Arrangement

The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, NUPI, has the pleasure of inviting you to the seminar 

NATO in the “New” MENA Region

with Dr. Jean-Loup Samaan
 from NATO Defence College's Middle East Faculty

Despite NATOs ambition of strengthening and deepening its regional partnerships in the Middle-East and North-Africa (MENA) in order to address common security challenges to the goal of peace, security and stability, the Alliance has so far played a hesitant, if not reluctant, role in the ongoing conflicts and rivalries in the region.  This reflects NATOs problematic historical experience and fragmented record of developing working relationships with its partners in the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. Partly due to the importance placed on bi-lateral relationships between NATO members and the various MENA states in addition to a variety of other factors,  NATO has struggled to establish a common internal vision for the future of the MENA region and its goal there as well as a common vision and interests among the Alliance and its partners.

While NATOs historical track record in the region does not reflect the importance placed on the region by many of its members and the organization itself, competing priorities within the Alliance and political changes, conflicts and rivalries in the MENA have made NATOs abilities to address the security challenges in the region more limited. How is NATO likely to address the “new” security environment in the MENA and what are the Alliance’s limits and possibilities for strengthening and developing its partnerships in order to enhance security and stability in the region?

Program 09:00–11:00
NATO in the “New” MENA Region
Dr. Jean-Loup Samaan, researcher and lecturer in NATO Defence College’s Middle East Faculty

Comments
Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud, Research Fellow, NUPI

Q&A

Dr. Jean-Loup Samaan
 is a researcher and lecturer in NATO Defence College’s Middle East Faculty. His areas of expertise include Middle East strategic balance, US defense policy-making and NATO long-term security challenges. Dr. Samaan has served as a policy advisor at the French Ministry of Defence as well as working as an adjunct lecturer in international security at the French Institute for Political Studies at Sciences Po.

Jean-Loup Samaan holds a PhD in political Scienece from the University of Paris, La Sorbonne and has published two books and several articles on transatlantic relations and Middle East Security issues.