MERI Forum 2025 will aim to:
- Provide a platform for dialogue and the exchange of ideas among policymakers, academics, and decision-makers.
- Develop creative and constructive solutions to today’s most pressing policy challenges, with a particular focus on pathways toward sustainable stability in the Middle East.
- Identify priority areas for future research that can deepen understanding of the region’s evolving challenges and opportunities.
Forum themes
Since our last MERI Forum, Middle East has experienced significant political and security transformations, reshaping alliances and introducing new complexities.
Iraq For All
A core theme for this Forum debate focuses on strengthening Iraq’s state institutions and redefining its centre-periphery governance. Iraq’s long-term stability requires a clear, constitutional framework for power-sharing between Baghdad and the peripheral provinces and the Kurdistan Region. Relations with Erbil must be institutionalised through sustained dialogue and adherence to the Constitution, especially regarding revenue-sharing and natural resource management. Equitable distribution of national wealth is essential to address grievances and build trust among Iraq’s diverse communities. Tackling systemic corruption and asserting state authority over non-state actors are also critical to restoring public confidence and ensuring the rule of law. At the Forum, visions will be debated on several panels for a robust, inclusive institutional order that can pave the way for a more resilient and peaceful Iraq capable of navigating regional and global challenges.
Iraq and its International Partners
Iraq’s foreign policy reflects a careful effort to engage constructively with both Eastern and Western powers. Striving for balance, Iraq has avoided taking sides in global rivalries, instead maintaining cooperative ties with the U.S., Europe, China, and Russia alike. Its relations with neighbouring Iran and Turkey remain sensitive yet essential for security and economic development. Similarly, engagement with European partners has deepened, supporting reconstruction and diplomacy. Iraq’s outreach to the Far East, including key trade and investment links, further reflects its diversified approach. Amid complex regional and global dynamics, this balanced policy has proven challenging but largely sustainable. Iraq’s stability and prosperity depend on continuing this delicate diplomacy while protecting its sovereignty and national interests in a turbulent landscape.
The Levant
The Levant and Iraq are home to the World’s most diverse ethno-religious communities, that had been integrated for millennia until the post WWI partition. Tragically, over the last century, the people of Levant, encompassed by the modern states of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Jordan, suffered largely externally driven divisions, conflicts and devastating wars. This legacy of conflict and external intrusion has generated immense challenges culminating in weakened states with polarised, militarised and largely impoverished communities. Drawing on a long history of shared resources, culture and traditions, it is time to focus policy makers and public minds on visions for long-term peace, stability and prosperity.
During MERI Forum 2024, we launched the Levant and Iraq Forum (LIF) as a new, regionally led, platform to promote closer regional cooperation in the Levant, one which draws on the common history of the region, the close ties of its peoples and a common desire to escape the legacy of almost a century of violent conflict. Since then, the LIF has been actively growing into a regional cross-border network of think tanks with joint initiatives for the future. At the forthcoming Forum, we shall hear experts and policy makers providing visions for the future of the region.
The Future of Syria
The recent developments in Syria, including the fall of the Assad regime and the emergence of a transitional government, mark a critical turning point. As the country enters a new phase, there is an urgent need for inclusive dialogue, compromise, and genuine power-sharing among all ethnic, religious, and political groups. Establishing a balanced governance structure can help preserve Syria’s territorial integrity while empowering local communities. Now the international sanctions are lifted, Syria is likely to see increased foreign investment, reconstruction aid, and renewed regional engagement. However, long-term stability will depend on building transparent institutions, addressing wartime grievances, and ensuring meaningful participation from historically marginalized groups. In this Forum, visions for the future of Syria will be debated.
Peace in Turkey, Peace in the Region
This Forum explores the renewed hopes for peace in Turkiye and its profound implications across the region. Reviving meaningful dialogue between the Kurdish opposition and the state could significantly de-securitise Turkey’s relations with its southern neighbours, particularly in North East Syria (Rojava) and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, creating space for a sustainable peace that would open new pathways for economic development, cross-border trade, social cohesion, and long-term stability across the Middle East. It is essential to debate the political and security challenges that have hindered progress, and to identify practical steps to reinitiate negotiations. Tangible, expedited outcomes are needed to ensure that the process delivers real change on the ground.
The US Policy in the Middle East
This Forum will explore the evolving dynamics of United States policies in the Middle East and their profound impact on Iraq and its neighbours. It highlights the Trump administration’s approach on the Iran nuclear deal, renewed engagement with regional powers, including Turkey and its recent visits to the Gulf, reflecting a strategic recalibration. In Iraq, American involvement remains critical, politically, militarily and economically. As regional tensions rise, it is vital that Iraq and the U.S. foster mutual understanding and pursue a balanced, constructive engagement. Only through such cooperation can long-term stability, security, and development be realized across Iraq and the wider region, amid shifting geopolitical realities and emerging challenges.
Iran in a New Regional Security Framework
The potential for a denuclearized Iran marks a pivotal opportunity to reshape Middle East security dynamics. With renewed U.S.-Iran negotiations, there is a chance to shift from confrontation to cooperation. Iran’s regional influence is waning in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, yet it remains a key player in Iraq, Yemen and beyond. Despite internal challenges, Tehran seeks recognition and a voice in shaping the regional order—but its aspirations are tempered by ongoing tensions with Arab neighbours, Israel, and the broader international community. This panel will explore how Iran’s denuclearization can be a gateway to a more stable and integrated region. The Middle East needs to transition from a security-first paradigm to one grounded in economic interdependence, regional dialogue, and sustainable peace. Moving beyond the politics of proxies and power projection, the goal must be to build a cooperative framework where mutual interests outweigh mistrust. This means crafting inclusive, rules-based mechanisms that reduce militarization and foster shared prosperity. Can the region rise to the moment and prioritize partnership over rivalry? This discussion will assess how Iran’s evolving role and regional dynamics can support a long-term shift from proliferation to integration.