Episode 101: Can Illiberal Peace Bring Stability to the Middle East?
Can Peace Without Democracy Work? RUSI experts discuss the rise of illiberal peacebuilding in the Middle East and what it means for UK foreign policy.
In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Dr Claire Smith, Deputy Associate Dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty Director of Postgraduate Research, University of York, and Dr Rana Khalaf, Research Consultant and non-resident fellow at the University of St Andrews, to examine how authoritarian approaches to conflict management are reshaping the post-war landscape in the Middle East.
The panel explores the rise of illiberal peace – where stability is pursued through top-down control, elite deals, and the exclusion of dissent. From Syria and Egypt to Libya and Iraq, the episode considers how this model is gaining traction among domestic regimes and international actors alike.
The discussion also reflects on the risks of prioritising order over democratic values and asks whether Western interventions have contributed to similar outcomes.
Looking ahead, the team assesses what this shift means for the UK’s role in a region where peace increasingly comes without democracy.
Sponsored by
The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies
The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin is funded by Stiftung Mercator and the Federal Foreign Office. CATS is the curator of the CATS Network, an international network of think tanks and research institutions working on Turkey. This podcast is part of a project of the CATS Network: “Turkey's Peacebuilding in a Disordered Middle East”
The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies
FEATURING
Dr Neil Melvin
Director, International Security
International Security
Dr Burcu Ozcelik
Senior Research Fellow, Middle East Security
International Security
