DOHA: The Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University (QU), in collaboration with the Qatar Chair for Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University in Japan, concluded the 9th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference.
Themed The Gulf Between Stability and Chaos in the Emerging Regional Order, the conference brought together leading experts and researchers from various disciplines.
The presentations show that Qatar provides an important and interesting case study for stabilizing regional order through its mediation efforts and hybrid diplomacy via the use of non-state actors and soft power instruments. The status-seeking of small states can bring those powers to the fore in conflict resolution and regional stability.
They indicated that the Gulf region has emerged as a unit of analysis in regional studies and it has distinctive characteristics, including identity, history, and state formation. These features not only shape intra-GCC dynamics but also influence the Gulf's interactions with the broader region and the world.
The closing day witnessed a speech by Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, in which she noted the topics under discussion in the 9th session of this annual event, pointing to the accelerating wars and humanitarian crises in the region and the world that require joint efforts to address them.
In her speech, the minister stressed the State of Qatar's keenness and commitment to international cooperation to address challenges. She said that the State of Qatar views cooperation with its neighbors and the international community as essential to addressing common challenges, from security to economic resilience to adaptation to climate change and sustainability.
She added that the State of Qatar has a constant and renewed commitment to effective mediation to end existing conflicts and upcoming challenges, and to support humanitarian efforts with the participation of multilateral educational institutions.
In this context, she considered the 9th Gulf Studies Center conference, organized in cooperation between Qatar University and Waseda University, an example of cooperation and emphasized the importance of promoting effective dialogues that go beyond academic and diplomatic corridors and positively impact international efforts to achieve peace, growth, and prosperity.
Concluding her speech, the Minister of Education and Higher Education pointed out that the ideas exchanged at the conference will not only contribute to shaping the understanding of the current reality but will also contribute to clarifying the features of the regional and international future.
For her part, Director of the Gulf Studies Center at QU Dr Maryam Al Kuwari said that this conference brings together an elite group of experts and researchers from various disciplines to discuss current transformations and challenges and their repercussions on the region.
In turn, Chair of the State of Qatar for Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University and a member of the Gulf Studies Center Dr. Abdullah Baabood considered the conference a significant opportunity to bring together an elite group of experts to study how these variables and transformations affect the Gulf and the Middle East, given the region's presence at the heart of the world as a link between the East and the West.
For his part, Professor of Constitutional Law at QU's College of Law Dr Hassan Al Sayed said that the topic of this conference was extremely important, especially in light of the current circumstances, as the researchers shed light on the current challenges in light of the successive events that the region has witnessed over a short period of time and which had a major impact, not only on the Arab world but also globally.
