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Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a regional powerbroker and an increasingly influential global player. A leader in energy markets and the Islamic world, the country is undergoing a rapid and profound social revolution toward secular nationalism and is diversifying its economy away from oil. Saudi Arabia has adopted a more assertive regional posture, reached strategic agreements with Russia and China, and recently re-established diplomatic relations with Iran, which were broken off in 2016. The US has tried to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and looks to the Saudis to help prevent the spread of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Simply put, Saudi Arabia is too important to ignore.
This event will take place on the Dominican University campus.
Schedule
Coffee and Cookies: 7:00—7:30 PM PT
Lecture: 7:30—8:30 PM PT
Speaker:
Dr. Peter Bartu teaches contemporary Middle East politics at UC Berkeley. He consults with the US government, United Nations, the World Bank, and numerous countries about issues in the Middle East. He has just returned from a November trip to Saudi Arabia.
