The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) is pleased to announce our upcoming panel ‘Vaccine Diplomacy in the Middle East.’ The discussion will take place on March 24th from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST and can be watched live on Zoom.
Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Middle Eastern countries have rushed to gain access to foreign vaccines. In this competitive environment, China, Russia, and the United States have all offered to export their vaccines to regional stakeholders in the hope of outmaneuvering the other in winning hearts and minds in the region.
With US regional allies including some Persian Gulf states, Turkey and Egypt importing vaccines from Beijing and Moscow, American vaccine diplomacy and soft power appears to be overshadowed in the region. The strong emphasis on vaccine diplomacy very much reflects the ongoing great power competition where world powers make their best effort to use vaccines to deepen trust and their influence in the post-COVID-19 regional order.
Registration is required to attend. Reserve your spot for free, here.
Panelists
Dr. Jonathan Fulton, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University and Nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council
Dr. Jonathan Fulton is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and a nonresident senior fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. He also serves as an expert on Chinese policy toward the Middle East, Fulton has written widely on the topic for both academic and popular publications. He is the author of China’s Relations with the Gulf Monarchies and co-editor of External Powers and the Gulf Monarchies. He received his PhD from the University of Leicester, where his dissertation focused on Chinese relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
Dr. Alan Whiteside, Advisor at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy, and Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of International Policy and Governance and at the Balsillie School of International Affairs
Dr. Alan Whiteside is a Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of International Policy and Governance and at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Alan is an internationally recognized academic and AIDS researcher. In 2003, he was appointed by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Commission for HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa. Other academic appointments include: Visiting Professor, School of Medicine Liverpool University, Leverhulme Visiting Professor, University of Southampton and Visiting Fellow, University of East Anglia. He was an elected member of the governing council of the International AIDS Society from 2000 to 2012. He is a member of the Governing Council of Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Swaziland. In 2015 he was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He is the co-author of numerous articles and books. His most recent book is his second edition of HIV and AIDS: A Very Short Introduction.
Dr. Yahia Zoubir, Professor and Director of Research in Geopolitics at KEDGE Business School
Dr. Yahia Zoubir is Professor of International Relations and International Management, and Director of Research in Geopolitics at KEDGE Business School. He has been international visiting faculty in numerous universities and business schools for the last 30 years in China, the United States, and various European and Asian countries. He has published dozens of scholarly works, including books, articles, entries in encyclopedias, and book chapters in international politics, foreign policy, governance, and security issues. He has served as consultant for governments and companies worldwide. In 2020, he was Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar.
Dr. Judy Twigg, Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Judy Twigg is professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). currently serving as a senior associate (nonresident) with the Russia and Eurasia Program and Global Health Policy Center at CSIS, adjunct professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at Georgetown University, and consultant to the World Bank, John Snow, Inc., and the U.S. federal government. She has also been a senior adviser/consultant to the Eurasia Program of the Social Science Research Council, UNICEF, and other agencies. Her work focuses on issues of health, demographic change, and health systems reform in Russia and Ukraine, as well as evaluations of health reform and communicable disease control projects across the former Soviet Union, sub-Saharan Africa, and other parts of the world.
Moderator
Jacopo Scita, Doctoral Research Student in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University
Mr. Jacopo Scita joined the School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) in October 2018 as H.H. Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah doctoral fellow. In his doctoral research, Jacopo investigates the role played by China in the negotiations that led to the approval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The project aims to shed light on the status of the Sino-Iranian relations. Jacopo’s analyses and commentaries have appeared in international outlets and think tanks such as Fair Observer, LSE Middle East Centre blog, Global Policy Journal and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). He is also a regular contributor to the Italian magazine Pandora – Rivista di teoria e politica.
