- 23 Feb 2023
[Book Launch] Asian Perceptions of Gulf Security
(This event is organised by MEI Political Economy research cluster.)
Gulf stability is beginning to play a larger role in the foreign policy calculus of many states, but the evolving role of Asian powers is largely under-represented in the International Relations literature. To fill this gap, MEI will host a discussion with the editors and contributors of a new book that provides fresh perspectives on the topic. The underlying assumption is not that Asian powers have already become important security actors in the Gulf, but that they perceive the Gulf as a region of increasing strategic relevance. How will leaders in these countries adjust to an evolving regional framework? Will there be coordinated efforts to establish an Asian-centred approach to Gulf stability, or will Asian rivalries make the region a theatre of competition? Will US–China tensions force alignment choices among Asian powers? Will Asian states balance, bandwagon, hedge, or adopt some other approach to their Gulf relationships? These and other questions will be covered by the panel.
This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Thursday, 23 Feb 2023, from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm SGT.
Watch the full talk here:
Listen to the full event here:
Image caption : Book cover ‘Asian Perceptions of Gulf Security’, edited by Li-Chen Sim and Jonathan Fulton. Published by Routledge, November 28, 2022
About the Speakers
Assistant Professor of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Dr Li-Chen Sim
Assistant Professor, Institute of Civil and International Security
Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Dr Heng Yee Kuang
Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan
Senior Research Fellow
Middle East Institute NUS
Dr Jonathan Fulton is a non-resident senior fellow for Middle East Programs and the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. He also serves as Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.
An expert on Chinese policy towards the Middle East, Fulton has written widely on the topic for both academic and popular publications. He is the author of China’s Relations with the Gulf Monarchies and co-editor of External Powers and the Gulf Monarchies.
Fulton received his PhD from the University of Leicester, where his dissertation focused on Chinese relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council member states. He also holds degrees from Staffordshire University, the University of Southern Queensland, and Dalhousie University.
Dr Li-Chen Sim is an Assistant Professor at Khalifa University in the UAE. She holds a PhD in Politics from Oxford and is a specialist in the political economy of Gulf and Russian energy and its intersection with domestic politics, as well as international relations. Her interests include the politics of energy in the Gulf, Gulf-Asia exchanges, and Russia-Gulf interactions. Her latest book is Low Carbon Energy in MENA (Palgrave, 2021).
Dr Heng Yee Kuang graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a B.Sc. (First Class Honours) in International Relations and History and PhD in International Relations funded by the UK Overseas Research Student Awards Scheme.
He was on the faculty at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2004-2007), the University of St Andrews in Scotland, United Kingdom (2007-2011); Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (2011-2016).
Dr Heng has taught Executive Education Programmes for Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University; Singapore National Security Secretariat, Singapore Armed Forces Joint Intelligence School, Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs; Brunei Ministry of Defence; Indonesia Ministry of Foreign Affairs; The Japan Management Association; Japan National Personnel Authority ; Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk. He has participated in the Japan-Singapore Symposium (a Track 1.5 Forum) since 2016. Dr Heng has been appointed Expert Affiliate at Lloyds Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk since 2019. He serves as liaison for GrASPP partnerships with the University of Cambridge (research) and the University of Copenhagen (PhD exchanges and research).
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan is a Senior Research Fellow specialising in Middle East strategic affairs, with a particular focus on the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, and the evolution of the Gulf security system. Prior to joining MEI, he held various positions in the policy sector. He worked as a visiting scholar with the RAND Corporation (2007-2008) and as an advisor at the directorate for strategic affairs of the French Ministry of Defence (2008-2011). He then gained extensive experience in the domain of military education and training, first as a deputy director for the Middle East Faculty of the NATO Defense College (2011-2016) and as an associate professor in strategic studies with the UAE National Defense College (2016-2021).
