Developments in Iraq, the fragility of local governments, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, security of the Gulf region, the Israel/Palestine conflict and the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism and religious hatred all form the backbone of the Programme's preoccupations.

One important feature of our activities is their interactive nature, as the Programme focuses on acting as a bridge for a broad ranging security discussion between government, the military and academia - both from the Middle East and across Europe. The Programme is also devoted to the continued dialogue between NATO and the countries of the Mediterranean basin.

Programme Outline

The future security and stability of the Middle East and North Africa region represents the core concern of the Programme. The MENA Programme also hosts regular Middle East Forums which bring policy-makers and leading experts on the region together with the Whitehall policy community to discuss security issues of concern to the MENA community. Areas of particular interest include:

• The strategic and regional implications of the Iraq War, and the impact on UK and US military posture in the region
• Responses and options for dealing with Iranian proliferation concerns
• The prospects for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and the potential of further military conflict between Israel and its neighbours
• The rise of Neo-Salafist Islamist and the ongoing franchising of Al-Qaida across the region

The Programme regularly undertakes commissioned research into various aspects of the Middle East on behalf of a number of companies in the UK, Europe and Asia. The Programme has recently completed projects including:

• A Security Risk Assessment for Iran
• A Security Risk Assessment for Jordan
• Scenario-Building on the regional implications of the war in Iraq
• An in-depth Study of the Iranian nuclear programme
• Regular bi-weekly updates on weapons procurement and proliferation across the MENA region

The Programme monitors regional defence, security, terrorism and proliferation issues for several corporate clients on an ongoing basis, and also draws on the expertise from a network of associate fellows whose experiences range from work in government, academia and research institutes within the region. Of particular importance is the Programme's strong links to RUSI's international office in Doha, Qatar whose staff provide critical theatre-based research and expertise into the increasingly complex strategic environment of the Gulf and broader Middle East.

The Programme is routinely called upon to provide briefings to the military, industry, government, media and academia of the UK and other countries. In addition, clients who have benefited from the Programme's research and consultancy services in the past include the UK Government, multinational companies, major banking corporations and the defence industry.