Two successive U.S. administrations have made the normalization of relations between Gulf states and Israel under the framework of the Abraham Accords a pillar of their Middle East Policy, despite warnings from human rights advocates that such deals would only embolden autocratic leaders. Now, as the war in Gaza enters its seventh month and risks wider regionalization by the day, peace and stability seem more elusive than ever. Are the Abraham Accords bringing the region closer toward peace and stability or just further enabling authoritarianism?
Join the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), Center for International Policy (CIP), and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) at Georgetown University, in collaboration with the Arab Rights and Research Center‘s “Quest for Democracy in Saudi Arabia” conference, for a panel discussion that aims to answer these questions. The panel will examine the current democracy and human rights challenges in the region amid fears of a broadening regional conflict and the “normalization deals.”
Speakers:
- Maryam Aldossari
Senior lecturer, Royal Holloway, University of London; Researcher on women’s inequality in Saudi Arabia - Matt Duss
Executive Vice President, CIP; former foreign policy advisor for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) - Nader Hashemi
Director, Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding, Georgetown University - Nancy Okail
President and CEO, CIP
Moderator:
- Abdullah Alaoudh
Countering Authoritarianism Senior Director, MEDC
