"Trends" He explores with Australian think tanks the paths of the Middle East crisis

Abu Dhabi, 24 May / WAM / Trends Global, affiliated with the Trends Group, organized its thirteenth strategic dialogue under the title “War in the Middle East: How does Australia view the crisis?”, with the participation of an elite group of researchers and specialists from the most prominent Australian think tanks, along with Trends researchers, with the aim of shedding light on recent regional developments, the rapid geopolitical transformations, and the paths of the future crisis, in addition to exploring the dimensions of the interrelation between maritime and economic security in the Gulf region. And the region extending to the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Indo-Pacific).

The session was opened by Nicholas Lyall, principal researcher at Trends Research and Consulting and moderator of the session, who announced the launch of the TRENDS virtual office in Australia (Canberra), which will be transformed into a physical office within the next few months.

He explained that the work of the new office is based on three main pillars that support the comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the UAE and Australia, which are vital minerals, green hydrogen, clean energy supply chains, sea ports and logistics infrastructure, artificial intelligence and deep technology (Deep Tech), and the innovation economy.

For her part, researcher Sheikha Al-Nuaimi confirmed in her speech on behalf of Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of Trends Group, that despite the cessation of intensive military operations between the United States, Israel and Iran, and the return to the negotiating table in a fragile attempt to restore stability, the repercussions of the war went beyond the borders of the region.

She added that the profound effects of the crisis reached countries that were historically and geographically classified as being far from the epicenter of the conflict, such as Australia, due to the complex intertwining of global supply chains that quickly transmit the effects of crises in a domino-like effect.

She stressed that Australia’s exposure to the repercussions of terrorist and economic threats confirms the correctness of the UAE’s proactive vision in confronting terrorism and securing global sea lanes.

Raylene Luckhurst, Deputy Director of the National Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), presented an analysis of the structure of Australian energy security, stressing that the war with Iran demonstrated that the energy, trade, defense and agricultural systems are interconnected within one system whose elements cannot be separated.

In turn, Dr. John S. explained Bruni, founder and CEO of Sage International in Australia, said that the war revealed a clear gap between Australian defense planning and field reality, pointing out that focusing on high-cost traditional deterrence, such as submarines and AUKUS capabilities, is no longer sufficient in the face of asymmetric tools of war such as missiles, drones, and proxy networks.

For her part, Dr. Jenny Gordon, a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute, reviewed the global geoeconomic scene, considering that the Iranian war constituted a “last warning bell” after the Corona and Ukraine crises, in light of the growing risks of the division of the global economy into competing blocs.

For his part, Anthony Bubalo, CEO of the Asia Society Australia Institute, explained that Australian foreign policy has been based since 2001 on three main drivers in the Middle East: the alliance with Washington, international citizenship, and economic interests.

Moza Al Muhairi, a researcher at Trends Research and Consulting, concluded the dialogue with a speech in which she emphasized that the war in the Middle East is no longer a regional event with limited impact, but rather a real test of the international system’s ability to contain cross-border crises.

She stressed that geography is no longer sufficient to isolate countries from the repercussions of conflicts, pointing to the pioneering and diplomatic role of the UAE in supporting regional stability, promoting dialogue, combating extremism, and formulating balanced approaches that protect international peace and security.

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