The Emirates Policy Center (EPC) was established in Abu Dhabi on September 1, 2013.
Old Power’s Competition in the New Age
In cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Emirates Policy Center (EPC) will hold the Sixth Annual “Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate” (ADSD). The event is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi from 9-11 November 2019.
This year’s meeting will be held under the title “Old Power’s Competition in the New Age”. Over two days, ADSD focuses on two major and connected themes. The first theme/day will deal with mapping of global capabilities and power. The first session will tackle the global military map by focusing on the global distribution of military power and the impact of technology on building and distribution of military power.
The second session will touch upon the global geo-financial map and the impact of trade, investment, monetary and resources’ policies in defining this map and shaping international financial competition.
The third session will highlight the global geo-technological map by exploring the role of new technologies, Artificial Intelligence and cyber capabilities, in particular, in reshaping world order.
The fourth session will discuss the global energy map by focusing on the geopolitical analysis of energy and competition over energy and renewables in the world.
The fifth session will focus on Emirati’s policies in the new age, particularly acquiring capabilities of Artificial Intelligence and space industry.
Day 2 of 6th ADSD aims to explore the new power map in the Middle East as the sixth panel discusses power distribution in the Middle East. The seventh panel discusses power possibilities and limitations in the Gulf region. As for the eighth panel, it will focus on the so- called “The Deal of the Century” and its role in re-engineering the political and security arrangements in the Middle East. The ninth panel, however, aims to explore the “Regional Game” through analysing the competition over influence and leadership in the region by three non-Arab regional powers: Iran, Turkey, and Israel. Finally, the tenth panel will discuss the roles of three Arab powers- Egypt, Iraq, and Syria- in the new geopolitical arrangements in the region.
This year’s edition of ADSD continues to serve the ultimate goal of this gathering since its inception: to develop an in-depth understanding of the reality of global and regional orders, and their power transformations. Similar to previous ADSD editions, an expressive array of politicians, policy-makers and experts will participate in this significant event.