Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
There is a growing friction between militant movements in the
Middle East, such as the Mahdi Army, Hezbollah and others,
supported by Iran versus those of the Sunni Arab states and radical
Sunni movements. This conflict reflects both religious and
ideological splits in the Islamic Ummah (community) as well as
growing threats from the rise of a more aggressive Iran, which
seeks to become a regional hegemon.
With oil prices approaching $100 a barrel, the Sunni-Shia split
represents a potential threat to the stability and security of
Persian Gulf oil flows that are critical, not only to the United
States, but also to the world. Al Qaeda affiliates have explicitly
targeted major oil infrastructure in Iraq and Saudi Arabia,
resulting in increased premiums for oil prices. Additionally, Shia
militants in Iraq have diverted large amounts of oil to finance
their operations, causing states' and legitimate companies' control
of energy revenues to deteriorate. Join us as our panel of experts
explores means for dealing with increased conflict, terrorism and
insurgencies as well as ways to expand cooperation between the U.S.
and other stakeholders, both among Persian Gulf states and the
private sector.
More About the Speakers
Keynote address by:
Ambassador Naser M. Y. Al Belooshi
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
Followed by a panel discussion featuring:
Gal Luft, Ph.D.
Executive Director,
Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
Jim Phillips
Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs,
The Heritage Foundation