Avi Melamed

Since the Iranian Mullah regime seized power in Iran in 1979, their goal has been to become the regional superpower. Over the last decade, Iran has increased – and quite successfully - its attempt to establish its crescent of influence, described by King Abdullah II of Jordanian as "The Shiite Crescent." The Iranian regime has stated that their policy to build and control a land corridor stretching from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea is “vital for Iran’s strategic interest and national security.” Due to regional and global events, Iran’s Corridor - which would ensure constant instability and increased bloodshed – was a foregone conclusion. And that development, as the King of Jordan warned – is very bad news for the region. However, regional and global developments may result in a change of course and the process of Iranian expansion - once thought inevitable - might actually be curtailed. What has generated this change? How would the reduction in Iranian power impact the region?

A smoking volcano erupted into the Arab Awakening. The aftershocks - including the War in Syria, the widening Sunni-Shi’ite rift, and the escalating Arab-Persian power struggle have brought about a tectonic plate movement that is shaping a new Middle East. This lecture takes you beyond the headlines and on a complex and fascinating journey deep into the heart and minds of the Big Players and their Proxies and Pawns. Who are the major players? Who serves them? How do the proxies and pawns impact the reality of millions of people? Who really benefits from the existence of ISIS? How do factors like the Lebanese Shi’ite Hezbollah, the Palestinian Sunni Hamas, and Iraqi Shi’ite Militias view their role and place in the new Middle East? In the Middle East nothing stands alone - everything is connected like links in a chain. “The Game of Pawns” gives the road map to follow the links and the lenses to see the multidimensional, multi-faceted reality of the Middle East today.

For the past generation, America’s Middle East policy has primarily been a chronology of failures. These failures and many others certainly do not stem from a lack of resources, capacity, or gifted individuals. They stem from a more fundamental flaw. What is the flaw and what is the solution?

Decades of working and being deeply immersed in the Arab World provides me with unique understanding, insight and most important – access to the Arab world. It is almost impossible for Westerners to understand that there are places in the world that truly think differently and act according to a world view and a set of principles that are completely foreign to the Western mindset. This lecture provides a behind the scenes view of Arab writers, thinkers, journalists, media personalities and the Arab street and their complex relationship with Israel.

This lecture gives an in-depth look at the ideological and spiritual sources of contemporary radical Sunni Islam and the potential impact of radical Islam on the regional and global political system. We will explore the ideological sources, modus operandi, similarities and differences, etc. between Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, ISIS, Jabhat-al Nusra, Salafi groups, and others sprouting up throughout the region and the world.

The war in Syria is one of the most dramatic events in the history of the Middle East. The ramifications will be global and the outcome of the war will play a substantial role in the shaping of the region and the future of the Middle East and the world. This briefing explores what led to the conflict, the factors involved in the war, why the conflict is so significant, the ramifications on the region in general and on Israel in particular, and where the conflict is heading…