ABSTRACT | For Israel, the past decade in the Middle East has been a geostrategic rollercoaster. The outbreak of the “Arab Spring” in December 2010 presented Israel with multiple challenges. The weakening of several Arab nation-states resulted – among other things – in leadership changes, protracted civil wars, humanitarian catastrophes, the proliferation of insurgency, and Iranian expansionism. Growing instability and concerns about American disengagement from the region, however, have bred a set of unique opportunities. September 2020 marked the historic announcement of the Abraham Accords, a series of diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, facilitated by the U.S. This beacon of peace has been the most significant political process in the region in the past 25 years. This lecture will trace and analyze key local, regional, and international factors that explain these unprecedented developments, their implications for Israel and other regional and global actors.
BIO | Moran Stern is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Jewish Civilization in Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. His research focuses on causes of rebel group fragmentation. He holds a PhD in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in International Relations, Economics, and Middle East Studies from the Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). He speaks Hebrew and Arabic.