What do new Middle East security alignments mean for Africa?
A shifting balance of power in the Middle East could heighten geopolitical and economic risks for Africa.
Date: 2026-07-28
Time: 15:00 to 16:30
Venue: Online via ISS Zoom
Ongoing conflict in the Middle East will have significant implications for Africa. The Middle East is closely tied to African security and development through energy prices, Red Sea security, Gulf investment, food imports, migration and security cooperation, particularly in East Africa and the Horn, North Africa and the Sahel.
This seminar will explore the economic consequences of an escalation in the conflict and the emergence of new rival axes of power involving Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt. The risk of intensified Gulf rivalries being exported into African theatres will also be discussed.
This event is the second of a six-part series on global geopolitical developments and Africa’s security-development futures.
Moderator: Priyal Singh, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Panelists:
- Prof Erin McCandless, Professor of Politics and International Relations & Director, Qatar-South Africa Centre for Peace and Intercultural Understanding, University of Johannesburg
- Na’eem Jeenah, Senior Researcher, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, Johannesburg
- Paul-Simon Handy, Regional Director East Africa and Representative to the African Union, ISS Addis Ababa
