the plenary sessions, summarize topics to be debated, provide a list of questions on each of the sessions for use by the respective moderators, and provide relevant background literature and documentation services.
The Young Arab Leaders is a network of Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives, reached unprecedented levels of success for their age, who are positive and can see beyond today’s difficulties to that vision of a prosperous Arab future. These leaders are currently in prominent positions of responsibility and are destined for extraordinary achievement, and they believe that their efforts today can have an impact on their communities, countries and the region as a whole.
January 24, 2007
The Shanghai Institute of International Studies (SIIS) signed a MoU with the GRC to purse the creation of greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region, China and the broader Asian region.
The SIIS is a leading Chinese think tank dedicated to advancing China’s knowledge of international affairs, improving its foreign policy making as well as facilitating Shanghai’s opening-up and modernization processes. It is a multi-disciplinary research institute with 10 country and area studies departments and five centers of issue studies.
4 January, 2007
A special agreement with the Bertelsmann Stiftung of Germany allows the GRC to translate and publish the Arabic version of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) 2008. The project is meant to make the BTI information better acessible to the Arab world.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent and nonpartisan think tank and agent for social change. It works to promote steady development that leads to a sustainable society – education, just and efficient economic system, preventative healthcare system, a vibrant civil society and greater international understanding.
2 January, 2007Apart from facilitating exchange of information and scholars, the agreement with Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (JHU-SAIS), Bologna Center, Italy, is expected to enhance on-the-job experience through internships for JHU-SAIS Bologna students at the GRC and help in the admission of Gulf students in the institution.
The JHU-SAIS Bologna Center is a full-time graduate-level international relations program in Europe under the American system. Established in 1955, the center has promoted an international composition of students, faculty and staff. It offers an interdisciplinary program of studies, with an emphasis on European studies, international economics, politics and history.
10 November 2006The GRC signed a memorandum of understanding to be the “Knowledge Partner” for the Young Arab Leaders Annual Forum 2006 scheduled for November 25-27 in the Dead Sea Jordan.
As part of the agreement, the GRC will provide concept papers for some of the plenary sessions, summarize topics to be debated, provide a list of questions on each of the sessions for use by the respective moderators, and provide relevant background literature and documentation services.
The Young Arab Leaders is a network of Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives, reached unprecedented levels of success for their age, who are positive and can see beyond today’s difficulties to that vision of a prosperous Arab future. These leaders are currently in prominent positions of responsibility and are destined for extraordinary achievement, and they believe that their efforts today can have an impact on their communities, countries and the region as a whole.
19 September 2006The Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting peace and development through the transformation of military-related processes, functions, activities, assets ad structures effectively and efficiently. The BICC and the GRC have agreed to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and the German organization’s areas of concern.
27 August 2006The Islamabad-based National Defence College (NDC) – a leading institute offering exclusive strategic disciplines of study and serving as a think tank for the Pakistani military and government – and the GRC have agreed to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Pakistan.
The NDC is affiliated to the Pakistan Armed Forces with a mission to train selected senior officers of the armed forces and civil services of the country, as well as senior military officers from allied countries, for higher responsibilities at policy planning levels.
16 July 2006The Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia (ISIG), an independent research institute in Italy, signed a MoU with the GRC to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Central Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean basin countries. The two organizations agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
Founded in 1968, ISIG was born from the eagerness of Franco Demarchi and some far-sighted local leaders to contribute to changing the world through research, organizing academic meetings, publishing books and journals and training the elites of a peaceful Europe. Gorizia – located on the border between eastern and western Europe, was chosen as the symbol of a border on which new ideas and prospects could be worked out in order to develop international cooperation and the dialogue between different cultures and systems.
1 July 2006
The University of Queensland, through the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the GRC signed a letter of indent to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, internationalization of higher education in the fields of international relations, global politics, peace and conflict studies, networking and internships.
The University of Queensland is one of Australia's premier learning and research institutions. The University is a founding member of the national Group of Eight, an alliance of research-strong "sandstone" universities committed to ensuring that Australia has higher education institutions which are genuinely world class. It belongs also to the global Universitas 21 alliance. This group aims to enhance the quality of university outcomes through international benchmarking and a joint venture e-learning project with The Thomson Corporation.
4 June 2006
The Center for Policy Studies in Russia (PIR Center) and the GRC signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the following possibilities: short executive learning program for the Gulf officials and business community on Russia’s foreign policy in the Middle East; workshop on Russia-Gulf common interests and strategic agenda; and dialogue on energy security-related issues.
The PIR Center is an independent nongovernmental organization founded in April 1994 and based in Moscow. It carries out research, as well as educational, public awareness and publishing activities, and provides consulting services. The priority areas of the Center’s research are international security, arms (primarily nuclear) control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
21 May 2006
The Madrid-based FRIDE (La Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior) and the GRC signed a MoU to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.
FRIDE is a private, independent, and non-profit organization. Its objective is to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, peace, respect for human rights, and human development. Through the implementation of projects, studies, analysis, publications, debates and public information, FRIDE promotes both reflection and action on these issues, and contributes to the development of public policy towards the realization of its goals.
16 April 2006The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra, and the GRC signed a MoU to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, internationalization of higher education in the fields of international relations, global politics, networking, internships and events.
GRC Visitors
June 14, 2011Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, met today with Sumiko Teranaka and Yuhei Omi of the Japan Institute for Overseas Investment and Ryutaro Nishizaki of the Dubai office of the Japan Bank for International Corporation. They discussed the sanctions policy vis-à-vis Iran and the regional investment climate.
June 9, 2011Dr. Christian Koch held the following meetings:
• Geradus Johannes Hoetjes of the University of Exeter, related to the prospects of GCC Monetary Union • A delegation from South Africa including Daryl Hudson, Director, ITED in the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa; Mkhuthazi Steleki, Deputy Director, ITED; Kevin Oosthuizen, Counsellor (Deputy Head of Mission) South African Embassy; Maqbool Moos, Counsellor, South African Embassy; Daniel Jacobs, Consul, (Deputy Head of Mission) South African Consulate General; Simon Mmutle, Consul, South African Consulate General; and Shakira Motan, Consul (Economic) of South African Consulate General, Dubai. The talk focused on development in the region and their consequences.
• Martin Schneider, a doctoral candidate at the Leizig Graduate School of Management, concerning the development strategies of the GCC states and their outlook
• Dr. Valentina Kostadinova, a researcher at the University of Birmingham, UK on EU's relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf.
May 10, 2011
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, met today Mr. Steve Jones and Mr. Jack Stephens of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise organization during their visit to the UAE. They discussed the economic outlook for the region and the implications of the current political situation. New Zealand is in the process of opening their embassy in Abu Dhabi and expanding their overall presence in the country.
May 8, 2011
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Dr. Christian Koch and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis met with Michael Sturm, Principal Economist for EU Neighboring Regions at the European Central Bank and Gilles Noblet, Deputy Director General for International and European Relations also at the ECB, during a visit to the GRC. They discussed regional development and its impact on the macroeconomic stability and outlook for the Gulf.
April 13, 2011
Florian Weisweiler and Christian Koch met with the new Consul General of Switzerland in the UAE, Mr. Walter Deplazes, in the GRC office. In addition to covering regional development and its implications, the guest was informed about the activities of the GRC in particular with reference to the GRC Foundation in Geneva.
March 30, 2011
Mr. Fawzi Rihane, Program Manager for the Arab and Gulf Liaison Office of the International Fund for Agricultural Development from Rome, Italy, paid a visit to the GRC where he met with the GRC Chairman, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies. During the meeting, they discussed possible cooperation with specific emphasis on food security and agricultural issues.
March 30, 2011The Ambassador of France, Alain Azouaou, held a meeting with the GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager to discuss recent development and their implications
March 28, 2011 Amb. Fred Tanner, Director of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, visited the GRC to discuss current developments in the region and to outline some of the training courses the Geneva Center is running also with view of the participation of individuals from the GCC states. Amb. Tanner is a member of the GRC Foundation Council. He was accompanied by the Swiss Defence Attaché, Colonel GS André Schreier.
March 28, 2011 Prof. Michael Hudson, Director of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore met with the GRC chairman and with GRC staff members while visiting the GRC. In addition to outlining plans for the Middle East Institute in Singapore as well as outlining the Gulf conference to take place in May, Prof. Hudson focused on the situation in the Middle East and its implications for wider research and analysis.
March 22, 2011Mr. Eric Giraud-Telme, Consul General of France, visited the GRC and held discussions with Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security and Defense Research Program, on current regional developments.
March 20, 2011H.E. Poul Hoiness, Ambassador of Denmark, visited the GRC and held discussions with Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security and Defense Research Program, on topical regional issues.
February 27, 2011Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the GRC received Ambassador Theodore Kattouf, President and CEO of AMIDEAST in the GRC offices where they discussed the political situation in the Middle East and the Gulf. Also present in the meeting were Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch.
A Delegation from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of France visited the GRC headed by Christian Masset, Director-General for Global Affairs, Development and Partnerships and Mr. Paul-Bertrand Barets, Deputy Director for International Economic Affairs. They were accompanied by French Ambassador to the UAE Alain Azouaou and Eric Giraud-Telme, the Consul-General of France in the UAE. The discussion round featured a look at regional developments, French policy in the Middle East and the Gulf and near-term outlook for the region. The delegation was received upon their arrival by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the GRC, Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch.
February 24, 2011Dr. Christian Koch held a meeting with Burkhard Balz, Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Also present was Dr. Thomas Birringer, Regional representative of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation in the UAE. During the meeting, an examination of regional developments as well as the outlook for GCC-EU Relations was discussed.
February 22, 2011Dr. Christian Koch met with Andre Kahlmeyer, Senior Advisor for Security Sector Reform and Joachim von Bonin, Planning Officer for Prevention, Security and Peace, both of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). In addition to regional developments, they discussed GIZ projects in the region including in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
February 21, 2011Dr. Christian Koch met with Amb. Peter Zsoldos, Ambassador of the Slovak republic in Egypt with responsibility also for the UAE. They discussed current regional developments, GRC activities and building relations between the Gulf Research Center and Slovakian think tank and research institutions.
February 14, 2011
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch were interviewed by Christoph Dreyer, a German freelance journalist working for several publications in the German-speaking area. The interview touched on recent developments in the region including the impact of the turmoil in Egypt, the outlook for the GCC economies and the trends in the military and arms sales sector.
February 14, 2011Mr. Hiroki Fujimori, Senior Economist at the Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute in Tokyo, Japan, and Mr. Eapen Koshy, Manager of the Corporate Administration Division of Mitsui & Co. Middle East Ltd. visited the Gulf Research Center where they met with Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch. They discussed developments in the region, the status of GCC-Japan relations and GRC activities including the upcoming Gulf Research Meeting in Cambridge in July 2011.
February 8-9, 2011A delegation from the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss cooperation between the two centers. The delegation consisted of Ms. Nancy Jamal, Director – Programs and Global Communication and Mr. Yaqoob Al Hamad, Director of Human & Financial Resources. GRC was represented by Ms. Sanya Kapasi, Administration Manager, Mr. Javaid Iqbal, IT Director and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation. A wide variety of cooperation issues were discussed, including the possibility of a Cooperation MoU.
February 7, 2011
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch met with Mr. Yutaka Kase, President and CEO of the Sojitz Cooperation in the GRC offices. Mr. Kase was accompanied by Mr. Shuhei Inoue, President and CEO for Middle East and Africa, Mr. Tomoyuki Hirose of the Sojitz Secretariat and Ms. Mayu Menjo, Senior Researcher and Project Coordinator in the Middle East and Africa office. They discussed the regional situation following the protest in Egypt, the prospects for business development throughout the Gulf region and the broader Middle East, and the Gulf-Africa relationship particularly as it related to concerns over food security.
February 6, 2011 A delegation from the National Defense University of Jordan, headed by the University President visited the GRC for briefing on the regional developments.
January 16, 2011Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch met with Fanus Schoeman, Consul-General of the Republic of South Africa in Dubai, to discuss developments in Lebanon, the impact of the events in Tunisia, the outcome of the Gulf-Africa Investment Forum organized by the Gulf Research Center in December 2010 in Riyadh, and the prospects for an event on South Africa-Gulf relations. Also present at the meeting was Simon Mmutle, Vice-Consul, Shakira Motan, Consul for Economic Affairs and Maqbool Moos, Counsellor at the Embassy of South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
January 16, 2011Richard G. Newell, Administrator for the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss development in the world energy markets and the respective policies of the Gulf states. He was accompanied by Michael Brake, an Industry Economist with the EIA and David Carbajal, Economic Officer with the US consulate in Dubai. At the GRC, the visitors met with Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch.
January 13, 2011Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch met today with Tsutomu Nakagawa, Director of the Second Middle East Division in the Middle Eastern and African Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ms. Mariko Hayashi of the same division to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and Iran and the possible role that Japan could play regarding these issues. The visitors were accompanied by Consul Kenji Saito.
November 11, 2010Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies met with H.E. Luigi Narbone, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the GRC offices to discuss recent development in EU-GCC relations and the status of the al-Jisr project on EU-GCC Public Diplomacy which the GRC is heading. 
October 20, 2010Turkish Consul General Mr. Umit Yalcin Visited GRC on october 20, 2010. At the GRC he was met by the Chairman Abdulaziz Sager.
October 11, 2010Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies, and Nicole Stracke, Researcher in the Security and Defense Program at the Gulf Research Center met with Holger Haibach, MdB, Member of the German Parliament and Chairman of the Working Group on Economic Cooperation and Development; Frank Spengler, Deputy Head of the Department for International Cooperation at the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Berlin, Germany; and Thomas Birringer, Regional Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Abu Dhabi to discuss regional political and economic developments.
September 22, 2010A 20-member delegation from the Indian National Defense College visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss developments in the Gulf region, including the security situation in Iraq after the US withdrawal, the Arab-Israeli peace process, and the Iranian nuclear program. The delegates engaged in extensive discussions with GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security & Defense Program, and Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Relations.
September 20, 2010
A parliamentary delegation from the House of Representatives from New Zealand visited the GRC on Monday, September 20, 2010 to discuss developments in the Gulf and the changing international relations posture of the GCC states. The delegation was led by the Hon. Maryan Street, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Labour Party, Metiria Turei, Co-Leader of the Green Party and Craig Foss a Member of Parliament for the Tukituki National Party. Among others, the delegation was accompanied by Wayne Mikkelsen, Consul General and Trade Commissioner for New Zealand in Dubai. At the GRC, Dr. Christian Koch briefed the delegation and Dr. Mohammad Raouf provided an overview of the key environmental issues impacting development in the Gulf.
May 31, 2010Alan Makovsky and Robert N. Marcus, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and Aaron Nuutinen from the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi have visited the Gulf Research Center to meet Dr Mustafa Alani, Dr. Christian Koch and Nicole Stracke.
May 12, 2010A delegation led by Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, Deputy Commander of the United States Central Command paid a courtesy visit to the Gulf Research Center on the 12th of May 2010. At the GRC, he was met by Dr. Mustafa Alani, Dr. Christian Koch and Nicole Stracke and engaged in wideranging discussions.
May 6, 2010A delegation led by Dr. Jon Altermann, Director and Senior Fellow in the Middle East Program of the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC visited the GRC to discuss the current strategic enviornment in the Gulf region. In a lively discussion, most of the focus was on the implications of an Iranian nuclear program both for the external and internal security of the GCC states. Other topics included the outlook for the medium-term US presence in the region and the consequences of the global financial crisis on Dubai’s economic outlook. Briefing the delegation were Dr. Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor and Director of the Security and Defense Program, Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies and Nicole Stracke, Researcher in the Defense and Security Program.
April 19, 2010 A group of students from Sciences Po (Chaire Moyen-Orient Méditerranée) in France visited the Gulf Research Center under the auspices of the Eurogolfe Public Diplomacy & Outreach Project (EPDOP) in which Sciences Po is a participant. This is a European Commission project which aims to develop an in-depth network of relations between EU and GCC countries, focusing in particular on economic and political decision-makers, on intellectual and academic leaders, and on the young generation – students and young professionals.
GRC staff, including Dr. Mustafa Alani, Dr. Samir Pradhan, Dr. Mohammed Raouf and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis introduced the visiting students to the work of the GRC with specific focus on: the impact of the global economic crisis on business and international relations; Gulf region environmental and security issues; and the structure and functioning of GRC as an independent think tank.
March 25, 2010
A delegation from the US Air Force War College in Montgomery, Alabama visited the GRC for a briefing on regional events and developments. They were met by Dr. Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor and Program Director for Security and Terrorism Studies; Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies; and Nicole Stracke, Researcher in the Security and Terrorism Department. The group are on a study tour about the UAE and used their time at GRC to ask question related to what they had seen in the country and in the region.
January 28, 2010 Dr. Kyoichi Tanio & Kazumasa Ohsaki from The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan visited GRC where they met with Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf to discuss cooperation in the field of environment.
January 20, 2010The Swedish State Secretary Ola Altera of the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications paid a visit to the Gulf Research Center to discuss issues of energy and the environment with a specific focus on the work of the GRC on these issues also in relation to the recently announced GCC-EU Clean Energy Network. He was accompanied by the H.E. the Swedish ambassador to the UAE Bruno Beijer, Mr. Daniel Badman of the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Mr. Antoine Fanoun of the Swedish Trade Council in the UAE, Lisa Lundmark, Executive Officer in the International Secretariat of the Swedish Energy Agency and Jose Karre, First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Abu Dhabi. From the GRC side, Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies, Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director for Cooperation and Program Manager for the Science and Technology Research Program and Dr. Mohamed Raouf, Senior Researcher and Program Manager for the GCC Environmental Research Program attended the meeting.
January 20, 2010Dr. Leanne Piggott, Deputy Director of the Centre for International Security Studies and a member of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney visited the GRC where she met with Dr. Christian Koch to discuss current developments in the region and areas of cooperation with the Gulf Research Center. Specific issues included the role of education and energy security.
January 18, 2010Dr. Christian Koch, Dr. Mustafa Alani and Nicole Stracke received at the GRC, Mr. John Richardson, Director of the Brussels Forum of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and Lamis Khalilova also of GMF. They discussed development in the Gulf region and opportunities for cooperation.
Dr. Christian Koch received a group of students from the Free University of Berlin studying the urban planning process of Dubai.
January 17, 2010Nicole Stracke and Christian Koch received a 8-member student delegation from the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), a student-run think-tank at the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University
January 10, 2010Ms. Lina Chihabi Marketing Manager of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in Abu Dhabi visited GRC where she met with Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf to discuss cooperation in the field of environment.
December 30, 2009 A delegation from the Pillars of Knowledge for Research & Studies (PKRS) visited the Gulf Research Center. PKRS is a Khartoum-based non-profit, independent organization established in 2009. PKRS focuses on international relations, as well as social, economic and religious issues relating to Sudan. Dr. Ahmed Hassan, General Manager, Mr. Kalem Moustafa, Executive Manager, and Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Sadek, Director of Political Program of PKRS met with Dr. Oskar Ziemelis and Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf from the GRC to explore synergies between the two institutions and study possibilities of cooperation.
December 15, 2009Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, met with the Honorable Bob Rae, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre in the Canadian House of Commons to discuss regional developments and issues. Mr. Rae was accompanied by Taher Mukbel, Foreign Affairs Advisor and Cindie-Eve.Bourassa-Braun of the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
December 14, 2009Dr. Claudius Fischbach, Minister Counsellor of the Policy Planning Staff in the German Federal Foreign Office visited the GRC where he met with Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies and Nicole Stracke of the Security and Terrorism Department. Dr. Fischbach came to GRC after attending the Manama Dialogue meeting and Bahrain to discuss Dubai’s economic development, the status of the GCC and concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.
December 14, 2009
A Delegation from the Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission visited the GRC for a broad discussion about the status of civil society organization in the GCC countries and their role in the development of GCC-EU relations. The delegation included Gilles Bertrand and Samira Tovar Badt from the European Commission in Brussels as well as Petr Dubovec of the European Union Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their visit came in the context of increased institutional ties between the EU and the GCC with a further view of initiatives that can be sponsored to enhance those ties.
December 13, 2009As part of a Business Study Mission to the Gulf region, including Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a group of 41 students from the Singapore Management University (SMU) visited the GRC where they were briefed about the Center and the political, economic and security dimensions of the Gulf region by Abdulaziz Sager, the GRC Chairman, and other GRC staff. The delegation was led by Dr. Caroline Yeoh, Associate Professor of Management Practice at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business of SMU.
November 23, 2009Mr. Mathew Epstein, Financial Attaché at US Department of the Treasury visited the GRC and met with the Chairman of GRC Abdulaziz Sager
November 10, 2009A delegation from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), visited the Gulf Research Center. IDRC is a Canadian Crown Corporation that supports and helps build local capacity in developing countries to undertake research and create innovations under the broad themes of: Environment and Natural Resource Management; Information and Communication Technologies for Development; Social and Economic Policy; and Innovation Policy and Science. Dr. Rohinton Medhora, Vice-President, IDRC Programs, Dr. Eglal Rached, Regional Director, IDRC MENA, Lois Stevenson a visiting Research Fellow, IDRC MENA and Hoda Harb, Regional Outreach Officer, IDRC MENA met with Abdulaziz Sager the Chairman of GRC, Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation and Imen Jeridi Bachellerie, Researcher in the GRC Science & Technology Research Program. The purpose of the visit was to explore synergies between GRC and IDRC and study possibilities of cooperation on environment, science & technology and education projects.
November 9, 2009Recognizing the growing importance and relevance of GCC-Latin American relations, the Gulf Research Center (GRC) hosted a meeting on Monday, November 9, 2009 with the Heads of Mission and Consul Generals of Latin American countries in the UAE to exchange point of views and begin deliberations about possible collaboration. Present at the meeting alongside GRC representatives were H.E. Ruben Eduardo Caro, the Ambassador of Argentina; H.E. Jean-Paul Tarud K., the Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Lenin Bandres Herrera, the Ambassador of the Republic of Venezuela; H.E. Luis Bermudez Alvarez, Consul General of Uruguay; H.E. Francisco Alonso, Consul General of Mexico; H.E. Andres Fernando Pages, Consul General of Panama; Mr. Arthur Nogueira, Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Brazil; and Mr. Ignacio Gonzalez of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic. The meeting took place on the heels of recent developments in Latin American-Gulf relations including the Summit of South American and Arab Countries (ASPA), the numerous diplomatic exchanges between the two region and the 20-day visit of Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayid, the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates to numerous Latin American states in October 2009. While the focus of these events have been on expanding the economic opportunities between the two sides, the meeting at the GRC also stressed the need for a better and broader political relationship that can provide a more solid framework under which to take relations forward. The need for linkages between research institutions on both sides, regular exchanges of views, and joint meetings and projects, for example, in the fields of renewable energies, piracy, and overall political relations was also mentioned.
November 8, 2009A delegation from the Vietnam Institute for Africa & Middle East Studies (VIAMES) visited the Gulf Research Center. Prof. Do Duc Dinh, the Director of VIAMES headed the delegation, which also included Ms. Tran Thi Lan Huong, editor of the Journal of Africa and Middle East Studies. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. Nguyen Duc Cuong, Third Secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam and Ms. Pham Tan Hoa, Director of the Asia Pacific University Vietnam Office. Potential cooperation areas between GRC and VIAMES were discussed with Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation at the Gulf Research Center.
November 8, 2009 Dr. Koch met with Daniel Meyer of the Institut Francais du Proche-Orient to talk about a possible project on borders and national identity in the Gulf region.
November 5, 2009
A delegation from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) visited the Gulf Research Center. The delegation of ten was headed by HE Mr. Gao Quanli, Vice-President of CASS and included Prof. Zhang Youyun, Deputy Director-General of the CASS Bureau of International Cooperation. The delegation also included Prof. Yang Guang, Director-General of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies together with other members of the Institute, which is one of more than 30 research institutes that exist as part of CASS. The purpose of the visit was to enhance mutual understanding and explore possibilities of research cooperation between CASS and GRC. Views were also exchanged on developments in the Gulf region and China’s relations with the region.
November 4, 2009A delegation from the International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN), visited the Gulf Research Center. IUCN is a global environmental organization and a membership association with more than 1,000 member organizations in 140 countries and it has official observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. The Union’s headquarters are in Gland, near Geneva, Switzerland. IUCN supports governments, NGOs, international conventions, UN organizations, companies and communities to develop and implement laws, policy and best-practice to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable, by mobilizing organizations, providing resources, training people and monitoring results. Dr. Odeh Al Jayoussi, IUCN Regional Director, met with the Chairman of GRC Abdulaziz Sager, and the managers of the GRC Science and Technology and Environment research programs. The purpose of the visit was to explore possibilities of cooperation between GRC and IUCN, especially in the area of capacity building programs related to sustainability, green economy and renewable energies.
October 28, 2009
Dr. Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen of the Kuwait Programme of the London School of Economics visited the GRC and met with Dr. Christian Koch and Mr. Kareem Mahjoob of the GRC to inform about the current research being conducted at the LSE.
October 26, 2009
Dr. Koch received in the GRC offices the new Consul-General of Canada, Kris Panday, to discuss issue related to GCC-Canada relations. Mr. Panday is the first Consul-General to be appointed to Dubai.
October 19, 2009
Dr. Koch held a meeting with Mona Seghal, Jeena Beverridge and Jeffrey Phillips, of the US Governmental Accountability Office (GOA) in Washington DC to discuss US-GCC Relations specifically in relation to the Gulf Security Dialogue.
October 19, 2009Dr. Koch discussed current developments in the Gulf states during a visit to the Middle East Policy Council in Washington DC including a meeting with their newly appointed president Frank Anderson
September 29, 2009
The Chairman of the GRC, Abdulaziz Sager, met with Vasu Gounden, Founder and Executive Director of the African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), Board Member Aziz Pahad, the former Deputy Foreign Minister of South Africa, and Hayden Allen, General Manager at ACCORD for Corporate Affairs. They were joined in the meeting by Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation at the Gulf Research Center. The discussion focused on closer relations between the two institutions, ACCORD’s plan for the building of a Green Peace Center in Durban, South Africa, the role of conflict resolution in international affairs as well as regional trends and developments.
September 28, 2009
A delegation from the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) visited the Gulf Research Center. The delegation consisted of Dr. Tom Pearsall, EPIC Secretary General and Dr. Richard Kirk, CEO, Polyphotonix Company who were accompanied by Dr. Dieter Fuchs, General Manager of the Fraunhofer Middle East Office. EPIC is a not-for-profit consortium that brings together 80 European photonics businesses and institutions in support of sustainable development. The delegation discussed potential cooperation with the GRC Chairman and the managers of the GRC Science & Technology and Environment Research Programs.
September 23, 2009Dr. Koch received at the GRC Mr. Joerg Herrera, the newly appointed Deputy Consul-General of Germany in Dubai to discuss current development and the status of German-UAE Relations
September 13, 2009
Dr. Christian Koch met with Dr. Johannes Berthold of the St. Gallen Foundation to discuss cooperation between the two institution as well as hosting interns from the foundation at the GRC.
August 23, 2009A delegation of 20 post-graduate students from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland visited GRC. The students were all Master of Finance degree candidates interested in Gulf economic issues. The group, which was led by Prof. Maurice Pedergnana, was briefed by GRC research department heads on issues relating to the economic situation in the Gulf with a view to existing challenges and future trends.
August 13, 2009
A delegation of high ranking naval officers from the US Naval Forces, headed by Rear Admiral Thomas A. Cropper, Deputy Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command, paid a courtesy visit to the Gulf Research Center. The delegation was briefed on the current regional situation by the GRC Chairman and the heads of the relevant departments.
June 10, 2009A delegation from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss regional developments and Gulf-EU relations. The delegation, consisting of Dr. Gerhard Wahlers, Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Hardy Ostry, Head of Africa & ME Division and Mr. Thomas Birringer, Regional Representative to the Gulf States, was received and briefed by Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, the GRC Director of Cooperation.
May 14, 2009
Mr. Jiro Kodera, Director-General of the Intelligence and Analysis Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan visited the GRC where he met with Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies. They discussed current developments in the Gulf region especially issues pertaining to Yemen, the Iranian nuclear program and the Arab world in general. He was accompanied by Mr. Hiroyasu Kobayashi, the Consul General of Japan in Dubai.
May 14, 2009
The EU Commercial and Economic Counselors in the UAE held a meeting at GRC and were briefed by Dr. Eckart Woertz about the economic outlook of the GCC in 2009.
May 7,2009
H.E. Roland Koch, the Minister President of the German Federal State of Hessen, visited the GRC for a roundtable discussion of regional issues and priorities. He was accompanied on his visit by a delegation from the minister's office and as well as members of the regional parliament of the state of Hessen. Topics of discussion included the security challenges in the Gulf region including the Iranian nuclear program, the domestic developments in Iraq and the situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan and how they impact the Gulf, as well as the impact of the global financial crisis on the economic prospects for the region. Emphasis was also given to the role of Europe and particularly Germany in the Gulf and how it can strengthen its relations with the GCC states.
May 7, 2009A delegation from the South African Departmjent of Trade and Industry visited to the GRC to discuss the development of Gulf-Africa relations and ways to promote investment opportunities in Africa through GCC participation. The visit also talked about the planning for the second Gulf-Africa Forum to take place in Saudi Arabia in February 2010. The delegation was headed by Mr. Iqbal Merr Sharma, Deputy Director-General at the Department of Trade and Industry and also included Mr. Willem Van Der Spuy, Director for Trade and Investment in South Africa; Mr. Sake Van Der Wal, Deputy Director of the Middle East and Asia Desk and Yunus Hoosen, Director for Investment Promotion and Facilitation.
April 5, 2009
Michael Bauer, Research Fellow at the Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP) in Munich, Germany came to the GRC to discuss regional developments, the upcoming Kronberg Middle Talks of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the al-Jisr Project on GCC-EU relations
April 2, 2009
Alba Xhixho of the European Foundation for Democracy, an independent advocacy institute in Brussels visited the GRC to discuss developments in the current GCC-EU relationship and how the GRC can better promote GCC interests in Brussels.
March 17, 2009
The Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., Dr. Jon Alterman, visited the GRC as head of delegation of prominent specialists from the United States to discuss current issues in the Gulf region with a focus on the situation in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The delegation was briefed by the GRC Chairman, Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Mustafa Alani, Program Director for Security and terrorism Studies and Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies. Other topics included the threat from terrorism, the discussion about US policy initiatives towards Iran, and the current status of Saudi-Syria relations.
March 16, 2009
A delegation of the government of Bavaria/ Germany visited GRC on March 16, 2009 and was briefed by Dr. Christian Koch and Dr. Eckart Woertz about the current political and economic situation in the Gulf.
March 15, 2009
A delegation from the Institute of West Asian Studies (IKRAB) of the National University of Malaysia (UKM) comprising Prof. Dr. Siti Rugayah HJ. Tibek, Director, Prof. Dr. Jamal Othman, Deputy Director and Prof. Dr. Mohd. Safar Hasim, Principal Fellow visited GRC on 15th March 2009. The Malaysian delegation received a briefing about the various GRC work programs and discussed possible areas of cooperation. The IKRAB delegation informed GRC about their ongoing research projects on Malaysia-West Asia relations, covering specific themes such as, Tourism, Free Trade Agreement and Socio-economic development. The GRC team, led by the Chairman, Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, addressed the issues raised as well as potential areas cooperation, and agreed to take forward the existing momentum. It was decided to transform the letter of intent signed earlier between IKRAB and GRC into a formal MoU in the near future.
March 10, 2009
Joanna R. Veltri, Deputy Director Middle East & Africa at the U.S. Department of Treasury in Washington visited GRC for a briefing about petrodollar recycling and Gulf investment strategies
March 3, 2009 Dr. Neil Quilliam, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Desk at Control Risks in London visited the GRC to talk about ways of cooperation
February 24, 2009 A delegation of the Universities of Darmstadt and Bingen visited GRC on February 24, 2009 to inform themselves about market potential for German environmental companies in the UAE. They were briefed by Dr. Mohammed Raouf and Dr. Eckart Woertz about contemporary environmental issues in the UAE.
February 23, 2009
H. E. Mats Odell, Minister for Local Government & Financial Markets of the Kingdom of Sweden visited GRC on February 23, 2009. He headed a high ranking delegation of Swedish bankers and they were briefed by Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC about the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis in the Gulf Region.
February 11, 2009
A group of seven professors and administrators from INSEAD, one of the world’s largest graduate business schools visited GRC. The GRC Chairman briefed the visitors on the work of GRC and the business education and research landscape in the Gulf region was discussed together with relevant economic issues. Future cooperation between GRC and INSEAD in the area of business-related research and education was also addressed.
February 10, 2009 Students from the economic faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany visited the GRC on February 10, 2009. The students were led by Professor Franz-Joseph Busse. Dr Eckart Woertz, Program Manager of Economics briefed the group on GRCs activities and gave a lecture on the current economic developments in the Gulf. In his presentation on the "Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the GCC Countries" he highlighted the economic and financial implications for the Gulf States and discussed with the students possible consequences for the six economies' growth models.
January 25, 2009 A class from The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, USA visited GRC on January 25, 2009. The delegation was led by Ambassador (ret.) Barbara K. Bodine and was briefed about current affairs of the Gulf region.
December 23, 2008
Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, the GRC Chairman received Mr. Narendra S. Sisodia, the Director General of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), who visited GRC to sign a cooperation MoU to establish academic and scholarly ties and discuss issues of mutual interest. IDSA is considered to be one of the premier strategic and security studies Think Tanks in India. The Institute has enlarged its focus of research from Defence Studies to cover issues of National and International Security and its expertise is frequently utilized by the Indian Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence.
December 17, 2008
The GRC Chairman, Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, received a number of African ambassadors to the UAE. The representatives from Algeria, Angola, Djibouti, Egypt, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland and Tunisia came to discuss the progress made with the organization of the first ever-held Gulf and Africa Strategy Forum 2009. Each representative reinforced their support to the event.
December 16, 2008
Dr. Koch received on December 16, 2008, Dr. Ashok Kumar, the Acting Director General of the Indian Council for World Affairs, in the GRC offices. The two discussed areas of mutual interest including possible collaboration on workshops and other events.
November 25, 2008GRC was visited by a group of 30 students from Raffles Junior College of Singapore as part of the college's Middle East programme, an enrichment programme that explores the socio-politics and economics of the region. The students were briefed about GRC and the research work that it is carrying out, including economic, political, security and environmental issues related to the Gulf region. The translation work of GRC was also discussed.
November 10, 2008Ms. Linda Koch Lorimer, Vice President and Secretary of Yale University and Mr. David Schiffman, Digital Strategist in the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of Yale University visited the GRC to discuss possible collaboration between Yale University and the Gulf Research Center. Discussions focused on cooperation in the areas of publication dissemination, Arabic-English as well as English-Arabic translation and executive training programs.
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies met with Prof. Dr. Cilja Harders of the Center for Middle Eastern Politics at the Free University of Berlin to discuss closer cooperation including the possibility of exchange programs for doctoral and master’s level students. The Gulf Research Center already has a cooperation agreement with the Free University of Berlin.
Dr. John Duke Anthony, President of the National Council on US-Arab Relations and Mr. Pat Mancino, Vice-President and Director of Development at NCUSAR, visited the Gulf Research Center where they met with GRC’s chairman, Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor and Director of Security and Terrorism Studies and Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies. In addition to discussing the outcome of the recent US presidential election and its possible impact on the Gulf region, the discussion also focused on cooperation and the possibility of engaging in the NCUSAR’s Congressional Briefing series in Washington DC.
November 9, 2008The GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager received Philip Erzinger, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Gallen Foundation to discuss mutual interests and the GRC’s assistance in the holding of the 39th annual St. Gallen symposium scheduled for May 2009.
Dr. Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House, visited the GRC to discuss current developments as well as possible collaboration between Chatham House and the Gulf Research Center. Among the three core research areas that Chatham focuses on are Energy, Environment and Resource Governance; International Economics; and Regional and Security Studies. Both sides also discussed about possible organizing joint events on topical Gulf regional issues.
November 6, 2008A delegation of the young executives program of the German Ministry of Economy visited GRC on November 6, 2008. They were briefed by Dr. Christian Koch, Director International Relations and Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics about the impact of the global financial crisis on the GCC countries and their challenges in the international political system. 
November 2, 2008 A delegation from the Fraser Institute, an independent think tank headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and publisher of the Economic Freedom in the Arab World Annual Report, visited the Gulf Research Center on November 2 to discuss regional development in the Gulf region. Following a short introduction by the chairman about the GRC activities and objectives, the meeting proceeded to a wide-ranging and interactive discussion round during which topics ranging from political, security and economic issues were highlighted.
October 28, 2008 Mr. Jean François-Poncet, President of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the French Senate in Paris and former Minister of Foreign Affairs visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss current developments in the region. He was accompanied by Senator Madame Cerisier ben Guiga, Frederic Mauro, Advisor for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces and Mrs. Nada Yafi, French Consul General.
September10, 2008 Our chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager had a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organisation fo the Islamic Conference Prof. Dr. Dr. H.C.Mult Ekmedleddin Ihsanogli in Jeddah on the 10th September 2008. 
August 21, 2008 The new Ambassador of South Africa to the United Arab Emirates, his Excellency Mr. Yacoob Abba Omar and the Consul General of South Africa in Dubai, Ms. Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, visited the Gulf Research Center (GRC). They were briefed on the activities of the GRC as well as the main current issues in the region. Cooperation towards the organization of the first Gulf-Africa Strategy Forum was also discussed. 
June 26, 2008 Mr. Oliver Klaus, Assistant Managing Editor for Middle East at DowJones Newswires visited the GRC to discuss regional political and economic developments.
June 26, 2008 Courtesy visit by Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff , Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command & Commander of US Fifth fleet, and his team of advisers to GRC. 
June 25, 2008 Prof. Christopher P. Manfredi. Dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University in Canada visited the GRC to discuss further collaboration in line of the MoU between McGill University and the GRC.
June 23, 2008
A group of graduate-level students mostly from the American University in Washington D.C. and currently participating in a seminar at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), visited the GRC. They were briefed on GRC’s activities as well as the political and security developments in the Gulf. The students were led by Prof. Isa Blumi, Assistant Professor of History at Georgia State University and a visiting Professor of International Studies at AUSh. 
June 11, 2008
Michael Backfisch, Middle East Bureau Chief of Handelsblatt, Germany’s Business and Financial Daily James Stone, Regional Policy Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa, of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada Cindie-Eve Bourassa Braun, Second Secretary at Embassy of Canada, Abu Dhabi
June 10, 2008 Zaineb Al-Assam, Head of Middle East Division at Exclusive Analysis Ltd., London. Roger Tondeur, President of MCI Group, Sumaira Isaacds, Managing Director of MCI Group Middle East. Ajay Bhojwani, Director of MCI Abu Dhabi.
June 9, 2008 Shinichi Kadoya, President and Representative Director of Front Interrest Co. Ltd., JapanAmir Pasic, Associate Dean, Development and Alumni Relations at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
June 9, 2008 Dr. Andreas Schild, director general, International center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathamandu, Nepal visited GRC to discuss possible cooperation in environmental issues.
GRC Participations and Presentations
May 14 – 15, 2013Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defence Department participated in the conference organized by the Russian ‘Valdai Discussion Club’ on the topic of “Islam in Politics: Ideology or Pragmatism”. The conference was supported by the Russian Foreign Ministry and by other official Russian institutions, and held in city of Marrakesh – Morocco.
May 10, 2013
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, visited the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy where he met with members of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences as well as give a lecture to students on the impact of current developments in the Arab world on the GCC states and its relevance for EU-GCC relations.
April 22-24, 2013
GRC-GCSP Panel at the ISF
The Gulf Research Center (GRC) together with the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) hosted the panel discussion on “Security Implications of the Arab Spring” as part of the 10th International Security Forum held from April 22 to 24, 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation chaired the panel discussion with presentations from Prof. Bahgat Korany of the American University on Cairo; Prof. Mohammed-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Regional Capacity Development Program at GCSP; and Dr. Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor and Director of the Security and Defense Research Program at the GRC. The panel pursued three main questions – what security issues have been raised by the ‘Arab Spring’; how are these challenges playing out in the region and how are they been addressed by the different actors; and what are the implications in this changing security scene for the region’s international partners. All speakers highlighted the fluid nature of the situation while focusing on the phenomenon of the weakened state which in turn is highlighting the potential of an open-ended period of volatility for the entire Middle East. The presentations were followed by a lively debate and a question and answer session.
_6810.jpg)
_7102.jpg)
April 22, 2013
Professor Gilles Kepel gave a lecture in Venice as part of the prestigious series of Ca' Foscari International Lectures. Professor Matteo Legrenzi who heads the GRC program@Ca' Foscari University of Venice was the discussant. Professor Kepel talked about his latest book "Passion Arabe" for the first time outside France.
April 17, 2013
The Gulf Research Center and the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University held a joint seminar under the tile “Japan-GCC Cooperation Forum” in order to explore the various means through which Japan and the GCC states can improve their relations and cooperation. The seminar featured presentation from Prof. Toshiya Hoshino, Dean of the OSIPP and Advisor to the President of Osaka University for International Affairs, GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office. Following the seminar, Dr. Sager and Prof. Hoshino signed a memorandum of understanding between the GRC and OSIPP to include cooperation on joint research and future events.
_019_7975.jpg)
_010_1575.jpg)
April 16, 2013
As part of their trip to South Korea and Japan, the Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office in Tokyo, Japan held the following meetings/events in Tokyo on April 16th:
• A meeting with Yuji Takagi, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) and Dr. Akira Matsunaga, Deputy Director of the Sasakawa Middle East Islam Fund to talk about cooperation including participation at the Gulf Research Meeting
• Dr. Sager held a briefing for Sojitz Senior Management on Developments in the Gulf region. The briefing followed a private session with Yutuka Kase, Chairman of the Board of Sojitz Coperation. Present at the briefing were Shinichi Taniguchi, Executive Vice-President, Shuhei Inoue, Corporate Advisor and Michihiko Fukui, Leader for Middle East and Africa in the Regional Coordination and Administration Department.
• A meeting with the Ache Corporation, Keiji Nambu
• The GRC held a joint workshop with the Japan Institute of International Affairs entitled “Evaluating the US pivot to Asia: Gulf and North-East Asian perspectives on April 16, 2013 in Tokyo. While Dr. Sager, GRC Chairman, provided the Gulf point of view, Dr. Seiichiro Takagi gave a presentation on how the US strategy shift is seen from Northeast Asia and specifically Japan.
• Following the workshop at the Japan Institute for International Affairs, Amb. Yukio Satoh, Vice-Chairman of the JIIA hosted a dinner for the GRC delegation
• A meeting with Mr. Komatsu and Kiyoshi Yoshimitsu of the Komatsu Research and Advisory (KRA)
April 15, 2013
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office in Tokyo, Japan continued their meetings during the visit to Japan. On April 15, this included:
• A meeting with Masakazu Toyoda, Chairman and CEO; Koichiro Tanaka, Managing Director and Akiko Yoshioka of the Institute of Energy Economics to review energy developments in the region and to sign a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between JIME and the Gulf Research Center.
• A meeting with Katsuhiro Nakagawa, Chairman of the Institute for International Economic Studies
• A lecture by the Chairman of GRC at the Institute for International Economic Studies in Japan on current developments in the Gulf region before members of the Institute’s staff as well as those of Toyota Corporation.
• A meeting with Mr. Yasayuki Nambu, Group CEO and President of the Pasona Group based in Tokyo
• A meeting with Kenichi Kawasaki, President and Takeshi Hosokawa, Senior Managing Director of the Daiwa PI Partners to look at boosting investment opportunities between the Gulf and Japan
• A meeting with NYK Shipping Group including Mr. Ken’ichi Miki, Corporate Officer and Yuji Nishijima to discuss the situation the Gulf region and relevant issues of logistics.
April 12, 2013
Continuing on their visit to Japan, GRC Chairman, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Director of the GRC Foundation, Dr. Christian Koch and Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office in Japan, Noriko Suzuki, held the following meetings:
• With Mr. Masanori Iwahori, Executive Reporter, and Tetsuya Karata, Senior Producer of the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)
• Ms. Yuriko Koike, Member of the House of Representatives in Japan and former Minister of Defense. She was accompanied by Mr. Mizuta Masahiro, Secretary to Ms. Koiko.
• Mr. Nobuhisa Degawa of the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). Mr. Degawa conducted a wide-ranging interview with Dr. Sager on current developments in the Gulf and the Middle East
• Mr. Takeshi Kondo, General Manager, and Mr. Toshiyuki Kawahara, Assistant Manager of Fuji Electric
• Mr. Shuhei Inoue of Sojitz Corporation and Mr. Tada Yukio and the Sojitz Research Institute
• Mr. Satoru Nakamura, General Manager in the Planning and Development Department of the ITOCHU Corporation.
April 12 – 14, 2013
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director Department of Security and Defence Studies participated as speaker in the 11th session of the Körber Dialogue Middle East held in Berlin.
April 11, 2013
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office in Tokyo, Japan held a series of meetings during their visit to Japan. This included:
• Toyoto Tsusho Corporation headed by its Chairman of the Board Junzo Shimizu; Hajime Sakaguchi, General Manager of the Public Affairs Department; and Mitsuru Konishi, Project General Manager at the Public Affairs Department
• Mr. Tomohiko Taniguchi, Councillor at the Cabinet Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan
• NEC Cooperation led by its Senior Vice-President and Head of its Global Business Unit, Takayuki Morita; Masahiro Ikeno, General Manager of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Division; Keita Ito, Deputy General Manager of the Americas and EMEA Sales Division; Akio Sumitomo; Senior Manager of the Americas and EMEA Sales Division and Naoyoshi Takagi, Department Manager for Middle East and North Africa in the Americas and EMEA Sales Division
April 10, 2013
As part of the Korea-GCC Economic Cooperation Forum held by the Gulf Research Center and the Korea Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager held a meeting with Dong-Geun Lee, Executive Vice Chairman of KCCI, Mr. Seho Kim, Executive Director for International Affairs at KCCI, and Mr. Lee Kang Min, Head of the Euro-American and Afro-Middle East Team at KCCI. Dr. Sager was joined in the meeting by Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation and Noriko Suzuki, Director of the GRC Foundation Asia office in Tokyo, Japan.
March 31 - April 2, 2013
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in the Arab - Turkish Dialogue Forum which took place in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
March 31 - April 1, 2013
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in "Bahrain International Forum" organized by the University of Bahrain and Bahraini American Council at the University of Bahrain, Manama.
March 25, 2013
Marc Lynch, Associate Professor at George Washington University and Director, Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS), and Lorenzo Cremonesi, Middle East correspondent of "Corriere della Sera," discussed the theme "What Is Left of the Arab Spring?” in front of a packed audience at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The event was organized by the GRC program at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice directed by Professor Matteo Legrenzi. The lecture, the discussion, and the subsequent Q&A session was recorded in its entirety and will soon be available on the Ca' Foscari University youtube channel.
March 21, 2013
The GRC program at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, directed by Prof. Matteo Legrenzi, and the Italian Navy Staff College co-organized a workshop on "Mediterranean Equilibria" bringing together scholars, diplomats, and military personnel from Italy and other NATO and Middle Eastern countries. The workshop was introduced by Admiral Talarico, Inspector of the Italian Navy, and Rear Admiral Ertreo, Commander of the Italian Navy Staff College. The focus throughout the day was on energy security and the security aspects that link the Mediterranean and the Gulf in what is known in Italian strategic doctrine as the "Greater Mediterranean Security Complex." Among the participants were the Director General for the Middle East and North Africa of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Minister Plenipotentiary Mauro Conciatori, and Dr. Nathalie Tocci, Deputy Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome.
March 19, 2013
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager gave a briefing to participants in the NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC) held at the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. Dr. Sager focused on the recent developments in the Gulf region and the wider Middle East and how these relate to NATO strategy.
March 18, 2013
The GRC program at Ca' Foscari University of Venice directed by Prof. Matteo Legrenzi co-sponsored a meeting on “Transnational Communism as a System of International Relations.” The meeting saw the participation of renowned expert and author of "Comrades! A History of World Communism” Prof. Robert Service of Oxford University, Professor Silvio Pons of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and Prof. Alberto Masoero of Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The meeting was introduced by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Italy Kim Young-Seok who discussed the impact of Communism on the Korean peninsula and the current strategic situation in North-East Asia.
March 16-17, 2013
A meeting of the Strategic Studies Network coordinated by the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies was held in Venice. GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager attended the meeting which was co-organized with the GRC program at Ca' Foscari University of Venice directed by Prof. Matteo Legrenzi and saw the participation of various experts who drafted a perspective agreement to resolve the current dispute with Iran over its nuclear program. It is hoped that the draft agreement, which will soon be published, will help both technical experts and decision makers to reach an actual agreement that would lead to a peaceful resolution of the dispute and a safer and more prosperous Gulf. The views expressed were diverse and sometimes antithetical but the exercise was extremely helpful in clarifying the concrete difficulties faced by negotiators in Istanbul and Kazakhstan.
March 15, 2013 Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation, spoke at an event of the Institut francais des relations internacionales (IFRI) and the American University of Paris on “France and the United States: Different Perspectives of a new Arab World.” Dr. Koch focused on the developments in the Gulf region and its implications for Western countries. The event was attended by more than 70 participants from the French academic and policy community. For more information, please see http://www.ifri.org/?page=contribution-detail&id=7536&id_provenance=79
February 15-22, 2013
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow - GRC Environment Research Program, participated in the United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) fourteenth Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-14) and the first governing council of UNEP with universal membership (27th UNEP Governing Council / Global Ministerial Forum) held in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Raouf chaired the session on “Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) and its Role in Sustainable Development.” The governing council took the historic decision to establish the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) of UNEP. GRC participated in the meeting in its current capacity as the Global Focal Point of the Science and Technology Major Group of UNEP.
February 20, 2013 GRC organized an event titled “Green Stories from West Asia” on the sidelines of the first governing council meeting of UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya. The event presented some of the best green activities, projects, and research being carried out by major groups and civil societies in some of the countries of the West Asia region. The main speakers in the event were: Dr. Hassan A. Hilal, Minister of Environment, Forest and Urban Development, the Sudan, and Head of 27th UNEP Governing Council; Dr. Yousef Atallah Abu Safieh, Minister of Environment Affairs, Palestine; and Dr. Iyad Abumoghli, Director and Regional Representative, UNEP, ROWA. Other speakers included: Habiba El Marashi, Dr. Youssef Meslmani, and Amna Bihery from West Asia Civil Societies NGOs.
February 15-16, 2013
Dr Mustafa Alani, Director of the Department of Security and Defense Studies, participated as a speaker in the meeting organized by Carnegie Middle East Center under the title “The Middle East Dialogue: New Political and Security Dynamics Shaping the Arab Region.” He spoke in the session on “Political Developments in Syria and Egypt.” The meeting was held in Cairo on February 15-16, 2013.
February 15, 2013
“Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, took part in a small roundtable discussion on the National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 report held at the Deutsche Bank in Berlin, Germany. The discussions focused on the changes in global energy, the role of China, whether international organizations can adapt sufficiently to meet the changed world as expected in 2030 as well as the changing role of Germany. The event was attended by 20 persons.”
February 1-3, 2013
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in the 49th annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) held in Munich, Germany. The MSC is one of the largest gatherings of policy officials in the security field. German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere opened the conference.
January 24, 2013
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager spoke at a briefing organized by the Swiss bank UBS in Zürich, Switzerland on the "Latest Political and Economic Challenges and Opportunities in the Middle East." This is part of a regular series of briefings that UBS organizes on important developments with relevance for Switzerland.
January 21-22, 2013 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated as an invited speaker in the Gulf Eco Conference on 21-22 January 2013 in Muscat, Oman, organized by Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE) and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs. Dr. Raouf’s presentation was entitled: “Sustainable Development in the Middle East and the Real Outcome of Rio 20”.
January 16-17, 2013
Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the “EU-GCC Energy Cooperation Conference 2013: Success Stories, Prospects and Challenges”, which was the 3rd Annual Conference of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network. The conference took place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as a side event of the World Future Energy Summit 2013. The conference was opened by Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, who is the European Commissioner for Climate Action. EU-GCC cooperation relating to energy was the main focus of the conference, with specific emphasis on renewable energy readiness as well as clean natural gas and carbon capture & storage technologies; current status and future deployment plans were discussed. The conference was organized in cooperation with Masdar Institute and SHARAKA, a project with the goal of enhancing understanding and cooperation in EU-GCC relations. A technical site visit to Masdar Institute at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi was also arranged. Additional details about the conference can be found at: http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net.
December 16-17, 2012
Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation, attended the Arab - Latin American Forum which took place in Abu Dhabi on 16-17 December 2012. The Forum, which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates University and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), focused on prospects for an enhanced Arab - Latin American partnership. The event brought together political, business and academic leaders from Latin America and the Arab world and produced the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which set forth the principles and concrete steps for moving forward the Arab - Latin American partnership in the most creative and beneficial way.
December 11-13, 2012
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program, participated in the Global Environment Facility - NGO (GEF-NGO) Expanded Constituency Workshop for West Asia and North Africa, which took place on 11-13 December 2012 in Antalya, Turkey. The workshop was centered around discussions of GEF projects in the region and updates of rules for applying for GEF projects. GRC participated in the workshop in its current capacity as the regional focal point for the GEF-NGO Network for West Asia.
December 4, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch participated in the EU-GCC Workshop on research and innovation cooperation in Brussels held by INCO-NET GCC with the support of the European Commission under the Seventh Research Framework Program. Dr. Koch spoke at the meeting about strategic tracks for EU-GCC countries cooperation.
December 3, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan has attended workshop of Arabic Studies in Japanese and Arab universities. This workshop is organized and hosted by Arab Islamic Institute in Tokyo and Ab-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia.
November 29, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation met with Prof. Dr. Christoph Stueckelberger, Executive Director and Founder of Globethics.net and with Thomas Scoenberger, Program Director to discuss closer cooperation. The meetings focused on plans for joint library resources and participation by Globethics in the Gulf Research Meeting.
November 28, 2012
The EU-GCC Clean Energy Network's GCC Renewable Energy Readiness meeting was held at the GCC Pavilion, Qatar National Convention Center, Doha on 28 November 2012. The meeting was co-organized with the Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute of the Qatar Foundation as a side event at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP18) to highlight the importance of a recent initiative, the “GCC Renewable Energy Readiness Assessment Report”, which is being developed with network partners across the GCC states. The Gulf Research Center was represented at the meeting by Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow, Environment Research Program.
November 26 to December 1, 2012
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow, Environment Research Program participated in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP18) in Doha, Qatar from November 26 to December 1, 2012. The Gulf Research Center was accredited to participate in COP18 as an observer organization from the West Asia region.
November 26-27, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center presented a paper at the plenary session of the Annual Conference of the Arab Thought Foundation (Thought 11) which was held in Dubai from 26- 27/11/2012. Dr. Sager has introduced his vision for the future of the Arab cooperation in the economic field.
Dr. Sager presented his paper in the session titled: (competition and cooperation: Beyond the borders of the homeland) in which he pointed out the reality of the Arab cooperation in the economic field, and identified the reasons for the poor volume and value of trade exchange between Arab countries. Moreover, he discussed the history and values of the trade exchanges, and indicated how to promote it. he addressed also the difficulties that it face Arab trade exchange in the post-Arab spring.
November 26-27, 2012
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defence Studies Department participated as speaker in "Regional Security and Steps Toward Reducing WMD Risks in the Middle East Conference" organized by Edam (Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies) held in Istanbul – Turkey.
November 21, 2012
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow, Environment Research Program gave a public lecture on “Green Economy” on 21 November 2012 in Dubai, UAE. The lecture was organized by the Emirates Environmental Group and hosted by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai. The lecture focused on the definition of “green economy” as well as its principles and challenges in the Arab world.
November 20, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation attended the European Think Tank Summit on “Think Tanks in a Time of Policy Paralysis: On the Sidelines, or Catalysts for Ideas and Actions?” organized by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania and held in Rome, Italy. As part of the meetings, which brought together more than 50 leading think tanks from Europe and beyond, Dr. Koch chaired the final session on recommendations and next steps.
November 19 -20, 2012
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow, Environment Research Program participated in the West Asia Civil Society and Stakeholders meetings of the UNEP- Regional Office for West Asia from 19-20 November 2012 in Dubai, UAE. The primary goal of the meeting was to prepare the West Asia Statement for the UNEP Governing Council Meeting that will take place in Nairobi in February 2013.
November 17 and 18, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch spoke on the panel “Regional and International Approaches to Stabilizing Gulf Security” at the 2012 Aspen European Strategy Forum on “The Greater Middle East and the Transatlantic Community” held in Berlin on November 17 and 18, 2012. On his panel, he delivered a paper on the role of regional security organizations with a focus on the GCC.
November 16, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch presented a paper “The GCC States and the West: Challenges of Arab Transitions” during the Transatlantic Security Symposium 2012 of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) held in Rome, Italy on November 16, 2012. The paper will be published as part of their conference proceedings under the general theme of “Potential and Challenges of EU-US Relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council
November 15, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan has attended workshop of “ The Gulf States and the Rebalancing of Global Power in an Age of Uncertainty” as a panellist. This workshop was co-hosted by Waseda University and JIME (Center Institute of Energy and Economic Japan). The key note speaker is Dr Krisitan Coates-Ulrichsen, London School of Economics. This discussion examined the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ changing position within a global order itself in a state of flux following the global financial and economic crisis and a regional order facing the participatory pressures of the Arab Spring.
November 14, 2012
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defence Research Department participated as a speaker in the 23rd Oil and Money Conference held in London between 13 – 14 November, 2012. He participated in the session about "The Geopolitical Developments in the MENA Region". Oil & Money, the energy industry's premier conference, is co-hosted by Energy Intelligence and the International Herald Tribune
Since its inauguration in 1980, the Oil & Money conference annually gathers the most significant senior executives from the petroleum and natural gas industry across the globe and continues to set the standard for candid, high-level discussion and debate on issues of the day. Each year Oil & Money continually attracts over 450 senior level executives from more than 40 countries. 
November 14, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch engaged in a discussion over the Middle East and Gulf Affairs with the newsdesk editor of Le Monde Diplomatique including Alain Gresh in Paris, France.
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a podium discussion at the Academie Diplomatique International moderated by Jean-Claude Cousseran, Secretary-General of the Academy. The event was organized by the Bertelsmann Foundation as part of their Europe and Middle East program.
November 13, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, took part in a panel discussion at the European Parliament with the participation of MEP, Elmar Brok. The event focused on the current state of the Arab transformation and its impact for the EU.
Dr. Christian Koch held a meeting with the Ambassador of the GCC to the European Union, H.E. Amal Al-Hamad. They discussed the current state of relations between the EU and the GCC and the needs for further concrete measures to enhance mutual ties.
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a discussion and roundtable with members of the Belgian government under the leadership of Mr. Marc Otte, Political Director at the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
November 12, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation in Geneva participated in a panel discussion at the Bertelsmann Foundation in Berlin where he provided the Gulf perspective in the overall topic of “Europe, Turkey and the Arabellion after the US elections.” The event brought together more than 60 representatives of the German government, the diplomatic community in Berlin and the academics and think tank representatives.
November 11-12, 2012
Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the UAE-Swiss Research Day organized jointly with the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum 2012 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Research Day event, organized by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and hosted by Zayed University, was devoted to the theme “Frontiers in Water, Energy and Sustainability.” The Forum was an opportunity to review current water, energy and sustainability issues that are important to both the UAE and Switzerland. In his interactions at the Forum, Dr. Ziemelis highlighted GRC’s activities in the areas of environment and sustainable development as well as GRC’s upcoming GCC-Swiss Forum which will take place in September 2013.
November 10 -15, 2012
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow, Environment Research Program participated in the 43rd Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council Meeting on 13-15 November 2012 as well as in associated Civil Society Organization consultations from 10-12 November 2012 in Washington, DC. GRC is currently the Regional Focal Point for West Asia in the GEF- NGO Network.
November 3 to 6, 2012
November 3 to 6, 2012 – Dr. Christian Koch attended the Strategic Studies Summit entitled “Forward Thinking” in Bangkok, Thailand organized by the Strategic Studies Network under the lead of the Near East and South Asia Center of the National Defense University, Washington. As part of the meeting, Dr. Koch chaired the working group on “Geopolitical Implications of Transitions in the Middle East and North Africa.” The working group aims to issue a white paper on its deliberations to the next summit meeting to be held in November 2013.
November 2 – 4, 2012
Dr Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defence Research Department participated as a speaker in the 10th session of the Körber Dialogue Middle East held in Berlin between 2 – 4 November 2012, under the title "The Arab World post Arab Spring: Democracy – and Chaos".
October 30, 2012Dr. Abdulaziz Sager visited Singapore on October 30, 2012. During the visit, he participated in a series of activities that took place at the National University of Singapore, including a meeting with Singapore Management University students in which he gave a talk on “Lessons in Life” and MEI-SMU Workshop titled: wars & sanctions in the Middle East: what's in it for Asia?
October 22 – 23, 2012
Dr Mustafa Alani, the Director of the Security and Defence Department participated as the speaker of the session on “Failing States and al-Qaeda” in the "2nd Berlin Foreign Policy Forum" organized by the German Foreign Ministery and Körber Fundation, Berlin, Germany.
October 20-21, 2012 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated in the Post Rio to Post-2015 Conference which took place on 20-21 October 2012 and was organized by the stakeholders forum, Green Economy Coalition, UNEP and UN DESA at Pace University, NY, USA. The conference addressed the main focus areas and outcomes of the Rio+20 conference, i.e., Green Economy, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Consumption & Production and International Environmental Governance, as well as linkages with the Post-2015 environment agenda. Dr. Raouf represented GRC in the meeting in its current capacity as the Global Focal Point of the Science and Technology Major Group of UNEP.
October 19 – 20, 2012
Dr Mustafa Alani, the Director of the Security and Defence Department participated in the meeting organized in Istanbul by The Carnegie Middle East Center as part of the “Middle East Dialogue Series", under the title "THE MIDDLE EAST DIALOGUE: NEW POLITICAL AND SECURITY DYNAMICS SHAPING THE ARAB REGION". Istanbul, Turkey.
October 12, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan has visited KIEP (Korea Institute for International Economic Policy) in Seoul, in order to have further discussion with Dr Wook Chae, President of KIEP and his team. The two sides has agreed to sign a revised MOU during Chairman Sager’s provisional visit to Seoul, in order to conduct further joint activities on promoting Gulf-Republic Korea economic ties as well as proceeding associated research and consultancy activities for South Korean and Japanese public and private organization.
October 12, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan has visited KCCI (Korea Chambers of Commerce) in Seoul in order to deliver the brief on the investment related matters between Saudi Arabia and Republic of Korea, for the occasion of 50th anniversary of Saudi Arabia and Republic of Korea’s diplomatic ties. KCCI has kindly agreed to host the seminar (Tentative Subject: GCC-S Korea Economic and Energy relations) for GRC during Chairman Sager’s provisional visit to Seoul at March 2013 as well as further collaboration with GRC.
October 6, 2012
"A workshop has been held on October 6 in Venice with the support of the GRC Foundation. The workshop organized jointly by Oxford University, the British Academy in Ankara and Ca' Foscari University of Venice examined the role of middle powers and CUSP states in the international system. Papers delivered at the conference will later be published in a book put out by Routledge. For further information, please consult http://www.unive.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=142609"
October 2, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch held meetings today in Berlin with Thorsten Benner, Associate Director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) to discuss aspects of mutual cooperation; with Thomas Birringer, Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in relations to common interests in EU-GCC relations and the role of civil society organizations in the Gulf region; and with Kai Gerlach of Gerlach Press on publication issues related to the outcome of the 2012 Gulf Research Meeting.
September 30, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan, held a meeting with Associate Professor Satoru Nakamura of Middle East Politics, Kobe University to discuss cooperation with the GRC and Professor Hoshino of Osaka University. The three sides have agreed to collaborate further, in order to enhance and promote Gulf -Japan ties and research. Kobe University will sign revised MOU during Chairman Sager’s next visit to Japan
September 26, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan attended the “Saudi Arabia National Day” reception in order to enhance ties between GRC Asia and Saudi Arabian Embassy and the Culture Office (which represents the Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia) as well as promote GRC’s activities and visibilities in Japan
September 25, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Dr. Christian Koch held a roundtable discussion with representatives of the Swiss government in Bern, Switzerland, on September 25, 2012 focusing on the key recent developments in the Gulf region including the political environment, the state of the economy, as well as the situations in Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Attending from the Swiss side were Amb. Wolfgang Bruelhart, Assistant State Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa Division in the Directorate of Political Affairs, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA); Stephan Kellenbrger, Deputy Regional Coordinator for Middle East; Francis Piccand, Head for Research and Analysis in the same directorate of the FDFA; Jean-Blaise Defago, Personal Advisor to the Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil protection and Sport (DDPS); and Adrian Bless, Deputy Head of Division at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
September 22 to 25, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center held a keynote address on “Economic and Political Trends and Developments in the Middle East” at the stars Symposium for Leaders of the Next Generation held in Stein am Rhein from September 22 to 25, 2012. In addition to the speech, Dr. Sager also conducted a workshop on the same topic with participants at the meeting. The stars Symposium brought together more than 100 business leaders and executives representing companies worldwide. It is organized by the starts Foundation with the support of UBS Wolfsberg.
September 24, 2012 The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager held a colloquium with the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich on Monday, September 24, 2012 where he spoke on “Perspectives on the Middle East” with a special reference to security issues and challenges. Dr. Roland Popp, Senior Researcher at the ETH commented on the presentation while Dr. Oliver Thraenert, Head of the Think Tank at the CSS moderated the discussion. Prior to the meeting, Dr. Sager also held discussions with Prof. Dr. Andreas Wenger, Director of the CSS on cooperation and upcoming collaboration. The CSS is a partner institution in the Think Tank Security Forum of the GRC. Dr. Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation is Geneva was present at both sessions.
September 18, 2012 Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security and Defense Department, participated as a speaker in the first ‘NATO Defense College Senior Executive Regional Course,’ which was held in the Defense College HQ in Rome. The topic of his presentation was "Security & Threats: a View from NATO and the Regions."
September 18, 2012
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, spoke at the Third Dialogue of Paris of the Euro-Arab Center for Studies in collaboration with the Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce on September 18, 2012 in Paris. The meeting was held under the theme of “The Arab World, Facing domestic and international Challenges” and Dr. Sager spoke on the Challenges facing the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Union Project.
September 12, 2012
Noriko Suzuki, Director for Asia and Australia for the GRC Foundation in Japan, held a meeting with Prof. Hoshino of the Osaka School of International Public Policy at Osaka University to discuss cooperation with the GRC. The two sides have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding and to conduct joint activities related to promoting Gulf-Asia ties and research. This corporation would be officially announced during Saudi Arabia week (9th-13th October) in Osaka (hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia). 
September 6, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation Geneva participated in the roundtable debate on “The EU and the Gulf after the Arab Spring: Strategic Partners? Organized by FRIDE, Madrid and the Brookings Doha Center in Doha, Qatar on September 6. The meeting was held in the framework of the EU Commission sponsored GR: EEN (Global Re-ordering: Evolution through European Network) project. Dr. Koch spoke in the third session on “The EU and the Gulf: elements of a strategic partnership.”
September 5, 2012 Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Studies Department participated in a one-day workshop entitled: ‘Turkey and the Gulf: Dialogue in the Middle East’. The workshop has been held by Derasat in collaboration with The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), the Carnegie Middle East Center and the Gulf Research Center (GRC).
Given the unpredictable outcomes of the situation in Syria, continued sectarian violence in Iraq and Iran’s isolationism, the Forum discussed an increasingly volatile regional outlook. Despite the potential risks to the region the forum has focused on identifying opportunities for increased cooperation and dialogue that might diffuse tensions and has explored how a prosperous and peaceful regional future can be built.
July 10, 2012
The third board meeting of the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge convened at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 to consider and discuss the activities of the GRCC both during the past year and provide an outlook for the next year.
June 29, 2012Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Studies Department participated as a speaker in workshop titled " Perceptions and Realities of Turkey’s Role in a Changing Arab World" organized by The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and Carnegie Middle East Center- Beirut . Held on 29 June 2012 in Beirut, Lebanon.
June 13-22, 2012 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program, participated in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June 2012, as well as in a number of events prior to it, including: Sustainable Development Learning Programs (13-22 June), Side Events at Rio (13-22 June) and Sustainable Development Dialogue Days (16-19 June).
Dr. Raouf represented the science and technology community in a number of plenaries and also spoke about green economy in the Major Groups press conference on behalf of the UNEP Scientific and Technological Community Major Group.
June 1 -2, 2012Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Studies Department participated as a speaker in "VII LNCV International Workshop on the Iraqi situation", The workshop focused on "Iraq in the post -2011 Middle East", and organized between 1 – 2 June 2012 by Landau Network-Centro Volta, in Como, Italy.
May 21-23, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, GRC Chairman, spoke at the conference “Impact and challenges for the Middle East and North Africa one year on from the Arab transitions” organized by Wilton Park in partnership with the NATO Defense College held from May 21 to 23, 2012. Dr. Sager’s presentation was entitled “A new balance of power inside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)?”
May 14-16, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated in the 14th Kronberg Talks of the Bertelsmann Foundation entitled “Europe, Turkey and the Mediterranean – Fostering Cooperation and Strengthening Relations” held May 14 to 16, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey
April 12-14, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated and presented paper on Panel 3: The Middle East and Gulf Perspective at the workshop titled Turkey’s New Global Activism ,12-14 April 2012 in Istanbul organised by the Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Turkey
April 10, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated at the one day workshop in Istanbul on the 10th of April entitled "Iraq's Emerging Foreign Policy in Regional and International Context." organised by the Carnegie Middle East Center in collaboration with the Turkish Think Tank, TESEV.
April 2-4, 2012Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated as an invited speaker in the conference on “Green Economy: Which Perspectives for the MENA-Region?” organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The conference took place on 2-4 April 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia. Dr. Raouf’s presentation focused on the recommendations of the Rio+20 Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting held in Cairo in October 2011.
March 29-30, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated at the Conference titled “The Arab Spring One Year After: Challenges, Prospects and Strategies for Change”, organized by the European Policy Center at Brussels on the 29th-30th of March 2012 and chaired the session on “ Economic Performance: Managing the Transformation to Open and Fair Market Economies”.
March 28 – 31, 2012Dr. Mustafa Alani , Director of Security and Defence Department participated in "The 2nd Regional Security Conference" organized by The Strategic Research and Studies Center – of the Lebanese Armed Forces , held in Beirut
March 26-27, 2012 Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation and Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated in the conference on Policies for Sustainable Energy and Green Jobs in the MENA-Region organized by the Sustainable Energy Programme – Middle East & North Africa of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The conference took place on 26-27 March 2012 at Dead Sea, Jordan and addressed the potential of renewable energy in the MENA region, with specific focus on policies needed to develop renewable energy sources and create green jobs. In addition to in-depth policy discussions relating to the MENA region, a wealth of information on the implementation of successful German renewable energy policies was presented and discussed.
A new book entitled “Renewable Energy in the GCC Countries – Resources, Potential, and Prospects”, recently published by GRC with the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung was presented at the conference.
March 26, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the GRC, spoke at the UNCTAD XIII Policy Dialogue "Redefining the Role of the Government in Tomorrow's International Trade" held on March 26, 2012 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Dr. Sager focused specifically on the challenge for export diversification from a Gulf perspective arguing that the GCC states benefit from globalization while the issue of employment generation through the creation of small and medium businesses remains a continued challenge.
March 23 to 24, 2012Dr. Mustafa Alani , Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the The ninth session of the Körber Dialogue Middle East, convening from March 23 to 24 in Berlin.
March 21 and 22, 2012 Dr. Mustafa Alani , Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the Workshop held in March 21 and 22, 2012 on “Nuclear non-proliferation in the Gulf” organized by The British American Security Information Council - BASIC, in association with the UK FCO and Qatar Foreign Ministry. Hosted by Georgetown University Doha.
March 19, 2012Dr. Mustafa Alani , Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the NATO Defense College “Regional Cooperation Course” held in Rome on March 19, 2012. The topic of his lecture was “Aspects of strategic issues : Contemporary International Security Challenges”.
March 22, 2012
"As part of the GRCF’s collaboration with Ca' Foscari University of Venice and the Italian Naval Staff College, Fred Weherey, Senior Policy Analyst of RAND Corporation gave a presentation on "U.S. Policy Toward the Arab Gulf States: Balancing Reform and Security" to an audience of Ca' Foscari students, Italian, Belgian and Swedish Navy officers. The lecture took place within the historic "Arsenale" of Venice that will host the Think Tank Security Forum in late May organized jointly by the three institutions.
March 4, 2012GRC at Jeddah Economic Forum 2012
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in a panel discussion at the JEF in Jeddah on Sunday 4 March 2012. Dr. Sager tried to analyze the necessary steps to achieve further integration between GCC countries and play a more effective role within the political and economical international arena. he said that the success of the Gulf Cooperation Council experience is beyond doubt, however there is still room for improvement in many areas.
He elaborated while answering a question from the audience that four factors also contributed to the creation of the GCC federation: The delay in implementing the previously agreed GCC rules, the economic differences among the GCC countries, and the strong ties linking families ruling these states.
The federation, he said, is still facing challenges that will be discussed and modified. Answering a question whether China, the world's second biggest economy, is looking to become a world political power, he said: "China has domestic issues that it needs to tackle. It's still not ready to take this step."
February 27, 2012Naël Shehadeh, Associate Researcher at the Gulf Research Center Foundation attended a meeting at the UN in Geneva on Feb. 27 with the President of the UN General Assembly for Non-Governmental Organizations. H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser from Qatar outlined his plan to give a ‘voice’ to NGOs following concerns that real ‘partnerships’ between the civil society community and the UN was still lacking. During the session, the need to put priority on human rights rather that political outcome was stressed although the President referred to the fact that consensus was still needed at a political level before enabling a human rights dimension to the equation. The GRCF participated in the meeting as part of its special consultative status in the Economic and Social Council of the UN.
February 26-28, 2012Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated as an invited speaker in the Symposium on Environmental Problems in the Arab World: Meeting Challenges of Sustainable Development, on 26-28 February 2012 in Muscat, Oman, organized by Sultan Qaboos University and the Association of Arab Universities. Dr. Raouf’s presentation was entitled: “Environmental Status, Challenges and Governance in the Arab World”.
February 24, 2012
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager attended an Informal Round table on the 24th February organized by the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
February 20-21, 2012
GRC at the Brookings Doha Energy Forum 2012 in Doha, Qatar
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of GRC, attended the Brookings Doha Energy Forum 2012 in Doha, Qatar from February 20-21, 2012. The theme of the conference was “At the Energy Fault-Line: What Shifts in Global Economics and Local Politics mean for Middle East Suppliers and their customers.”
February 17-22, 2012Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated in the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) thirteenth Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-13) and the twelfth special session of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF), which took place from 17–22 February 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Raouf delivered a presentation entitled “Making a Green Economy Happen” in one of the Green Room Events on the 20th of February. The main issues discussed during these events were green economy, international environmental governance and Rio+20 preparations. The GRC participated in the meeting in its current capacity as the Global Focal Point of the Science and Technology Major Group.
February 13-14, 2012 GRC at the Civil Society Organization meeting for West Asia in Amman, Jordan
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program, participated in the Civil Society Organization meeting for West Asia in Amman, Jordan, which took place on 13-14 February, 2012 and was organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) NGO Network. The meeting was the first for the GEFNGO Network in West Asia and North Africa and discussed the GEF issues scheduled to be raised during the GEF Extended Constituency Workshop in Amman on 15-17 February, 2012, as well as organizational matters related to the GEF NGO Network.
February 3, 2012GRC at the Munich Security Conference
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager is attending the 48th Munich Security Conference, one of the preeminent meetings of decision- and policy makers on current and global security issues. In addition to focusing on the Euro-Atlantic Security Community, the rise of Asia and the issue of energy security, this year’s event also places emphasis on the regional and global implications of the recent developments in the Middle East. The recent rhetorical escalation over the Iranian nuclear program is also expected to feature prominently in the discussion. Among the key attendees are the US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of State, the Secretary-General of NATO as well as numerous heads of state and ministers.
February 3, 2012 GRC Interview with Dukascopy TV about the Arab Spring and Iran
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation gave an interview on February 3 to Dukascopy TV, part of Dukascopy Swiss Forex and Marketplace. In the interview, he provided perspectives on the political turmoil in the Middle East and the issue of Iran and economic sanctions. The interview can be seen here: http://www.dukascopy.com/tv/Market_Talk/
February 2, 2012
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, participated in the fourth meeting of the Academic Peace Orchestra Middle East Project held in Barcelona, Spain on the topic of “How to make the envisaged Middle East Conference (MEC) 2012 in view of recent regional events happen, successful and sustainable.” The overall project is undertaken by the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt and the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, Germany. Three specific working groups convened at the Barcelona meeting focusing on a.) religious fundamentalism as a negative condition for the MEC; b.) Iran and assessing its foreign policy and military programs; and c.) The ‘Arab Spring’, its impact on the region and on the MEC. Dr. Koch gave a presentation in the Arab Spring working group on the situation in the Gulf region. He also spoke about the Gulf of Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone Project that the GRC launched back in December 2004. More information on the Academic Peace Orchestra Project including relevant policy briefs from previous meetings can be found under www.hsfk.de
January 31, 2012
"GRC foundation attends UBS wealth management conference"
"Florian Weisweiler and Naël Shehadeh of the Gulf Research Center Foundation were invited to join a lecture by Dr. Andreas Höfert, chief economist at UBS, on the state of international financial markets and potential investment strategies in such a troubled time.The conference mainly discussed the state of the world economy and potential worries in the short to medium term in the Eurozone economies. Advice was given to avoid sovereign bonds of highly indebted countries, particularly in the EU. Focus was given on safer bond buying, avoiding investing in currencies in the time being, and if shares buying was needed, to only focus on shares of very large companies in telecommunication and pharmaceutical industries.
It was touched upon by Dr Höfert that the current situation with Iran and the aftermath of the Arab Spring has pushed it higher and maintained the elevated price of the oil barrel to above the hundred dollar mark. It was then assumed that without these two unstable factors the price of the barrel would have maintained a value of around 80 dollar/barrel. "
January 18–20, 2012
Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge gave talk at the opening session “Scene setter: identifying the main issues” at” Future trends and challenges for the Middle East and North Africa: towards 2030” Wednesday 18–Friday 20 January 2012 at Wilton Park, Steyning, UK
January 17-19, 2012 Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the 2nd Annual Conference of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network which was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit 2012. The conference was opened by HE Luigi Narbonne, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Sessions were devoted to: Carbon Capture and Storage; the 3rd Sustainable Biofuels Workshop; Renewable Energy Sources; Clean Natural Gas & Related Technologies; Energy Efficiency & Demand Side Management; as well as Electricity Interconnections & Market Integration. In addition to the technical sessions, various scenarios were presented and discussed relating to the long-term sustainability of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network. The plenary sessions were followed by four training workshops covering: Wind Resource Assessment, Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Plants, Solar Resource Assessment and Carbon Capture & Storage organized by the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network. A technical site visit to Masdar Institute at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi was also arranged. Masdar City is an emerging global clean technology cluster that focuses on teaching, research, development and implementation. Details about the plenary sessions and the training workshops can be found at: http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net.
January 9-10, 2012
Gulf Research Center Participated in two day symposium held in Riyadh entitled: The New Changes in the Arab world
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in the two day symposium being organized jointly by the Riyadh-based King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) and Carnegie Endowment For International Peace held in Riyadh on 9-10th January titled The New Changes in the Arab world and chaired a session titled The U.S and the New Changes in the Arab World with Ms. Jessica Mathews,President and Dr. Thomas Carothers ,Vice President and Dr.Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies and Director (Middle East Program) from Carnegie.
January 10, 2012 Gulf Research Center participated in European Strategy Forum in Berlin, Germany
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation, attended the 2012 Aspen European Strategy Forum in Berlin, Germany on “Sustainable Strategies for Afghanistan and the Region after 2014.” As part of his participation, he spoke in the panel on “Implications of Regional Political Rivalries for Afghanistan and Pakistan” on the need to better engage the Arab Gulf States and particularly Saudi Arabia when it comes to promoting a regional inclusive solution to the issue of stability in Afghanistan after coalition withdrawal.
January 9, 2012Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge gave a public talk on “GCC integration and the proposed GCC union” at the Reading Saloon, Second Cup Cafe- CCC, at7.30 pm, Monday 9 January 2012Muscat, Oman.
December 18, 2011
Gulf Research Centre Lecture: The experience of regional integration in Europe and the Gulf, similarities and differences.
Dr. Abdullah Baabood – Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on: "The experience of regional integration in Europe and the Gulf, similarities and differences" at the Omani Diplomatic Institute on Sunday 18 December 2011, Muscat. Sultanate of Oman.
December 13, 2011
Gulf Research Center participated in a meeting on the subject of "Transitions in Young Arab Democracies", organized by FRIDE in Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Khaled Hroub, Director of the Media Program at the Gulf Research Center, Cambridge, spoke on “The Role of New Technologies in Processes of Political Change” during the recent meeting on Transitions in Young Arab Democracies: Learning from Processes of Political Change organized by FRIDE in Madrid, Spain on December 13, 2011. In his talk, Dr. Hroub analyzed the role of social media in the Arab Spring and how it complemented broadcasting media. He argued that social media has been so greatly successful in the Arab spring because of its happy marriage with pan-Arab TV satellite media – in particular with stations such as Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya along with many others. Without this marriage, the success story of social media as it has been celebrated in various stages of Arab revolutions would have been far less noticed. This complementarity role has been manifested in five main characteristics. First, mobilisation and mobility. By showing the great capacity of facebook, twitter, youtube and bloggers in mobilizing people and creating networks. Also, this media is mobile where individuals can report and cover events while on the move without any need to a fixed station; its main tool is mobile phones. In addition, people can stay connected in the streets. Second, un-controllability. Here, social media challenged state control and surveillance technologies because of its wide-spread nature and intensive use by vast numbers of people. Unlike traditional media whose designated correspondents could be easily monitored or even banned, social media activists outpaced state security skills and surveillance, gaining technological gap. Third, inclusivity. Social media means and technologies have become available extensively and easily, offering unprecedented degree of immediate coverage of events and all places. This goes against the selectivity of coverage that traditional and broadcasting media is compelled to employ because of limitation of resources and immobility. Fourth, compatibility. The mobility, immediacy and inclusivity that social media have enjoyed in the field made them the main provider for broadcasting media. The feeds taken by mobile phones in the street, during Arab revolutions, presented the principal material provided and broadcast by pan-Arab TVs, whose correspondents were banned in most of the cases. Finally and fifth; affordability. In all of the above, the main tool of the in-the-field social media is the camera-equipped mobile phone, which is affordable by the vast majority of people. There was no need for expensive and highly sophisticated operations in order to report and cover events. 
December 8, 2011
Gulf Research Center participated in a conference on the subject of "youth participation in the media", organized in Tunis.
Dr. Khaled Hroub, Director of the Media Program at the Gulf Research Center, Cambridge, spoke on “From youth participation in the media to leadership” at a conference on Youth, Actors of Development organised by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Office for North Africa-North Africa Development Forum in Tunis from December 8-10, 2011. Dr Hroub’s contribution focused on three main themes: The importance and primacy of television and trans-border broadcasting in the Maghreb and the Arab world at large; the emergence of social media pioneered by the youth in the region, especially during Arab revolutions; the aspired leading role of the youth in post-revolutions media landscape. These themes have been discussed from the following conceptual and paradigmic perspective: The youth in the Arab world, have been the leading force in the Arab Spring. In fact, they moved from mere ‘participation’ to effective ‘leadership’, shifting and dismantling many long-lived perceptions about the Arab youth and their indifference of public affairs, and/or immersion in individualistic and entertainment concerns. This shift in the role of the youth in society from ‘participation’, if not indifference and marginalisation, to assume leadership in public matters should be nurtured and maintained. The youthful spirit of the Arab Spring and the great manifestation that the youth have showed should be internalised in new shape of political reality in the Arab world. To translate such spirit into reality, the process of legislation and democratisation that follows the collapse of authoritarian regimes in the region should include leading role for the youth in all aspects of life including politics, economics, culture and media. For instance, a ‘youth quota’ in electoral lists and parliamentarian representation should be considered. A ‘watchdog’ or observatory body set up by youth organisation should monitor drafting new laws and regulations from a ‘youth’ perspective. In the media specifically, the new and post-revolution reality should be reflected in more youth-oriented media not in the conventional form of designating airtime and media space for ‘youth programmes’, but more structurally in engaging the youth as makers and leaders of the entire media process and industry.
December 1, 2011Gulf Research Center participated in the expert roundtable organised by the Gulf Policy Forum, MEC International.
Dr. Abdullah Baabood – Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on: "GCC reaction to regional developments?" at the expert roundtable organised by the Gulf Policy Forum, MEC International on 1st December, 2011, at Trowers and Hamlins London, UK.
November 28 to December 1, 2011Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation attended the Plenary Meeting of the Regional Network of Security Study Centers sponsored by the Near East and South Asia Center of the National Defense University and held in Istanbul, Turkey, from November 28 to December 1, 2011. In addition to the plenary sessions, Dr. Koch also continued his work as a member of the energy security working group. The working groups is expected to deliver its report and proceedings at the next meeting scheduled for May 2012.
November 24-25, 2011 The 3rd Meeting of the Discussion Groups of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network project was held in Athens, Greece with the goal of furthering clean energy cooperation and highlighting prospects and opportunities for both EU and GCC stakeholders. Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the meeting. The technical sessions addressed: Energy Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency; Electricity Interconnections and Market Integration; and Other Clean Energy Technologies. The technical sessions were followed by technical site visits to: 1) the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES), which is the Greek national entity for the promotion of renewable energy sources, rational use of energy and energy conservation and 2) the Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park (LTCP). Details about the technical sessions and site visits can be found at: http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net.
November 22-23, 2011
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center Attended conference in Doha titled: "GCC at 30: Past Achievements and Future Prospects". Dr. Sager presented his paper in panel four titled: (GCC security challenges) in which he spoke on "regional challenges Yemen, Iraq and Iran".
November 17-19, 2011Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge, attended the Ditchley conference on “change in the Middle East and North Africa” and acted as a rapporteur for Working Group A (‘Drivers of reform and reaction), , The conference was organized by the Ditchley Foundation, UK and chaired by Professor Nicholas Burns, the Sultan of Oman Professor of Diplomacy and International Politics at John F Kennedy School of Government and former Director, Future of Diplomacy Project, and Faculty Chair, Programs on the Middle East and on India and South Asia, Harvard University and a former US Diplomat and Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, US Department of State, Washington DC (2005-08). The Conference consisted of 3 working groups: A-Drivers of reform and reaction, B- Future Chance and regional influence and C- the role of outside powers and regional organizations. It was attended by around 40 participants from different varieties of countries and background.
November 18, 2011
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation participated in a day-long session on the “Implications on the Arab Spring” at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne, Switzerland. In addition to speaking on the question of whether the Arab Gulf Monarchies are a zone of exclusion when it comes to the political development occurring in the Middle East, the meetings focused also on the broader policy implication for Europe and Switzerland in particular. The meeting was part of an active engagement of the GRC Foundation with Swiss institutions and counterparts. It was attended by more than 30 representatives of different Swiss federal department dealing with the Middle East.
November 9, 2011Dr. Mustafa Alani , Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the NATO Defense College - NRCC (NATO Regional Cooperation Course) which held in Rome.
October 30 and November 1, 2011Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Department participated as a speaker in a workshop titled “Japan’s Role in the Gulf, Japan – GCC relations “ held in Muscat – Oman between 30th October and 1st November 2011. The workshop organized by the Japanese “Research Institute for Peace and Security”.
October 18, 2011
The Swiss think-tank Avenir Suisse held its fall conference on October 18, 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland. As part of the program, Dr. Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation in Geneva gave a talk and participated in a panel discussion on the Arab Spring, providing a perspective from the Arab Gulf countries. Other members of the panel included Naguib Sawiris from Egypt, Ribal Al-Assad of the Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria and Amb. Livia Leu Agosti, Ambassador of Switzerland in Iran. The session was moderated by Amine Tazi-Riffi of McKinsey and Company.
October 16-17, 2011Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Research Fellow – GRC Environment Research Program participated in the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) at the League of Arab States in Cairo, Egypt on 16-17 October 2011. The focus of the meeting was on the two main themes of the Rio+20 Meeting – 1) the institutional framework for sustainable development and 2) green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. The report of the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting will be submitted to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Secretariat by 1 November 2011.
October 15, 2011
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security Department participated in "The eighth session of the Körber Dialogue Middle East" held in Berlin.
October 14, 2011
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security Department participated in the workshop on “A Changing Middle East: How Regional and Extra-regional Actors Should Respond” organized by the Körber Foundation and the Tehran-based Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) held in Berlin.
October 9-10, 2011Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Major Groups and Stakeholders Consultation in preparation for the Rio+20 Summit, which was held in Dubai, UAE, and was organized by the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia. The meeting looked at the role of major groups and stakeholders in sustainable development with specific focus on the Rio+20 themes from the viewpoint of the Arab world: 1) Green Economy: The Road to Sustainable Economic Development and Diversification and 2) The International Framework for Sustainable Development and International Environmental Governance. Plenary presentations were followed by focused position drafting efforts in working groups.
October 6 – 7, 2011
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation attended the 2011 EuroMeSCo Annual Conference in Barcelona, Spain entitled “A New Mediterranean Political Landscape: The Arab Pring and Euro-Mediterranean Relations.” Within the framework of the meeting, Dr. Koch served as discussant in Panel 2 on “Revolutions, Reforms and Repression: The Diverging Paths of the Arab Spring” chaired by Andre Bassols, Director-General of IEMed, Spain.
October 2-4, 2011
On behalf of the GRC Chairman, the Director of Security Department Dr Mustafa Alani participated as a speaker in "The 19th Annual Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference" held in Dubai, UAE.
September 29-30, 2011 Dr. Abdullah Baabood participated in the Economist Conferences "The High-Growth Markets Summit" in London on September 29th-30th as a VIP guest.
September 28, 2011 Dr. Abdullah Baabood spoke at Seminar on North Africa with visitors from Air Warfare Centre, RAF Waddington, Weds 28 September 2011 at the Department of Politics and International Studies University of Cambridge (POLIS) on 'The Gulf and the Transformations in North Africa'.
September 26, 2011
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, and Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Center Cambridge held a meeting with Patricia Llombart-Cussac, Head of the Division for the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Guiseppi Busini, Desk Officer for the GCC and Gulf Countries at the EEAS in Brussels on Tuesday. They discussed many of the current issues in the relations between the GCC and the EU including the situation in Yemen. They also focused on the Joint Action Programme and way that aspects of the program can be implemented with the assistance of the GRC. A further point was the holding of a GCC-EU Economic Conference to be held next year in Brussels in correspondence with the annual Joint Ministerial Meeting of the EU and the GCC.
September 26, 2011
The Gulf Research Center held a roundtable discussion with all of the Ambassadors of the GCC countries during a visit to Brussels on Tuesday. The meeting was held at the residence of the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, H.E. Nabeela Al-Mulla. Present from the GRC side was GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, and Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Center Cambridge. In addition to Amb. Al-Mulla, all other GCC Ambassadors attended the event including H.E. Faisal H Trad, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; H.E. Sulaiman Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates; H.E. Shaikh Ghazi Al-Rawas, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman; H.E. Ahmed Al-Doseri, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Mr. Sultan Al-Mahmoud, Charge D’Affaires of the Embassy of the State of Qatar and H.E. Amal Al-Hamad, Ambassador of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Brussels. The discussion focused on the status and outlook of GCC-EU Relations with a particular emphasis on the implementation of the Joint Action Programme. The GCC ambassadors were informed about the activities of the GRC in the field of Gulf-Europe relations and given a detailed overview of the Center’s GCC-EU research program.
September 21, 2011
Crown-Belfer Middle East Project Lunch Seminar on Developments in the Gulf
GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager spoke in the framework of the Crown-Belfer Middle East Project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on the recent political development in the Middle East and its impact specifically on the Gulf region. He covered the issues of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain and outlined the Saudi and GCC positions on this front. He clearly stated that the Gulf is not immune from the political change impacting the region and ruling families need to understand the challenges posed to them. For now, ruling families retain their legitimacy and their favorable economic positions have allowed the rulers to react quickly. In the end, however, economic handouts will not silence political demands and one result will likely be an increase in the number of petitions presented by sections of the population to the governments. Dr. Sager further focused on regional challenges including the Iranian nuclear program, the unfinished business in Iraq and the implications of a possible US veto at the UN on the Palestinian statehood resolution. He pointed out the deep disappointment in the region concerning US policy, having left many issues unfinished and not following through on their own principles and policies. On Iran, the GCC states will not live in the shadow of an Iranian nuclear program, neither will a US defense umbrella be sufficient. Overall, he argued that the US insurance policy for the Gulf states is not running out of credibility. Moreover, the US will have to deal with different governments in the region with public opinion and democratic government changing the equation from relations as they have existed in the past.
September 19-20, 2011
GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and GRC Foundation Director Dr. Christian Koch held a series of meeting with staff members of Research Triangle International (RTI) located in North Carolina. RTI is one of the world’s leading research institutes operating on an independent, nonprofit basis to provide research, development, and technical services in the applied sciences to government and commercial clients worldwide. They are picture here (from the left) with James J. Gibson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Victoria Franchetti Haynes, President and CEO; and Dr. Wayne Holden, Executive Vice President for Social, Statistical, and Environmental Sciences. During the visit to RTI, Dr. Sager and Dr. Koch held talks with the different business units of the company to further explore potential areas of cooperation in the fields of science and technology. The GRC and RTI already have a memorandum of understanding to support their joint work.
September 16, 2011
The Gulf Research Center and the Middle East Institute held a public event in Washington DC on Friday on the subject of “A View from the Gulf: A Discussion of Gulf Politics and Security.” GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager focused on the domestic issues in the region arguing that the Gulf region is not immune from the chances taking place throughout the Middle East and advocating a continued reform process. Dr. Mustafa Alani, GRC Senior Advisor and head of the Security and Defense Program highlighted the main regional issues of Iran, Iraq and Yemen. He made the case that each of these countries present the GCC states with particular dilemmas which has increased the GCC’s sense of insecurity. Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation, took a broader international angle seeing the Arab Gulf states deeply imbedded in the process of globalization but facing the dilemma between the US as security guarantor for the region and no other viable alternatives. The event was attended by about 100 person from the academic and think tank community in the Washington area. Amb. David Mack of the Middle East Institute moderated the session.
September 16, 2011Members of the Gulf Research Center attended a presentation by David Ottaway, former foreign correspondent for the Washington Post and current a senior scholar at the Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, on his latest publication entitled : “Saudi Arabia in the Shadow of the Arab Revolt.”
September 15, 2011 GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager held a meeting with Dr. Fred Bergsten, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Also present at the meeting were Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch of the GRC and Dr. Marcus Noland of the Peterson Institute. The two sides discussed recent economic development in the region in addition to focusing on cooperative efforts between the two institutions. The Peterson Institute is already engaged in several studies about the GCC countries.
September 15, 2011 The Gulf Research Center and the National Council on US-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) held a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC entitled “What lies Ahead for America and the Gulf: Analyses and Prognosis.” GRC Chairman Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Senior Advisor and Head of the GRC Defense and Security Program Dr. Mustafa Alani, and Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation each gave short presentations on aspects on the US-Gulf relationship. The session was moderated by Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO of NCUSAR. The speakers highlighted the deep unease about the loss of both credibility and capability of the United States in the Gulf region and argued that for a better and more comprehensive effort by the US to engage the GCC states at all different levels. What is clear so far is that while the Gulf is greatly concerned about current US policy, policy officials in Washington do not pay similar attention to what is happening in the strategic Gulf. As a result, there is a level of disconnect that is not in the interests of both sides. The meeting was attended by close to 100 people including members of Congress, congressional staff members, think tanks, the media and former government officials and diplomats. The video proceedings of the conference will be made available on the GRC website.
September 15, 2011
The Gulf Research Center held a meeting with Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Henry L. Stimson Center during their visit to Washington DC. Present at the meeting from the GRC side were GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager, Mustafa Alani and Christian Koch. The GRC and the Stimson Center already have a working Memorandum of Understanding and have undertaken joint projects. The meeting served to discuss potential additional ways of cooperation as well as an exchange of views on current development in the Gulf region and US policy to the Middle East. 
September 14, 2011
The Gulf Research Center held a small roundtable with members of the Middle East Policy Council to discuss the current developments in the Gulf and its impact on relations with the United States. The meeting was attended by MEPC President Frank Anderson, MEPC Board member Amb. Chaz Freeman, MEPC Executive Director Thomas Mattair. Among the issues that the discussion focused on in addition to Gulf topics was also the situations in Syria and Libya.
September 13, 2011Gulf Research Center participates in RNSSC Meeting in Washington.The Gulf Research Center took part in the Network Directors Meeting of the Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers(RNSSC) of the National Defense University in Washington DC on September 13. The RNSSC brings together 25 institutions from across the Middle East and South Asia in an effort to expand strategic dialogue and exchange views of common security challenges. Following a keynote address by Joe McMillan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and an address by Gary Samore of the US National Security Council on nuclear issues affecting the Middle East, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the GRC, spoke on the impact of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ on the states of the Arabian Peninsula. From a US perspective, it was mentioned that the current change transforming the Arab world certainly represents an opportunity to align their national interests with values guiding their foreign policy. But there are also risks in terms of the possibility of ungoverned spaces resulting out of the present turmoil or in complicating relations with current allies where governments might no longer be so amendable to unquestioned cooperation with the United States. From a Gulf perspective, Dr. Sager countered the notion that Arab Gulf states are counter-revolutionary and are actively trying to undermine the course of events. In fact, these countries have undertaken a number of political reform steps thereby reflecting a more comprehensive understanding of the wider implications of events in the rest of the Arab world. The case of Libya, in which the GCC states took a leading political role, is an example. While for the GCC states there is a still a preference for an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary path towards political transition, there is thus also an acknowledgement of the significance of these recent events.
September 13, 2011
The Gulf Research Center hosted a dinner discussion in Washington D.C. on Tuesday evening, September 13, 2011, to discuss Gulf regional developments and the impact on US policy. The dinner brought together leading policy officials including the Honorable Thomas Graham, former senior proliferation negotiator for United States; the Honorable Theodore Kattouf, former US Ambassador to Syria and the UAE; officials from the State Department and Vice-President’s office; think tank specialists and the media. GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager provided an overview from a Gulf perspective arguing that there was no such thing as regional exceptionalism. Other issues discussed included the outlook for Egypt, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; the view of the Gulf towards the Iranian nuclear program and internal Saudi politics.
September 12, 2011
GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Alani and Dr. Koch held a meeting with Dr. Geoffrey Kemp of the Center for the National Interest in Washington DC. The meeting focused on ways of cooperation between two institutions in addition to a discussion of the Gulf’s relations to Asia and the situation in Iran and Iraq.
June 22 & 23, 2011
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated at the Emirati Swiss Friendship Platform in Lausanne.
June 20 & 21, 2011Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated at the IMD Business forum at Cairo and did a presentation titled Establishing a Public/Private Partnership in the Education Sector for the Arab Republic of Egypt.
June 7 - 9, 2011Dr. Mustafa Alani the Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the workshop on the question of a "Middle East Free from Non-conventional Weapons", Organized by the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EU-ISS) in Paris between 7 - 9 June, 2011.
May 19-20, 2011 Dr. Christian Koch attended “Whither the Gulf? Accomplishments, Challenges and Dangers” conference organized by the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore and gave a talk on ”The Changing International Relations of the Gulf Region.”
May 16-18, 2011
Dr.Sager participated as a spaker at the 13th Kronberg talks meeting at Rabat Morocco
May 17, 2011
Dr. Khaled Hroub, Director of the Media Program at the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge (GRCC) gave a lecture entitled “Islamists and Arab Revolutions,” at American University of Sharjah (AUS). This was the first lecture in the AUS Middle East Visiting Speakers Series.
Dr. Hroub structured his talk around changing entities in the Arab world, namely the political, media and Islamist factors, beginning by discussing the political background behind the initial formation of the Arab states in the post-colonial period. “We [in the Arab World] are different. What applies to other systems doesn’t necessarily apply to our societies. Many of Arab youth were asking, ‘Why shouldn’t we be progressive? Why should we lag behind?’ These questions have been hammering on the in the hearts of the new generations.”
He then went on to discuss the growth, impact and influence of the Arab media. “In the Arab World, you traditionally had the typical state-controlled media. Then, in the mid-90’s, there was transnational broadcasting. The Arabs started to witness other external networks,” he added, noting social media had diminished much of the impact of broadcast media.
The lecture concluded with a discussion on Islamism. “In the forming of the Arab state, all ideologies were experimented with—socialism, communism and even liberalism in the 1920’s. The failures of all these ideologies resulted in the forming and growth of Islamist groups,” he said, adding that the identities and position of Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood had completely changed.
Dr. Hroub is Director of the Media Program of GRCC and Cambridge Arab Media Project (CAMP) and the Media Program of the GRCC at the Center of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge where he also teaches contemporary Middle East politics and history; and author of several books covering topics relating to the Arab world.
The lecture was held as part of the AUS College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Middle East Visiting Speakers Series, with senior university officials, faculty, staff and students in attendance.
May 12-13, 2011 Dr.Sager participated St.Gallen Symposium 2011 at St.Gallen University
May 11-12, 2011Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, participated in the 2nd Discussion Groups’ Meeting of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network which was held in Brussels, Belgium. Based on conclusions drawn from the 1st Discussion Groups’ Meeting and the 1st Plenary Meeting of the Network, the 2nd Discussion Groups’ Meeting focused on achieving concrete results and on discussing specific cooperation initiatives within the five discussion groups: Renewable Energy Sources; Energy Demand Side Management & Energy Efficiency; Clean Natural Gas & Related Technologies; Electricity Interconnections & Market Integration; and Carbon Capture & Storage. The meeting aimed at taking solid steps for the maturing of cooperation ideas within each discussion group. In addition to the technical sessions, a technical site visit was organized to the CORESO Company which is a Regional Coordination Service Center that monitors and works to improve the security of electricity supply for Western Europe through services of coordination and forecasting relating to electricity transmission. Details of the meeting can be found at:
http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net.
May 10, 2011Dr. Abdullah Baabood Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on: "The Need for a Coherent EU Policy in the Arab World" at Cambridge in Sarajevo: Perspectives on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Kembridž u Sarajevu: Teme iz islamskih i bliskoistočnih studija, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
http://www.cis.cam.ac.uk/Cambridge-in-Sarajevo.html
May 10, 2011Dr. Abdullah Baabood Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke at a round table discussion on "Arab Spring" on 10 May 2011 at University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
May 8-9, 2011
Dr.Sager attended the first advisory board meeting for the Arab Human Development Report in Beirut.
April 28 & 29, 2011
Dr Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Dept. has participated as speaker in the Conference organized by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the topic of “ Recent Developments and New Regional Power Configurations in Middle East ” held in Copenhagen
April 19, 2011
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of Gulf Research Center, participated on April 19, 2011 in a roundtable discussion organized by the Brookings Doha Center on “Europe's Role in a Changing Middle East and North Africa: A Special Policy Discussion” with H.E. Baroness Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Tarik Yousef, Foundation Dean of the Dubai School of Government. The session was moderated by Salman Shaikh, Director of the Brookings Doha Center. In his remarks, Dr. Sager focused on the fact that the EU should acknowledge the leading role that the GCC states have taken when it comes to issues of stability in the wider Middle East region. He also called for both the EU and the GCC states to develop a partnership that ensures stability and development in the region given the events of 2011. Here, close coordination and cooperation can provide concrete and tangible benefits for both sides.
April 10-12, 2011 Dr. Christian Koch participated in the Energy Security Working Group Session of the Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers (RNSSC) of the National Defense University which was held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The Working Group will meet over a time period of 2 years and develop strategies for overcoming energy security challenges for the countries of the Middle East and South Asia. During the meeting, the participants discussed the concept of energy security, identified key issues for respective countries and regions and outlined an agenda to be followed over subsequent sessions. The next working group session will be held in Ankara, Turkey in July 2011.
April 1 – 2, 2011
Dr Mustafa Alani , Director of Security Department participated as a speaker in the “Ad hoc” session of the Köber Dialogue Middle East held in Berlin
March 21, 2011
Dr.Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman Gulf Research Center attended the Jeddah Economic Forum 2011 and Chaired the session titled Russian Arab Business Development.
March 20, 2011
Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies, spoke at the INSEAD Business School Abu Dhabi campus on “Change in the Middle East: Political, Economics and International Relations Consequences” to highlight the current changes occurring in the region. The lecture and following discussion as attended by persons from various institutions of the Abu Dhabi government and the private sector. During his visit to Abu Dhabi, Dr. Koch also held a meeting with Dr. Joachim Kolb, Director of the German Academic Exchange Service for the Gulf region and with Dr. Thomas Birringer, Regional Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation to discuss avenues of possible cooperation. He further gave an interview for the INSEAD Knowledge web portal.
February 27 – March 2nd, 2011
Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, and Imen Jeridi Bachellerie, Researcher in the “Science and Technology in the Gulf” program of GRC participated in the 2nd Regional Policy Dialogue - organized by the British Council under the second British “Prime Minister’s Initiative” (PMI2) framework - which aims at fostering partnerships between Higher Education Institutions in the UK and the Gulf States. The event - titled “Developing National Innovation Systems: The Role of Science and Technology Policies” was held on 27 February - 2 March, in Dubai under the patronage of HE Shaikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, the Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates. During the event, distinguished educational experts - including Senior Policy Makers, Research Fellows, Special Advisers and Executives of Research and Innovation - from the UK and other European institutions, together with senior decision-makers from ministries and universities in the GCC Region looked at the role of universities and research and development activities in the building of new industries. High-level Gulf participants presented the challenges that the region faces in developing science and technology policies in terms of human resources, networking and public-private partnerships in a context of rapid economic and social development.
GRC is also organizing a workshop within the context of the Gulf Research Meeting in July 2011 to address challenges and opportunities in the shaping of the national systems of innovation in the Gulf region (more on: http://grcevent.net/cambridge2011/index.php?page=workshop&wname=8).
February 16, 2011
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager has met with H.E. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Althani, Chairman Qatar Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting they discussed issues pertaining to Gulf Africa Forum in Doha, Qatar
February 16, 2011
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager has met with Mr. Abdulaziz BinHamed Al Ageel, Secretary General of Gulf organisation for Industrial consulting GOIC. During the meeting they discussed issues pertaining to Gulf Africa Forum in Sudan
February 15, 2011 The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager has attended the Nato confernce in Doha Qatar
February 8, 2011
Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on “The GCC and the EU relations beyond the FTA” at The Middle East Research Group Seminar, Middle East & Mediterranean Studies Programme School of Arts & Humanities, Kings College London
January 18, 2011
Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, and Eng. Imen Jeridi, Researcher in the Science and Technology in the Gulf program of GRC participated in the 1st Plenary Meeting of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network which was held on January 18, 2011, in Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates, in the margin of the World Future Energy Summit. During the Meeting, distinguished clean energy actors and experts, including representatives from the European Commission and the GCC authorities, presented the results and outcomes achieved so far, since the recent creation of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network, and exchanged views and information on avenues of EU-GCC clean energy co-operation. The Plenary Meeting was followed by a training seminar on solar resource assessment organized by the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network on January 19, 2011 at the Higher Colleges of Technology - Abu Dhabi Men’s College. Details about the Plenary Meeting and the seminar can be found respectively at:
http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net/EventMaterial2.aspx
and
http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net/Events/NetworkMeetings/TrainingSeminaronSolarResourceAssessment.aspx
January 5, 2011
Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on “EU Gulf relations beyond the FTA” at the Omani Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muscat, Oman
December 15, 2010
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager participated as a speaker at First Gulf Security Fourm at Paris. The session entitled: International powers and Gulf security: their present role and future strategies. The session exposed the role of the International Community, such as the USA, the EU, China, Russian and NATO in maintaining security in the Arabian Gulf’s region .
December 9-10 2010
Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on “Syria, Lebanon, Israel- What Next? At the “Scenarios and Models for the Middle East Peace Settlement”, an International Conference organised by Valdai Discussion Club, Malta
December 1-3, 2010
Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on “Jordan's Relationship with the Gulf Region: Where is it Going?” in “Jordan: An Arab Diplomacy in the World” at the Hashemite University, Zarqa - Jordan
November 30th and December 1st, 2010
A delegation from GRC participated in the 1st Meeting of the Discussion Groups (DG) of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network project. Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Dr. Mohamed A. Raouf, Eng. Imen Jeridi and Ms. Franziska Beringer took part in the DG workshops focusing on: Renewable Energy Sources; Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management; and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Dr. Mohamed A. Raouf gave a presentation on ‘CCS and Climate Change’ whereas Eng. Imen Jeridi addressed the ‘Prospects for a Renewable Energy Transition in the GCC Countries”. The workshops took place in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai, UAE on November 30th and December 1st, 2010 and attracted more then 75 EU and GCC clean energy stakeholders. Details about the event can be found at: http://www.eugcc-cleanergy.net/Organizers1DG.aspx
November 12-14, 2010
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated in the meeting organized by The US National Defense University – Washington for the Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers held in the Dead Sea –Jordan
November 7th, 2010
The Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, recently served as Master of Ceremony at the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Platform event entitled “Challenges 2011” and held on November, 7, 2010 at the Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. As part of the event, speakers from both the UAE and Switzerland focused on the challenges that each confronts with an emphasis on how the bilateral relationship can be strengthened.
November 7, 2010
Dr. Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated in a workshop held in Doha on November 7, 2010 focusing on "The Nuclear Question in the Middle East". The workshop was organized by the Center for International and Regional Studies, Georgetown University.
November 6, 2010
Dr. Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated in a meeting in Teheran between November 4 to November 6, 2010 focusing on the Iranian nuclear file and the Iranian relations with the Gulf. The meeting was organized by the Koerber-Foundation.
October 20 to November 3, 2010
Within the context of ongoing cooperation, representatives of the Gulf Research Center and RTI International visited a number of institutions and organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including: King Saud University, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), King Abdullah Project for Development of Public Education – Tatweer, National Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP), King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), Ministry of Health, Riyadh Techno Valley (RTV), Riyadh Technology Incubation Center (RTIC), King Faisal University, King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) and King Abdullah Institute for Research and Consulting Studies (KAI-RCS). RTI International was represented by Mr. Derek Farwagi, Vice President, Business Development – GCC; Dr. Michael Trisolini, Director, Health Care Quality and Outcomes Program; and Dr. Daniel Winfield, Director, Center for Technology Applications. GRC was represented by Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation, who is also responsible for the GRC Science & Technology in the Gulf Program and Mr. Bander Althaqil, the GRC Administration Manager in Riyadh.
October 26, 2010 Dr Mustafa Alani the Senior Advisor and Director of Security Department at the GRC met in Tokyo with 85 members of the Japanese Business Community (the Doyukai) for a briefing on regional developments.
October 26, 2010
Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security and Defense Department at the GRC with Mr. Shinzo Abe, Former Prime Minister of Japan and leader of the opposition party speaking in the International Study Group workshop held on October 26, 2010 in the Japanese Parliament building titeld "Building Sustainable Peace and Security" . This closed Workshop was Co Sponsored by CEPEX, Gulf Research Center, and Sojitz Research Institute of Japan.
October 26, 2010
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, gave a briefing to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament on the status of relations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The public hearing was held as part of a process whereby the parliament is drafting a report on how to improve relations with the strategically important Gulf region. In his presentation as well as the questions that followed, Dr. Koch outlined why the European Union needs to pay more attention to events in the Gulf, why a European strategy should use the GCC states as their point of departure, and what concrete steps can be taken to elevate the relations to a higher status.
October 20, 2010
Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on the "The historical context of relations between GCC countries and the UK"Enhancing Understanding between the GCC Countries and the UK at the GCC Days in London,on 20th October at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London. UK.
October 15-17, 2010Nicole Stracke, Researcher at the Security and Defence Department participated as speaker in the "The United States and Gender, National Security, and Counter-Terrorism" Workshop in Istanbul
October 15-16, 2010
Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge gave a speech on "Gulf Security in the 21 century- threat perceptions and regional challenges" at Security and Middle East –I (15-16 October 2010- at Yildiz Technical University). Istanbul, Turkey.
October 13-14, 2010
Imen Jeridi Bachellerie, Researcher in the Science and Technology in the Gulf program of GRC, gave a presentation at the WAITRO 20th Congress conference entitled “Leadership for Innovation” co-organized by the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organization (WAITRO) and Dubai Institute of Technology (DIT). The WAITRO Congress and DIT Strategic Forum was held in Dubai on October 13-14, 2010 under the patronage of H.H. Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Imen Jeridi outlined her research findings on “Knowledge Creation and Diffusion: the Role of UAE Universities” during the conference session dedicated to “Knowledge Transfer: Challenges and Best Practices.”
October 5, 2010
Dr Abdullah Baabood, Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge gave a lecture on “The GCC as a Security Community?” at the NATO Defense College to the members of NRCC (NATO Regional Cooperation Course) on Tuesday, 5 October 2010. Rome, Italy.
October 4-5, 2010Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated consultation for the GEO-5 for West Asia Region in Manama, Bahrain organized by UNEP- ROWA.
October 1, 2010Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge chaired a session on "International Trade and Financial Regulations and their Impact on GCC-EU Relationships at "EU-GCC Relations and Global Economic Issues", Joint workshop Organized by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Gulf Research Centre (GRC) on Friday, 1 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium
September 26-29, 2010 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the regional green forum organized by Heinrich Boell Stiftung in Amman, Jordon. The focus of the forum was on climate change and renewable energy and the shift towards Green Economy.
September 20, 2010 Dr Mustafa Alani the Senior Advisor and Director of Security Department at the GRC met Mr Massoud Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in Arbil to discuss the regional developments.
September 16, 2010Dr Abdullah Baabood- Director Gulf Research Centre Cambridge spoke on 'Risks in the MENA region'.at the Economist Conference 'The Emerging Markets Summit The New Reality' 2010
August 28, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the discussion forum titled (our Environment in Ramadan)organized by Emirates Environmental group in Dubai. Dr. Raouf spoke about the link between recent environmental concepts and causes and the Islamic Culture.
August 17-18, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz participated in the workshop “Transnational Agro Investments in the Philippines and Indonesia” in Davao City/ Philippines on August 17-18, 2010. The workshop was organized by the University of Amsterdam and the Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM).
July 19-24, 2010
Dr. Christian Koch participated in the third annual World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies held in Barcelona, Spain from July 19-24, 2010 in a panel organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation on “The Multi-Level Facet of Middle Eastern Security” with a paper on the GCC as a regional security organization. WOCMES brought together more than 2,500 participants divided in about 500 different academic sessions.”
July 22, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated as a discussant in the panel on 'The Future of Gulf Governance: Security, Climate, Energy' at the World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES 2010) in Barcelona. Spain.
July 21, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about the global financial crisis and the UAE at the World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) in Barcelona
July 3-4, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the Second Management team of the project “Supporting Long-term Planning Capacity for Conflict Prevention in the Middle East” held in Beirut , Lebanon, where he provided environmental expertise. The project is carried out by Crisis Management Initiative, Finland with cooperation with Jordanian Strategic Center, Lebanon Center for Strategic Studies, Alahram Center for strategic Studies- Egypt and Gulf Research Center, Dubai.
June 24 -30, 2010 Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the 38th Global Environment Facility (GEF) CSO and Council Meetings in Washington, DC. GRC is currently the Regional Focal Point of West Asia for the GEF- NGO Network.
June 28, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about long-term economic challenges of GCC countries at the Arabian Business Magazine conference in Dubai
June 24, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Gulf state owned enterprises and privatization at the OECD Task Force on Corporate Governance of State Owned Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa
May 25-27, 2010
Dr. Samir Pradhan Senior Researcher, Economics Program, Gulf Research Centre was a panelist and presented a paper on "GCC Monetary Union: Inspired by Euro, Committed to Dollar" at the International Conference "Shaping the Future of the International Monetary System" organized by The National Bank of Poland 25-27 May 2010, attended by 25 higher level international financial experts and bankers.
May 25, 2010
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager attended the Africa Day Celebration and gave a speech in Abudhabi
May 17 -19, 2010
Dr. Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in the "Reporting on International Security and Terrorism" Seminar in New York
May 18, 2010Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security & Defense Department at the Gulf Research Center met with the General Secretary of the United Nation Ban Ki Moon as part of the delegation to discuss the problem of international terrorism on May 18, 2010 at the UN Headquarter in New York.
May 16 -18, 2010 Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the second WANA Forum held in Amman, Jordan. The initiative supported by Prince Al-Hassan Ben Talal of Jordon. Dr. Raouf is in charge of sub-committee of Climate change within Environment group of the conference.
May 13, 2010
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager attended a workshop on Silicon Valley at King Abdulaziz University last Thursday 13th May from 9am to 3pm.
May 9 -11, 2010 Dr. Mohamed Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the First Management team of the project “Supporting Long-term Planning Capacity for Conflict Prevention in the Middle East” held in Amman, Jordan, where he provided environmental expertise. The project is carried out by Crisis Management Initiative, Finland with cooperation with Jordanian Strategic Center, Lebanon Center for Strategic Studies, Alahram Center for strategic Studies- Egypt and Gulf Research Center, Dubai.
May 6-7,2010 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager attended St. Gallen Symposium at St. Gallen University
May 6-7,2010
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge spoke on the panel on: The European Union and the Arab World. What do Arabs think of and expect from Europe? at: Europe and Arab countries. Views, opinions, perspectives an International Seminar organised by Casa Árabe, Anna Lindh Foundation and CIDOB in Madrid , Spain
May 3-4, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz participated in a workshop of the Dubai Initiative and the Belfer Center of Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School at Harvard University on May 3-4, 2010. The workshop was about Climate Change Adaptation in the MENA: Challenges and Opportunities and his talk was about Gulf agriculture and climate change adaptation.
May 4, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about the Gulf and the Global Financial Crisis at the American Council on Germany in Boston
May 4, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Gulf food security at Brandeis University
April 23-25, 2010
Dr. Samir Pradhan Senior Researcher, Economics Program, Gulf Research Centre participated in Globoil International 2010, Hyatt Regency Dubai from 23-25 April 2010.
April 22, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research gave a presentation about “Environmental issues locally, regional and internationally” at Boeing Office in Dubai on the occasion of celebrating the Earth Day on 22nd of April.
April 11- 15, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the workshop for the Arab Region titled “Awareness-Raising Workshop for Developing and Transition Countries on Nanotechnology/Manufactured Nanomaterials and Strategic Management for Chemicals and Mercury Proposed UN treaty” organized by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Egyptian Environment Authority (EEAA) held in Alexandria, Egypt.
April 12- 14, 2010
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated as keynote speaker in the “ Maritime Infrastructure Protection Symposium” organized by the US Naval Forces Central Command held in Manama, Bahrain
April 6 – 10, 2010 Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Defense Department participated as speaker in meeting organized by The Nixon Center on the topic of “ Asia’s Role in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean: Implications for the Region and the U.S” held in Bellagio, Italy
April 6,2010
Nicole Stracke participated in a Roundtable Discussion about Perceptions of Regional and International Interests in Yemen organized by Sheba Centre for Strategic Studies and Chatham House in Sanaa, Yemen
March 25 & 26, 2010
Dr. Samir Pradhan Senior Researcher, Economics Program, Gulf Research Centre presented a paper on "Oman-India Relations: Exploring the Migration Dynamics" at the International Workshop "Regionalizing Oman - Political, Economic and Social Dynamics" organized by The Department of Economics and Social Geography of the Middle East and North Africa, Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Leipzig 25 & 26 March 2010, attended by 40 experts and scholars.
March 25 & 26, 2010 Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge Spoke on: Oman as a member of the GCC, in "Regionalizing Oman - Political, Economic and Social Dynamics" International Workshop, Department of Economics and Social Geography of the Middle East and North Africa, Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Leipzig 25 & 26 March 2010, attended by 40 experts and scholars.
March 22-23, 2010
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge Spoke on the: The regional reaction I: implications of accepting limited enrichment for regional and global proliferation at "The Iranian Nuclear Challenge: Reassessing the Options", A workshop organized by The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), IISS Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street,Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX., attended by 30 experts.
March 23, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Middle East Food Security at the Brown Bag Lecture Series of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
March 1– 3, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated the Arab Reform Forum held in Bibliotheca Alexandria in Egypt. The forum discussed the Climate Change after Copenhagen.
March 2, 2010
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Department was invited as the keynote speaker in the Morgan Stanley MENA Region Annual Client Dinner held in Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.
February 24-26, 2010 Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defense Department participated as a speaker in the “regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers” -National Defense University Washington Meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal held between the 24-26 of February 2010 on the issue of “Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation".
February 25, 2010Dr. Abdullah Baabood gave a talk about "The Revival of the Euro-Arab Dialogue" at La Fundación Tres Culturas del Mediterráneo Seville, Spain.
February 25, 2010Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Middle East Food Security at the Political Salon in New York
February 22– 25, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the UNEP 11th GC/GMEF held in Bali Indonesia 22-25 February 2010. The GRC is accredited Organization to the UNEP and now representing Research Community. The Meeting focused on Green Economy and International Environmental governance.
February 8, 2010
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security Department participated as a speaker in the NATO Workshop on "Cooperation in the Framework of Istanbul Cooperation Initiative" organized by The Center for Strategic Studies of the Qatar Ministry of Defense
January 28 – 29, 2010
Dr Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Defence department participated as a speaker in the workshop organized by the French Senate House (French Parliament ) under the title “Going Nuclear in the Middle East – In Search of an European Middle East Policy” held in Paris.
January 20,2010
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge Spoke on: Iran and Gulf security: at Security in the Middle East, Department for Continuing Education, Oxford University
January 20, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about the Dubai debt crisis and other Gulf economic issues at Observatory Group in New York
January 14, 2010
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge articipated in Third Seminar on NATO’s Strategic Concept: NATO’s Partnerships and beyond Oslo, Norway.
January 14, 2010
Together with Thomas W. Lippman, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Gulf Food Security and International Agro-Investments at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C.
January 14, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about the Dubai Debt Crisis at the Peterson Institute in Washington D.C.
January 11– 13, 2010
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research gave a presentation at GulfEco Environment Conference and Exibition, Muscat, Oman organized by Minstry of Environment and Climate Affairs in Oman.
January 12, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Gulf States' Responses to Food Insecurity: Is it any different from the 1970s? at the World Bank in Washington D.C.
January 6, 2010
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave talks about the Dubai Debt Crisis and Domestic Energy Requirements of Gulf Countries at the Naval Postgraudate School in Monterey, California
December 13– 16, 2009
Dr. Mohamed Abel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the Pan-Arab Biodiversity Conference organized by Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alerxandria, Egypt.
December 10, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of the Department of Security and Defense Studies participated as speaker in the meeting organized at the US Congress building (Rayburn House) under the title “Yemen Headlined: Contemporary Myths and Empirical Realities”.
December 7, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GRC workshop held in Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai entitled:Higher Education Cooperation Opportunities between the EU and the GCC
December 7, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about the Dubai debt crisis at the Transregional Institute of Princeton University.
December 2-3, 2009
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge spoke on: How to improve NATO’s image and perception in the Gulf? at an International Research Seminar on NATO and Gulf Security held at the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. The seminar brought together 60 experts representing NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries.
December 2-3, 2009 Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies at the GRC spoke at an International Research Seminar on NATO and Gulf Security held at the NATO Defense College on December 2 and 3, 2009 in Rome, Italy. Dr. Koch’s presentation focused on “An assessment of the GCC in the field of collective security.” The seminar brought together 60 experts representing NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries.
November 20-22, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Global Agenda council-Physical meeting held in Dubai
November 18 – 21, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security and Defense Studies Department participated in the 5th plenary meeting of “the Regional Network of Strategic Centers” RNSSC of the National Defense University (NDU) Washington. The meeting was held in New Delhi – India between 18th – 21st November 2009. The meeting was hosted by the Indian Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).
November 11 – 21, 2009The Gulf research Center (GRC) is participated in the 28th Sharjah Book Fair 11 – 21, November 2009. The Sharjah International Book Fair is 10 days cultural event showcasing books of more than 750 Publishers from nearly 50 nations.
November 13, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Food Security Strategies of Saudi Arabia at the Conference on the Saudi State at Princeton University
November 11-12, 2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in workshop held in GRC entitled: China’s Growing Role in the Middle East: Implications for the Region and Beyond.
November 8– 12, 2009
Dr. Mohamed Abelraouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated in the WANA forum Environmental track consultiation meeting in Amman 8-10 November as well as WANA participation in Climate change impacts on natural resources conference in Ismalia , Egypt 11-12 November. The main aim is to discuss the Environmental Education in WANA region, Green Economy in WANA region and climate change impacts locally, regionally and globally.
November 2 and 3, 2009
In the framework of the al-Jisr Project Workshop on “Political Reform in the GCC States and Its Implications for EU Policy” in cooperation with FRIDE, November 2 and 3, 2009 in Madrid, Spain, Dr. Christian Koch delivered a talk on “EU-GCC Relations: The Political Dimension”
October 28-30, 2009
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge Spoke on: The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative: Current Status and Future Prospects at NATO-UAE relations and the way forward in the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Co-Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and the NATO Public Diplomacy Division
October 29, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in NATO-UAE relations and the way forward in the Istanbul cooperation initiative held in Abu Dhabi with a presentation entitled:“Regional Security challenges Affecting Nato and Gulf Countries”
October 27 – 29, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security Department at the GRC participated in the conference on “ The Political Role of Tribes in the Middle East and North Africa” organized by the IDRC (International Development Research Center) of Canada and the Center for Strategic Studies , University of Amman – Jordan . held in Amman between 27 – 29 October 2009.
October 26, 2009 Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis participated in the second "Role of Tribes in Iraqi Society and Politics" workshop associated with the GRC Foundation project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop, which took place in Amman, Jordan was chaired by the Scientific Head of the project, Dr. Hosham Dawod, and was attended by a group of Iraqi researchers who participated in the project. IDRC was represented by Mr. Charaf Ahmimed.
October 23, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a talk about Gulf Food Security and Agro-Investments Abroad at the Environmental Institute of Princeton University
October 21-22, 2009 Dr Mustafa Alani Director, Dept of Security and Defence Studiesat Gulf Research Center participated as a main speaker in the Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies (JIME) and The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) Annual International Symposium 2009 “The First Year of the Obama Administration and the Strategy of the Middle Eastern Regional Powers" which held in Tokyo
October 21, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Roundtable on Renewable energy in the Gulf held in GRC
October 20-21, 2009
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, participated in the 19th Annual US-Arab Policymakers Conference of the National Council on US-Arab Relations in Washington DC from October 20-21, 2009 where he spoke on the first panel on “Geo-Political Dynamics(1): Iran and Regional Security” specifically on the topic on “Regional Implications of Iran’s Nuclear Program.”
September 27, 2009
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, participated in a panel discussion on the outcome of the German elections for German-Gulf Relations organized by the German Consulate on September 27, 2009 in Dubai. The event was moderated by Michael Backfisch of the Handelsblatt newspaper and Constantin Schreiber of the Deutsche Welle.
September 25, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in 4th Global Leadership Seminar held in France
September 23, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Opening Ceremony of King Abdullah Universities Science and Technology Institute in Jeddah
September 7, 2009
Dr. Christian Koch held an interview to German Public Radio ARD on the development in the GCC countries and the impact of the global financial crisis on the region.
August 17-19, 2009
Dr. Mohamed Abelraouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated as a speaker in the regional meeting organized by the Arab NGO Network for Development and IndyACT - The League of Independent Activists on “the role of Arab government and NGOs to tackle climate change” on 17-19 August 2009 in Beirut.
July 29-30, 2009
Dr. Mohamed Abelraouf, Program Manager, Environment Research participated as a speaker in the Arab Integrated Water Resources Management Network (AWARENET) first meeting of the Climate Change Working Group on 29-30 July 2009 in Beirut. Dr. Raouf delivered a presentation titled “Past and Future of Clean Development Mechanism in the Arab World”. Dr. Raouf was elected as a vice-chair for the group over the next three years. The elected chair is Dr. Hamed Assaf, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the American University of Beirut.
July 28, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security and Terrorism Studies Department participated as a speaker in the meeting on “Strategic Stability in South-West Asia in the Wake of New US Policy for the Region” organized by The Foundation for Peace – Islamabad / Pakistan. The meeting was held on July 28 in Islamabad. Dr Alani gave presentation on the topic “the Conflict in Afghanistan and its Implications for the Gulf Region”.
July 16-17,2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GRCF Council meeting held in Geneva
July 15, 2009
EU Heads of missions meeting in Abu Dhabi: Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security and Terrorism Department gave a briefing on the topics related to the security situation in the Gulf region to the European Union Ambassadors for the UAE. The briefing was held on July 15 and organized by HE Bruno S Beijer the Swedish Ambassador to the UAE at the ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi. The meeting was organized to coincide with the start of Sweden Presidency of the EU.
July 6-10, 2009Dr Mustafa Alani and Ms Nicole Stracke of the Department of Security and Terrorism Studies at the GRC participated in the three separate workshops organized by the National Defense University in Washington.
6-July, Conflict without Borders Listening Workshop
8-9 July, Lifting the Fog of Law: Managing Political Violence in the Near East and South Asia
10 July, Perspectives on Terrorism: Views From the Near East and South Asia on Combating a Common Threat
June 21-23, 2009Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security Department participated in the RNSSC Working Group Meetings ( of National Defense University – Washington) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
June 22, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz spoke at the Global AgInvesting Conference in New York about Agro-Investments Abroad by Arab Gulf Countries.
June 15-19, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Global leadership program held in Geneva
June 8-9, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Lund University Sweden meeting held in Lund Sweden
June 2 – 3, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani and Ms Nicole Stracke of the Department of Security and Terrorism Studies at the GRC participated as speakers in the first International Conference on "Energy Security and Development in Yemen" organized by SHEBA Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS) in Sana'a,Yemen.
May 30 -31, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Piracy conference and GCC council held in Riyadh
May 26 -28, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated as a Speaker in Saudi Economic Society held in Riyadh
May 26, 2009
H.E. Hans-Rudolf Merz, President of the Swiss Confederation was briefed about current economic issues in the UAE and the Gulf at large on May 26, 2009 by Dr. Eckart Woertz, Hamad Buamim, Director General of the Dubai Chamber and a group of Swiss business representatives in the UAE.
May 18-21, 2009
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis participated in a workshop attended by a group of Iraqi researchers working on the GRC Foundation project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to study "The Role of Tribes in Iraqi Society and Politics." The workshop was held in Beirut 18-21 May 2009.
May 17-20, 2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in DCAF Advisory Boarding and 8th International Security Forum (ISF) that held in Geneva with a presentation entitled: Will democracy win – Is democracy the leading model for the future
May 14-17, 2009
Dr. Mustafa Alani participated as a speaker in the Eight "Tswalu Dialogue" in South Africa 14-17 May 2009 which focused on the theme: "The Think-Tank and Advisory Business: Time for Reflection."
May 11-12, 2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in 12th Kronberg talk held in Riyadh
May 10-12, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz chaired a session about Preferential Trade Agreements and their impact on the multilateral trade system of the WTO at the regional dialogue “Current and Future Challenges for the Multilateral Trading System – Development Perspectives form the MENA Region” of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cairo
May 8, 2009
Dr. Abdullah Baabood, Director of the Gulf Research Centre- Cambridge Spoke on: Regional Security and the Arab Gulf States at NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC), Rome, Italy
May 5-7, 2009
Dr Eckart Woertz spoke at the conference of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) “Regional High-Level Consultative Forum on the Impact of the International Financial Crisis on the ESCWA Member Countries: the Way Forward” on May 5-7, 2009 in Damascus. His lecture focused on the impact of the financial crisis on GCC sovereign wealth funds and future investment strategies of such funds. The findings of the conference will be presented at the UN conference about the global financial crisis on June 1-3 in New York.
April 27, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani gave a presentation at the UAE Advanced Defence & Security Technology Summit, Dubai, 27-28 April 2009 about Internal Security Threats to the GCC states.
April 26, 2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Swiss UAE workshop held in Shangrila Hotel, Abu dhabi with a presentation entitled: Challenges GCC 2010
April 22, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Premium Corporate Member Roundtable held in Dubai.
April 19, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a lecture about economic policies of the Obama administration towards the Gulf countries at the German Business Council in Abu Dhabi.
April 15, 2009 Dr. Samir Pradhan participated as session moderator at the Globoil International Conference held in Dubai.
April 1, 2009
GRC Chairman, Abdulaziz Sager participated in the IMD Business Forum Dubai with a presentation entitled "Opportunities During Downturn Times". IMD President Dr. John Wells led the Forum which focused on the theme "Winning Through Troubled Times" and brought together speakers from the international and regional business communities to share their research and best practice related to the Forum theme.
To access the presentation click here.
March 25-26, 2009 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research Participated in the London school of Economics and Kuwait foundation for the Advancement of science (KFAS) workshop on first International conference on Globalization and the Gulf. Dr. Raouf presented the environmental problems in the Arabian Gulf Region with special focus on Water and Climate Change problems.
March 24, 2009
At the 9th GCC Banking Conference in Bahrain on March 24, 2009 Dr. Eckart Woertz gave an outlook on the GCC economies in 2009.
March 23, 2009 Dr. Samir Pradhan presented a paper titled, “The Gulf and Asia: Towards a Regional Energy, Finance and Food Security Architecture” at the International Conference, Gulf and Emerging Asia: Defining Regional Architecture, Gulf Studies Programme, SIS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.
March 23, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a lecture at the German Business Council in Dubai on March 23, 2009 about the US-Arab Economic Relations and the Obama Administration.
March 21, 2009 Dr. Samir Pradhan presented a paper titled, “UAE’s Economic Policy and the Current Global Meltdown: An Appraisal” at the National Seminar on “Contemporary UAE and Emerging Indo-UAE Relations” organized by Gulf Studies Program, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
March 19-20, 2009
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research Participated in the Stimson Center and The Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS) (Colombo- Sri Lanka) workshop on Climate Change and Costal and Zones. The purpose of the workshop is to gain an insight on how knowledgeable people in the Indian Ocean area about the Impact of climate change on marine and costal area. The workshop discussed issues related to environmental management; coastal zone ecologies; fisheries and coral reefs; maritime security; disaster preparedness; urban planning; and international diplomacy, among other areas.
March 8, 2009
At the 34th meeting of the Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry on March 8, 2009 in Muscat, Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a lecture about the global financial crisis and its impact on the GCC countries. The meeting also hosted the 24th joint meeting of the GCC chambers and the GCC Secretariat.
March 3, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC spoke at the Rotary Club of Ras Al Khaima about the Gulf Countries and the Global Financial Crisis
February 24-25, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Gulf Africa Forum held at Cape town, South africa.
February 18, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC spoke at the annual conference of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome. He gave a presentation about GCC agro-investments abroad on a roundtable that dealt with outsourcing of food production and land rights of small-scale farmers.
February 16, 2009Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC participated in a panel discussion about the economic outlook of the GCC region at the Middle East Alternative Investments Summit 2009
February 15, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in the Doha Debates addressing the question of Arab unity after recent events in Gaza. In order to view this debate, please click on the following link: http://www.thedohadebates.com/debates/player.asp?d=47&res=hi
February 11, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies and Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security and Terrorism Research Program briefed delegates of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs who were in Dubai as part of their Leadership Study Mission to the Gulf 2009. The topic of the briefing and panel discussion was: "Security in the Gulf Region."
February 7,2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Diplomatic Institute Workshop with a presentation entitled Concept for Arab National Security, Riyadh
February 4-5,2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in Arab-America-Africa-Asia Business Summit held at Dubai with a presentation entitled: New Approaches to Global Trade: Enhancing the 4A’s Trade Flows”.
January 29 2009 Dr. Samir Pradhan presented a paper titled, “Regionalism in West Asia: Potential Impact on Intra-OIC Trade” at the IKRAB International Economics Roundtable “Towards Enhancement of Cooperation among Islamic Countries” organized by the Institute of West Asian Studies (IKRAB), National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
January 28, 2009 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager gave a Lecture at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah
January 22, 2009
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC briefed a delegation of the German Ministry of Economy and technology on the GCC economies
January 20-21, 2009 Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager, Environment Research gave a presentation Titled “Marine, Water and Environmental Policy in UAE” at the Environment 2009 Conference in Abu Dhabi organized by The Ministry of Environment and Water in UAE. This conference is organized in conjunction with Future Energy Summit.
January 14-16, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security Department participated in the workshop entitled ‘Nuclear Power and Non-Proliferation in the Middle East’. Organized by The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and The Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA), held in Cairo
January 11 - 13, 2009
Dr Mustafa Alani Director of Security Department participated in the workshop entitled “Assessing the Emerging Strategic Environment in the Middle East”. Organized by the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan and the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the US National Defense University , and the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C., held in the Dead Sea /Jordan
January 6-7, 2009
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GRC Annual Conference held in Riyadh and gave (Opening Speech) for Gulf Forum 2009
December 1-2, 2008
Prof. Giacomo Luciani, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation in Geneva, participated in the Annual Symposium of the Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies (JIME) of the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan, which took place in Tokyo on December 1 and 2, 2008. JIME and GRC have had a longstanding and fruitful cooperation over several years. Prof. Luciani presented a paper on "Energy and Global Environment: the GCC vs. Barack Obama", which may be accessed on JIME's website at http://jime.ieej.or.jp/htm/english/2008/1202_1.htm. The symposium attracted numerous participants from the Japanese corporate sector.
December 16, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about the “Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the GCC Countries” at the German Business Council in Abu Dhabi
December 12, 2008 Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies at the GRc gave a presentation at a one-day conference organized by the Policy Planning Staff of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Institut français des relations internationals (IFRI) on “The Arabian Peninsula in 2008: States and Threats.” Dr. Koch’s presentation was on “The Peninsula’s States and the Iranian nuclear ambitions” and focused on the GCC attitude to the development in regard to the Iranian nuclear program.
December 11, 2008 Dr. Koch held a meeting with Dr. Axel Goethals, CEO and Dr. Dick Gupwell, Secretary-General of the European Institute for Asian Studies in the context of the EIAS’s participation in the Al-Jisr project for GCC-EU Public Diplomacy and Outreach Activities. The meeting took place at the EIAS offices in Brussels.
December 10, 2008 The GRC led a delegation from the GCC States for a one-day visit of “High-Level Opinion Leaders from the Gulf Region” to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The GCC delegation was comprised of delegates from the Sultanate of Oman, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The delegation was treated to a variety of presentations and discussions including on “NATO’s transformation and the Outreach to the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Broader Middle East Region” by Mr. Nicola de Santis, Head of the Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Countries Section in the Public Diplomacy Division of NATO; on “Current Political Issues” with Mr. Jonathan Parish, Speechwriter, Private Office of the Secretary General; on NATO’s Military Cooperation under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) with Colonel Michele Crescenzi, Head, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Section, NATO International Military Staff; on Defense Investment Cooperation under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) with Mr. Richard Williams, Deputy Director Armaments, Defence Investment Division; on NATO’s Public Diplomacy with Mr. Jean-François Bureau, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; a briefing on The role of Civil Emergency Planning in NATO and Support for national responses in times of crisis and natural disasters with Mr. Günther Bretschneider, Head, Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre and a discussion on NATO-Russia Relations with Mr. Robert Pszczel, Press Officer, Press and Media Section, Public Diplomacy Division. A final briefing occurred with H.E. Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, NATO Deputy Secretary General.
December 8, 2008 Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, met with Sabine Taufman, Gulf States Section at the German Federal Foreign Ministry as well as with Dr. Markus Ederer, Head of the Policy Planning Staff and Susanne Riegraf of the Policy Planning Staff at the Ministry on December 8 in Berlin to discuss the planned Gulf-Europe Strategy Forum as well as development related to the GCC-EU Friendship Fund for the FATA region in which the GRC participated in an international conference at the end of May 2008 in conjunction with the World Security Network.
November 25, 2008
As part of its cooperation with the Henry L. Stimson Center in the project entitled “Regional Voices: Transnational Challenges”, Dr. Alani and Dr. Koch participated in a one-day workshop in Washington DC which was subtitled “A Conversation with Experts from the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.” Following a introduction outlining the broad themes of the meeting with a focus on recent global economic trends, the various sessions included discussions on political stability and conflict, international rivers, the political economy of forests and minerals, climate change, and a focus on the Indian Ocean Region. More than 50 specialists participated in the meeting and the project is set to continue for further rounds of discussion in 2009. Further information on the project can be obtained from http://www.stimson.org/rv
November 22 to 25, 2008
The Gulf Research Center organized a panel discussion in the framework of the 42nd Annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association which was held from November 22 to 25, 2008 at the Marriott Wardman Hotel in Washington DC. The annual MESA meeting brings together over 2,000 scholars working on the Middle East across a variety of academic disciplines. The GRC panel entitled “The Gulf and US Foreign Policy” was chaired by Prof. Fred Lawson of Mills College and included presentations by Dr. Matteo Legrenzi of the University of Ottawa on “NATO/ICI-GCC Relations”, Dr. Mustafa Alani, GRC Director for Security and Terrorism Studies on “The GCC Security Environment and the Requirements for future US policy”, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies at the GRC on “The Changing International Relations of the Gulf and the Implications for the new US Administration”, and Prof. Giacomo Luciani, Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, on “The GCC and Energy Policies in Europe and the USA.” The panel was attended by more than 60 participants of the conference. In conjunction with the meeting, the GRC also organized a book stand at the accompanying MESA book fair.
November 24, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about “Food Security in the GCC Countries”, at a conference about GCC food security of the Federation of GCC Chambers in Muscat.
November 24, 2008 Dr. Alani and Dr. Koch held a meeting with Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen (USN, Ret), former Commander of all U.S. Naval Forces in the Gulf and currently Chairman of the Board of the National Council on US-Arab Relations and Dr. James Winship, Vice-President of the Council’s Programs at the NCUSAR offices in Washington. The discussion focused on mutual areas of cooperation including possible joint programs and events.
November 24, 2008 Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch participated in a briefing session of the National Intelligence Council regarding the 2025 NIC’s Global Outlook report. The session was held at the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington DC and included participants from Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. Among the questions posed were what are the principal transnational threat and trends shaping the future of your respective region and what are the principal trends, threats, sources of rapid change and instability.
November 23, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about "The Impact of Global Financial Crisis on GCC Countries" at the Swiss Business Hub, GCC Regional Meeting
November 21, 2008
At the Orientkolloqium lecture series of the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC spoke about "The Gulf as an Area of Neglect in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies"
November 17-18, 2008
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager gave a talk at “Iran and the Arab World – Possible Challenges & Potential Cooperation” Arab – European Perspectives on Arab-Iran relations and Gulf security -Cairo
November 13-16, 2008
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager gave a talk at Fikr 7 Conference on Social justice culture & civil society's responsibility-Cairo
November 12-13, 2008
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GRC-Nixon Center’s Gulf Asia workshop-Dubai
November 1, 2008
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GCC Secretary General Meeting -Riyadh
October 27- 29 , 2008
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Terrorism Department participated in the International Forum on Biosecurity, in Amman, Jordan
October 26, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about “The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on GCC Countries” at the German Business Council in Dubai.
October 22-23, 2008
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager participated in GRC-Durham workshop titled “Gulf-East-Asia relations.”-Dubai
October 21, 2008
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Terrorism Department gave a presentation about "Analysing the Region's Terrorist Attacks on Criticial Energy Infrastructure at the "Security for Infrastructure" workshop in Abu Dhabi
October 21, 2008
Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center gave a talk at Avenir Suisse, a leading independent business-supported think tank in Zurich, on “The Strategic Significance of the Gulf Region and its Impact on Swiss-Gulf Relations.” The presentation focused on the impact of development in the Gulf region from a political, security, economic and social perspective and included references to record-high oil prices, concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, the continued instability in Iraq, the threat of terrorism, the role of Islam, and the current global financial crisis.
October 16-18, 2008 GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies and Prof. Giacomo Luciani, Director of the GRC Foundation attended the fourth edition of the Eurogolfe Forum 2008 entitled “Europe, the Gulf and the Mediterranean: Reviving Common Legacies, Mapping Our New Region” held from October 16 to 18, 2008 in Venice, Italy. The forum which brought together over 200 specialists, academics and policy officials dealing with relations between Europe and the Gulf Region featured numerous plenary and workshop sessions focused on such issues as energy challenges, the role of sovereign wealth funds, cooperation in education, the Gulf media industry, GCC national security strategies and the role of domestic political reforms in the Gulf. The GRC Chairman spoke in a panel on “The Dynamics of Iranian Regional Policy” outlining the view from the GCC states as far as the role of Iran in the Gulf is concerned.
October 8, 2008 Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about “Economic Issues Facing Oil and the Impact on the Global Economy” at the Centaur Investment Summit in Dubai
September 15, 2008
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Terrorism Department participated in The 'Regional Network Directors Meeting' organized by the National Defense University (NDU) - Washington held in Geneva
September 12 - 14, 2008
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Terrorism Department participated in The IISS Annual Conference ' The Global Strategic Review" held in Geneva
September 10 - 11, 2008Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of Security and Terrorism Department participated in The meeting of the 'Counter Terrorism Working Group' of the National Defense University (NDU) - Washington which held in Geneva
September 5-6, 2008
Participated in the Stimson Center and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Expert Consultation Meeting on Climate Change and Water in New-Delhi. The purpose of the workshop is to gain an insight on how Climate Change affects water resources in the three regions (Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia) and research, policy and social responses to the problem.
July 28-29, 2008
Participated in the Stimson Center and Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta) workshop on Natural Resources. The purpose of the workshop is to gain an insight on how knowledgeable people in the three regions (Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia) think about the transboundary and nontraditional security impacts of the development and management (or lack thereof) of natural resources in their regions.
July 21, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a presentation about the Gulf Research Center and Gulf studies at the Daimler Research and Development Institute in Berlin. At the following roundtable challenges of the Gulf region and possible areas of cooperation were discussed.
July 4-5, 2008GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager was participated in Korber Foundation Dialogue-Berlin
July 1-2, 2008
Dr Mustafa Alani , Director of the Security Department participated as a speaker in the first “Gulf Naval Commanders Conference” held in Abu Dhabi between the 1st and 2nd of July. The Conference was attended by all the Commanders of GCC Naval forces.
June 24-25, 2008
Dr. Mohamed A. Raouf, Senior Environment Research at GRC participated in the first Annual Meeting of the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) held in Geneva. Dr. Raouf took part in the discussion sessions of Climate Change and Water and International Food Crisis. The event was attended by various experts and scientists from around the world, as well as many politicians such as Javier Solana, High Representative for the Foreign and Security Policy, European Union; Secretary General, Council of the European Union. It is worth mentioning that the GHF is founded and chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.
June 20-23, 2008Gstaad conference,
Hotel Arc-en-ciel, Geneva
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager spoke on Iran and the Gulf (oil and GCC).
Once a year, the Gulf Research Center (GRC), the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP), the RAND Corporation and the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University gather in Gstaad, Switzerland, to analyze and take stock of the strategic situation of the Middle East Region. The 2008 conference focused on the various geopolitical and regional dynamics including the emergence of the Arab Gulf States as significant factors in regional relations; the changing priorities vis-à-vis the Middle East from external actors such as Europe, Asia and Russia; the evolving priorities of the United States as it deals with the continuing challenges of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and the Arab-Israeli conflict; the economic consequences as a result of the rising price of oil; and the broader transition taking place with the rise of non-state actors, the erosion of state power and the emergence of sub-regional dynamics. Within the context, the conference also took an issue-specific view that included the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and its relationship with the Middle East, and Iran and the Arab Gulf States. The central themes that ran through this conference included the growing interconnection between problems in the region, therefore making it more difficult to articulate an analysis along national lines; the emergence of ‘bottom-up’ or ‘micro’ politics in Lebanon, Israel (among the Arab population), and the Kurds in Northern Iraq and Turkey; the continuing need for the US in the Middle East; the confusion between transactional and transformational policies; and, finally, the idea of “wildcards”, i.e. unpredictable events which could change the dynamics of the region. The conference concluded with the following assessment: “Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding what the future holds for the Middle East, one thing is certain. We are living a transitional period. In the past, outside powers dealt with one leader, who assumed control over all coercive parts of the states (the security state). This was easier to a certain extent, though the West bemoaned the lack of democracy. Now, the West is regretting the weakness of states and the often --too- lively, and unpredictable politics. Iraq and Lebanon appear to be losing control, but perhaps because a different political culture is emerging. We are experiencing the end of the autocratic, authoritarian period, and heading towards a new era. In the meantime, however, we see something stirring and unpredictable taking place. Perhaps, we should therefore look at it without judgment?" Click here to download report.
June 19-20, 2008 Seminar on Middle East Security and WMD non-proliferation/Disarmament
Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris
Seminar on "Middle East Security and WMD non-proliferation/Disarmament" on 19 & 20 June 2008 in Paris at Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine,organized by EU Institute for Security Studies.
GRC Chairman Mr. Abdulaziz Sager was a speaker on the 19th of June. He spoke on Proliferation Challenges in the Middle East at the 1st Plenary Session of the seminar.
June 10-12, 2008 Global Perspectives of the Proliferation Landscape: An Assessment of Tools and Policy Problems
Monterey, California
The GRC was one of the sponsor institutes of the “2008 Monterey Proliferation Seminar” organized by the US Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California between 10 – 12 June 2008 under the title “Global Perspectives of the Proliferation Landscape: An Assessment of Tools and Policy Problems”. Dr Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor and Director, Security and Terrorism Studies of GRC participated in the seminar.
May 28-29, 2008 Berlin Round Table of the World Security Network Foundation
EU-GCC FATA Friendship Fund
Hotel Adlon
Berlin, Germany
The GRC Chairman Mr. Sager and Directors participated in the Conference organized by the World Security Network that was aimed at developing a joint EU-GCC Development Fund for Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Such an initiative needs to be developed on an immediate basis considering the importance of the FATA region for the stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Sager specifically addressed the role the GCC States could play by providing vital employment opportunities in the unskilled and semi skilled labor sector in the GCC. This would not only address the root causes leading to extremism but would also foster the feeling of brotherhood between Pakistan and the Gulf bloc. The Gulf States by playing the leadership role in the development projects could also alleviate hostility towards Western aid.
Click here to download presentation.
May 26-27, 2008 Dr. Mohamed A. Raouf gave a presentation about “Water Policy in GCC Countries, Current Status and Recent Initiatives’ as well as being a panelist on panel discussion “demonstrating a sustainable water management plan to address the water scarcity issue in the Middle East” at Middle East Waste and Water Congress organized by Marcus Evan in Dubai.
May 26, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave a lecture about "Commodity Markets and the Gulf" at the Terrapinn Commodities Investments Week MENA in Dubai.
May 21, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC participated in a roundtable discussion about Sovereign Wealth Funds from the Gulf and their investments in Germany. The roundtable was held in Dubai and comprised German and Emirati participants, the German delegation was headed by German Minister of Finance Peer Steinbrück.
May 11 – 12, 2008
The Directors of GRC has participated in “Diplomats and the Media workshop” organized by Omani Diplomatic Institute held in Muscat
May 9 -11, 2008
Dr. Koch has attended Tswalu Dialogue, Johannesburg
Topic is listed as “What have we learned from conflict resolution in the Middle East”
May 8, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC, gave a lecture about GCC Economic Integration at the Dubai School of Government
May 7 - 8, 2008
The Directors of GRC has participated in “Arab Reform Initiative Annual Conference” organized by the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) held in Alexandria – Egypt
May 7, 2008
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC gave an assessment of the GCC economies at the Citigroup investors conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Madrid.
May 6- 7, 2008 Dr. Mohamed A Raouf Program Manager Environment at GRC participated and made presentation titled “Assessment of the Media Role in Environmental Issues in UAE” at the Environmental thinking forum organized by the Federal Environment Agency. The event was hosted by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR).
May 4-5, 2008
Saudi British Relation Workshop by Center for European Studies, Institute of Diplomatic Studies
Chairman is a speaker on 5th May, Security and Foreign Policy Issues in Current British- Saudi relations. Riyadh
April 28-29, 2008
Participated in the first conference on “Water Policy and Associated Technological Challenges in Arid Dynamic Environments: The Special Case of Arabian Gulf Countries, Bridging the gap between water science and policy making” ” organized by The University of Texas Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy In collaboration with Schlumberger Water Services and Hosted by American University of Kuwait. The GRC delivered remarks in the panel of the “Water Policy and Cost Recovery Options”.
April 23-25, 2008
Nato - Bahrain Relations and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, Ritz Carlton, Bahrain. Chairman was a speaker on Session 1: Nato - Gulf relations in the framework of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, 24th April.
April 23, 2008
Workshop "Challenges 2009" and the Swiss Ambassador's Award Ceremony Swiss Embassy Workshop at Shangri La Abu Dhabi
23rd April Wednesday 4.30 pm till 6.30 pm
Chairman was a speaker at 5.05 on Political and Economic Challenges 2009.
April 19-20, 2008
Current Situation in Iraq workshop by Diplomatic Institute, Riyadh and Oxford Research Group UK
What would a regional/international consensus around Iraq look like based on stable areas of cooperation in the region? Riyadh
April 15, 2008
Participated in the "carbon Emissions Trading in the Gulf region" organized by Ecosecurities company at the Dubai Greek Golf and Yacht club.
April 1 – 3, 2008
GRC Directors Participated in the workshop on “Armaments and Security in the Middle East as Reflected in the SIPRI Yearbook “ organized jointly by SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ) , The Swedish Institute in Alexandria, and Arab Thought Forum (ATF - Jordan) held in Amman , Jordan 1 – 3 April 2008.
March 25, 2008
Delivered a lecture titled "Environmental Accounting and Costing: Concept and Case Study" at the American University of Sharjah for students from various schools at the public seminar organized by environment program of the school of Science.
March 17, 2008 Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC, participated in a panel discussion about "The State of Middle East Equity Capital Markets" at the 3rd Middle East IPO Summit in Abu Dhabi on March 17, 2008.
March 7-9, 2008
GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager has participated in Investor Conference organized by Abraaj Capital, Dubai where he spoke for title “Looking into the Crystal Ball”
March 6, 2008
“Dr. Eckart Woertz gave a lecture about “The Economic Importance and Political Stability of the Gulf Region” at the Federal College for Security Studies in Berlin on March 6, 2008. The Federal College is Germany’s highest-ranking interministerial institution for advanced education and training in the field of security policy.”
March 2 – 5, 2008
GRC Directors Participated in Workshop on "Security and Development in the Arab World – Egypt Case" organized by The Arab Reform Initiative held in Cairo
February 25 –28, 2008
GRC Chairman and Directors Participated in "Riyadh Meeting 2008" on "Avenues for Dialogue : Driving Discourse toward Peaceful Goals" Organized by the Ministry of Interior , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held in Riyadh .
Fabruary 26, 2008 Participated and mad a presentation titled "Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism in the Gulf Region" in the Environmental Day 2008 organized by School of Science at the American University of Sharjah.
February 24, 2008 Participated and spoke in the planning meeting of the Dubai School of Government and the Social Science Research Council entitled "The Transformation of Higher Education and Social Science Research in Asia: The Gulf Region and beyond" on February 24, 2008 in Dubai
February 20, 2008
IMD Business ForumManaging Your Brand: Opportunities for Africa and Middle Eastern Enterprises
Grand Hyatt Regency
Johannesburg ,South Africa
GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager gave a Presentation on "The Gulf and Africa: Searching for Greater Complementarity". Mr. Sager specifically addressed the potential role of South Africa as an investment hub for Gulf investors who are interested in investing in Africa at large and lay focus on the mining, tourism and construction industries.
Click here to download presentation.
February 19-20, 2008 Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies at the GRC, made three presentations as part of a trip to Japan upon the invitation of the Institute for Cross-Cultural Studies at Kobe University. The lecture included the following:
“The Future of International Relations in the Gulf region with a look at the implications for Japan and Asia” on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at the Foreign Press Center of Japan in Tokyo and sponsored by the Middle East Research Institute of Japan.
”The Shifting Gulf Security Environment: The Role of Europe” on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at the JIME Center, Institute for Energy Economics in Tokyo And “Towards Security and Conflict Prevention in the Gulf Region,” at the Faculty of Cross-Cultural Studies at Kobe University in Kobe, Japan as part of the research workshop entitled “What are the effective strategic methods or policies to deploy preventive diplomacy and prevention of conflicts in the Middle East with special emphasis on the Gulf?” which in turn in part of the research project on Preventive Diplomacy in the Middle East (MEP) sponsored by the university
February 14 - 15, 2008
GRC Directors Participated in “Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Seminar 2008 – IONS ” on "Contemporary Trans – national Challenges – International Maritime Connectivities" Organized by Indian Navy & National Maritime Foundation held in New Delhi.
February 10 -15, 2008
The GRC co-organized and participated in the conference "Mountains of the World - Ecology, Conservation and Sustainable Development," held from February 10-15, 2008, in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The event was organized by the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (CESAR) at Sultan Qaboos University in association with the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources (MRMEWR). GRC will publish the conference proceedings.
February 7-8, 2008 GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager Participated and spoke in Development Forum held in Bahrain
February 3, 2008 GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager Participated in Shell-GRC workshop, Doha and spoke on: “Outlining the Challenges Faced by the GCC States”
