3rd Middle East Congress on Politics and Society

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3^rd Middle Eastern Congress on Politics and Society, organized by the Middle East Institute at Sakarya University was held in Sakarya between 11-13 October 2016. Many participants from different countries, notably from the Middle East, made their presentations at the three-day congress. Hundreds of presentations were made in the panels on different topics including “Political Transformations in the Middle East”, “Politics, Religion and Society in the Middle East”, “Conflict and Politics in Middle East”, “Syrian Civil War and Regional Implications”.

Many scholars studying the Middle East and many researchers interested in the region, shared their opinions related with the theme of the congress. Different topics were discussed during the congress, some of which included the position of Kurds in the Middle East, peace process interrupted by PKK in Turkey, USA policy in the region and its current presence in the region, Russia’s Syria policy and its increasing influence, Iranian threat in the Gulf, Iranian foreign policy, armament policy of Saudi Arabia, air defence capacity of armed groups in Syria, refugee crisis due to Syrian civil war, and non-state actors in the Middle East.

On the second day of the congress, Şaban Kardaş, President of the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), chaired the panel entitled “Syrian Refugee Crisis” and delivered a speech about transition of regional order in the panel entitled “Middle East Politics”. Bedi Çelik, visiting researcher in ORSAM, and Sertaç Canalp Korkmaz, research assistant in ORSAM, gave their speeches about “Turkish Speaking DAESH Supporters” and “Propaganda of Terror in the Case of DAESH” respectively, in the panel entitled “Politics and Religion in the Middle East”. The international students who were part of the Middle East Academy training programme, conducted by ORSAM with the support of Prime Ministry of Republic of Turkey Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), also participated in the congress.