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Middle East Studies Forum

AT DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
RANKED THE TOP INSTITUTION FOR MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC STUDIES RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA IN 2020 AND 2022
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The Middle East Studies Forum (MESF) is a leading centre of scholarship on the Middle East at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University. MESF hosts world-class projects and scholarship in the field of Middle East and Central Asian studies and languages.

 MESF Conference 2024

The Middle East After the War on Gaza: Navigating the Impact of Regional Rivalries, the US Mid-East Policy, and the Future of Authoritarianism

October 7-8, 2024
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MESF Latest

News

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BBC World News - Middle East Tensions, Israel PM meets officials over potential Iran attack

Shahram Akbarzadeh is interviewed by BBC World News on the situation between Iran and Israel.  Watch Now

August 6, 2024
The web of Big Lies: state-sponsored disinformation in Iran

Read the latest publication by Shahram Akbarzadeh, Amin Naeni, Galib Bashirov & Ihsan Yilmaz.  Read Publication

July 16, 2024
TRT - Masoud Pezeshkian is elected as Iran’s next President

Masoud Pezeshkian is a reformist politician who has been a member of parliament since 2008 and served as the deputy speaker from 2016 to 2020. The 69-year-old heart surgeon was Iran’s health minister in the early 2000s. Pezeshkian favours engagement with the West and supports the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.  Watch Now

July 8, 2024
TRT - Is Masoud Pezeshkian a game changer in Iran presidential election?

Voting is underway in Iran’s snap presidential election. The country is choosing a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month. Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of Middle East Politics at Deakin University explains.  Watch Now

June 28, 2024
Iran’s Snap Election Casts a Long Shadow Over the State

Another suspected Israeli missile attack has struck the Iranian embassy in Syria, killing a number of Iranian generals. The strike is being seen as a dramatic escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran and could hold far-reaching implications for the region.  Listen

June 27, 2024
The Conversation - Iran’s presidential hopefuls are all on X and Instagram – despite the fact most social media platforms are banned

Another suspected Israeli missile attack has struck the Iranian embassy in Syria, killing a number of Iranian generals. The strike is being seen as a dramatic escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran and could hold far-reaching implications for the region.  Listen

June 26, 2024

Events

07
October
2024
MESF Conference 2024: The Middle East After the War on Gaza

The Middle East After the War on Gaza: Navigating the Impact of Regional Rivalries, the US Position, and the Future of Authoritarianism

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05
August
2024
Repressing Kurds by Turkey and Iran Against the Backdrop of War in Gaza

Repressing Kurds by Turkey and Iran Against the Backdrop of War in Gaza

A/Prof Costas Laoutides, Dr Allan Hassaniyan, Dr William Gourlay

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27
May
2024
Why Peace Education Fails: Problematising Peace Curricula in the Middle East

Why Peace Education Fails: Problematising Peace Curricula in the Middle East

Maliheh Rezaei

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22
April
2024
Iran in the Middle East: Building Bridges or Expanding Influence?

Iran in the Middle East: Building Bridges or Expanding Influence?Webinar:

Azadeh Zamirirad, Hamidreza Azizi, Mehran Kamrava, Shahram Akbarzadeh (Moderator)

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05
April
2024
Iran and the West | A Non-Western Approach to Foreign Policy

Iran and the West | A Non-Western Approach to Foreign Policy

Dr. Andrew Thomas

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14
March
2024
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama; Nathan Thrall in conversation with Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh

A Day in the Life of Abed Salama; Nathan Thrall in conversation with Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh

Nathan Thrall

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