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Event recordings

The Middle East Studies Forum hosts regular seminars and conferences. A selection of recordings of our recent events is available below – the full archive is also available on our YouTube channel.

7 September 2023 – MESF & AIIA Panel Discussion: Australia’s Relations with the Middle East
Mr Alastair Roff, Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh, Professor Sally Totman, Mr Roland Jabbour OAM, Dr Rodger Shanahan, Mr James Bryan

Australia has viewed the Middle East as a region of great cultural, economic, and geopolitical importance. With the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, Australia concluded two decades of military operations in the Middle East. Yet the region remains important for global peace and security. This discussion is an exploration of how the region’s complex and dynamic landscape affect Australia’s interests and how best our policy making can take advantage of opportunities and mitigate risks.

27 August 2023 – ‘The Weaponization of Religious Myths: An Ethnography of Shi’ite Gendered Narratives’
Dr Mariam Farida— Lecturer in Security Studies, Department of Security Studies and Criminology 

This research delves into the varying roles of women in non-state and extremist groups, with a focus on how religious myths are used to shape gender narratives, specifically the role of women alongside men. It centers on Zainab, a prominent figure in Shi’ism, and her role in mobilizing women in Hizbullah. Ethnographic observations and interviews with Lebanese Shi’ite women examine how Zainab’s story is weaponized to define strategic gender roles, shedding light on the connection between religious narratives and their social impact.

27 March 2023 – ‘Everyday Choices: The Role of Competing Authorities and Social Institutions in Politics and Development‘
Prof. Ellen Lust 

Scholars and practitioners seek development solutions through the engineering and strengthening of state institutions. Yet, the state is not the only or often even the primary arena shaping how citizens, service providers, and state officials engage in actions that constitute politics and development. These individuals are members of religious orders, ethnic communities, and other groups that make claims about them, creating incentives that shape their actions. Recognizing how individuals experience these claims and view the choices before them is essential to understanding political processes and development outcomes. 

5 Dec 2022 – ‘Conference: The Middle East in Transition’
Order of presentations: Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh (MESF Convenor), Dr James Barry (Conference Convenor), Prof Benjamin Isakhan (Chair)
Prof Sarah Phillips (Keynote): After al-Qa’ida, after ISIS? Violence in the Middle East

2 May 2022 – ‘The implications of the war in Ukraine for the Middle East’
Prof. Sadegh Zibakalam (University of Tehran), A/Prof. Nikolay Kozhanov (the Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University), A/Prof. Anicée Van Engeland (Cranfield University) in conversation with Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh

10 November 2021 – ‘Iran in an Emerging New World Order’
Speaker: Dr Ali Fathollah-Nejad (Free University of Berlin & Université libre de Bruxelles)
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh (Convenor of MESF)

28 October 2021 – ‘Iraqi Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding Across Local, National and Global Contexts’
Speaker: Dr Yasmin Chilmeran (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs)
Moderated by Dr Hadeel Abdelhameed

20th October 2021 – ‘Iranian Ways of War: From Cyrus the Great to Qasem Soleimani and Beyond’
Speaker: A/Prof Ahmed S. Hashim (Deakin University)
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh


28 June 2021 – Iran’s Thirteenth Presidential Elections: Regional and International Implications
Panel members:Professor Mehran Kamrava (Georgetown University), Dr Sanam Vakil (Chatham House), Dr Nikolay Kozhanov (Qatar University) and Dr Luciano Zaccara (Qatar University)
Moderated by Dr Mahjoob Zweiri and Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

27 May 2021 – Farkhondeh Akbari, Dr Niamatullah Ibrahimi and Prof William Maley – US and NATO Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Implications for the Future
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

17 June 2021 – Omar Shakir  – Human Rights Watch’s New Report on Israel:
A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

12 May 2021 –  Dr Naser Ghobadzadeh – Theocratic Secularism: Political modus operandi of traditional Shīʿism
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

18 May 2021 – Prof John Keane, Dr Sanam Vakil  and Dr Mahmoud Pargoo – Iran’s 2021 Presidential election
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

11 March 2021 – Negotiating Securitised Aid in the Fragile State of Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s challenges in negotiating subnational aid allocation with its donors (Australia and Germany 2002-2018)
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

15 April – JCPoA revival: implications for regional dynamics in the Persian Gulf
Panel members: Dr Andreas Krieg, King’s College London. A/Prof Anicée Van Engeland, Cranfield University and A/Prof Mahjoob Zweiri, Qatar University
Moderated by: Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh and Professor Anoush Ehteshami

4 February 2021 –  Between Rebellion and Revolution: 10 Years after the Middle East Uprisings
Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit

4 November 2020 – Policy Dialogue IV: Proxy dynamics and peace in Syria
Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit

15 October 2020 – Policy Dialogue III: Proxy dynamics and peace in Syria
Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit

30 September 2020 – Policy Dialogue II: Proxy dynamics and peace in Afghanistan
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

10 September 2020 – Policy Dialogue I: Proxy dynamics and peace in Afghanistan Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

3 September 2020 – Professor Andrew Mumford – The Proxy Wars For and Against ISIS
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

19 August 2020 – Professor Michelle Pace, Professor Haim Yacobi with Dr Marcelo Svirsky – Settler Colonialism (without Settlers) & Slow Violence in the Gaza Strip
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

16 July 2020 – Assistant Professor Dana El Kurd – Polarized & Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

18 June 2020 – Dr. Jonathan Fulton – China between Iran and the Gulf Monarchies
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

13 May 2020 – Dr. Raihan Ismail – Mobilizing Salafism against Jihadism
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

23 April 2020 – Professor Abdullah Baabood – Covid-19 and Regional Relations
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

18 March 2020 – WoMENA & MESF – International Women’s Day public panel: The voice of women is a revolution: Women in the Middle East’s uprisings
Moderated by Dr. Dara Conduit

16 October 2019 – Marika Sosnowski – Not Dead but Sleeping, the Diverse Ramifications of Ceasefire in Civil Wars: Evidence from Syria 
Moderated by Dr. Dara Conduit

9 September 2019 – Maher Mughrabi in conversation with Shahram Akbarzadeh – The Hobbesian Social Contract and the Middle East
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

14 August 2019 – Donna Mulhearn and Ross Caputi – Political Leaders and Turkey’s inability to consolidate democracy
Moderated by Associate Professor Ben Isakhan

25 June 2019 – Dr Tezcan Gümüş – Political Leaders and Turkey’s inability to consolidate democracy
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

17 April 2019 – Mohsen Solhdoost (University of Queensland) – Foreign States and Civil Wars
Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit

Project launch – Assessing the impact of foreign actors in the Syrian and Afghan proxy wars
Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, Dr Dara Conduit and Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed

MESF conference 2018 keynote – Professor Fethi Mansouri (Deakin University) – End of the Spring?
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh (MESF

MESF conference 2018 keynote – Professor Anita Weiss (University of Oregon) – Foundations of Religious Extremism in South Asia
Moderated by Professor Samina Yasmeen (University of Western Australia)

13 July 2018 – Fiona McCallum (University of St Andrews) – Christians in the Middle East and Beyond Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit (MESF)
14 June 2018 – Zaki Mehchy (Syrian Center for Policy Research) – Short interview

14 June 2018 – Zaki Mehchy (SCPR) – The Cost of the Syrian Conflict
Moderated by Dr Dara Conduit (MESF)

1 June 2018 – Dr Michelle Burgis-Kasthala (ANU/University of Edinburgh) – Accountability for Syria? The Role of International Criminal Justice During and After the Conflict
Moderated by Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh (MESF)

23 May 2018 – Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh and Dr Dara Conduit (MESF) – The Demise of the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Moderated by Dr Zim Nwokora (Deakin University)

6 April 2018 – Muhammad Amir Rana (Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies), Moeen Cheema (ANU), Hamza Orakzai (ANU), Sonia Qadir (UNSW) – Regional Impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Moderated by Dr Zahid Ahmed (MESF)