The Middle East in Transition and the Region's New Power Structure

It has been a good year since Israel and the U.S. targeted Iran’s nuclear program with precision strikes. Since then, much has changed in the Middle East: Iran’s regional power has been weakened, its proxy militias have been battered, and the regime is under domestic political pressure—and yet Tehran remains an unpredictable actor. At the same time, Israel’s role as the region’s dominant military power has solidified. Turkey is increasingly stepping into this power vacuum: Ankara is expanding its influence in Syria, positioning itself as the protector of Sunni interests, and adopting an increasingly aggressive stance toward Israel—a rivalry with growing potential for conflict. Caught between these two poles, the Gulf states are also realigning their alliances. Katharina Willinger, a longtime Middle East correspondent, will discuss at the Bergson Academy just how resilient this new power structure really is, which conflicts continue to smolder, and where the region might be headed in the coming years.