- 27 Mar 2026
US-Israel-Iran: Implications for Geopolitics, International Law and the Global Economy
Attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran have prompted retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, hitting Israel and countries that host US bases in the region. Critics have argued that the operation is both illegal under US law without congressional approval and a violation of international law. Spillover effects are already emerging, with oil prices rising and Iran attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that handles nearly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade. This dialogue jointly organised by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) and the Middle East Institute (MEI) will examine the geopolitical, legal, and economic questions arising from the crisis.
- What are the political implications of the conflict, not just for the Middle East, but for the rest of the world including Southeast Asia and Singapore?
- Does this action by the US and Israel mean an upending of the basic tenets of international law? What does this mean for countries like Singapore?
What impact, both immediate and in the medium to long-term, could this have on trade with the Middle East and for businesses in general?
This event was held in person on Friday, 27 March 2026 from 10 AM – 11.30 AM SGT.
Watch the full talk here:
Listen to the full event here:
About the Speakers
Chairman
Middle East Institute
Prof Joseph Liow (Joseph Chinyong Liow) is Tan Kah Kee Chair in Comparative and International Politics, and Professor and former Dean at the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and also the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He is concurrently Chairman of the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. He held the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asia Studies at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC, where he was also a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program.
Joseph’s research interests encompass Muslim politics and social movements in Southeast Asia and the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the Asia-Pacific region.
Joseph is the author, co-author, or editor of 18 books, the most recent being Navigating Uncertainty: Our Region in an Age of Flux (World Scientific 2024), Islam and Political Power in Indonesia and Malaysia (Cambridge University Press Element Series 2022), and Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia, fifth edition (Routledge, 2022). A regular columnist for the Straits Times, his commentaries on international affairs have also appeared in New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, CNN, National Interest, Nikkei Asian Review, Wall Street Journal, and South China Morning Post. He has testified to the United States Congress and been invited to deliver a special closed door briefing to the ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting. In addition to scholarship and policy analysis, Joseph has also consulted for a wide range of MNCs including Shell, BHP Billiton, Morgan Stanley, Canon, Chevron, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Temasek, Total, Global Dairy Platform, Evli, and Equinor. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Experts and Eminent Persons Group of the ASEAN Regional Forum, and sits on the board of several peer-reviewed academic and policy journals. Joseph is also on the boards of the Social Science Research Council (Singapore), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, and the National Arts Council.
He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a MSc in Strategic Studies from the Nanyang Technological University, and a BA (Hons) in Political Science from the University of Madison-Wisconsin.
Chairman
Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA)
Associate Professor Simon Tay is Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He is concurrently a tenured Associate Professor, teaching international law at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law.
Since 2020, he has been appointed an Ambassador for Singapore, currently accredited to Greece on a non-residential basis. He is also Singapore’s Chairman to the EU Singapore free trade agreement domestic advisory group focusing on sustainability and trade.
From 1992 to 2008, he served in a number of public appointments for Singapore. These included serving as Chairman of Singapore’s National Environment Agency; and as an independent Nominated Member of Parliament (1997-2001). In 2006, Professor Tay received a National Day Award.
Partner, Head of Geopolitical Risk Analysis
APAC, Control Risks
Angela Mancini is Partner and Head of the Global Risk Analysis practice for Asia Pacific at Control Risks, based in Singapore. She leads a team advising governments and private organisations on how their strategies might be exposed to political, regulatory and reputational risks and developing strategies which allow them to operate successfully amidst geopolitical uncertainty.
Previously, she was the Head of the Control Risks APAC Markets and Partnerships team, and she also led the Southeast Asia office, a team providing political risk, investigative and security consulting projects for clients across ASEAN. Earlier, she was based in New York City as the Managing Director leading the firm’s accounts team for the Eastern U.S. and Canada, and she headed the Financial Services practice in the Americas.
Event Details
60A Orchard Road, #04-03 (Level 4M), Tower 1,
The Atrium @Orchard
Singapore 238890
