Dear Madam, Sir,
We are pleased to invite you to an evening conference hosted by the Centre for Security and Defence Studies of the Royal Higher Institute for Defence on Tuesday 13 October 2026 from 17:00 until 18:30.
On the eve of 7 October 2023, news from the Middle East had been pushed into the background, successively overshadowed first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The following day, the world began to be thrown into turmoil by a staggering chain reaction triggered by Hamas’s attack on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip.
Looking back, it is clear that the Israeli military response – initially focused on Gaza – gradually revealed a strategy of regional scope, reshuffling the cards across several now-interconnected theatres of operations (Iran, Iraq, Yemen, etc.). The descent into hell for the Palestinian people, the unprecedented weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and a new Gulf War with global economic repercussions make it more complex and, hence, more important than ever to follow and understand what happens in the Middle East.
To make sense of this chaotic landscape, we are honoured to welcome Prof. Dr Gilles Kepel (Sciences Po Paris), a leading expert on the region and the ties that bind us to it. He will explain how the conflicts of recent years have revealed a profound shift in the global balance of power and exacerbated internal divisions within Western societies.
This conference will be held in French in the conference room at campus Renaissance (entrance: rue Hobbema 8/Hobbemastraat 8, 1000 Brussels) on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at 17:00. Simultaneous interpretation in English and Dutch will depend on the progress of the renovation work in the Frank De Winne conference room and cannot be guaranteed at this time. Please note that online participation will not be possible.
Gilles Kepel’s latest book, Pèlerinage français (published by Albin Michel, 2026), will be available for purchase and signature by the author.
Kindly register in advance at www.defence-institute.be. Registration is required by Tuesday 6 October 2026 at the latest.