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Professor Sultan Barakat, the Founding Director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies in Qatar, addressed a Foreign Policy Round Table at LKI on 16 November 2017 where he spoke on “The Current Gulf Crisis and its Impact on the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

Prof. Barakat’s presentation highlighted the current political crisis in Qatar, arguing that the Gulf Cooperation Council has failed to provide a solution to the crisis between Qatar and its other members, primarily as the Council’s frozen status lessens its impact as a mediating body. He further emphasised that the blockade has caused significant shifts in the geopolitics of the Arab World, with possibilities for new alliances.

The round table, organised in collaboration with the Center for Humanitarian Affairs in Sri Lanka, and was attended by an LKI Board Member, the Ambassador for Turkey, and representatives from the diplomatic missions for Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and LKI’s Board of Management. Representatives from think tanks and international organisations were also present.

The round table was moderated by Dr. Dinusha Panditaratne, Executive Director of LKI.

Click here for the key takeaways from the round table.

Photos: Fluke, by Ruvin de Silva