The opening ceremony opened the debate on the role of the Middle East as a testing ground for a new world order

Yesterday saw the inauguration of the fifth edition of the Barcelona Summer School of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, co-organised by the Barcelona Institute for International Studies (IBEI), Catalonia International and the European Institute of the Mediterranean.

The event began with a welcome address by the President of IBEI, Jacint Jordana, who thanked the organising bodies for reaching the fifth edition of the Summer School, which this year offers more courses and has attracted the highest number of students, from as many as 24 countries.

This was followed by the round table discussion From Gaza to Hormuz: The Middle East as a testing ground for a new world order, which featured Yezid Sayigh, senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Tinhinan El-Kadi, postdoctoral researcher at the Technology and Industrialisation for Development (TIDE) Centre at the University of Oxford, and Natalia Sancha, International Affairs reporter for the newspaper El País. Eduard Soler Lecha, Academic Director of the Summer School, was in charge of leading the debate.

This year's edition includes a series of courses on politics and international relations in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, taught by renowned experts. These will be complemented by networking meetings with professionals and public lectures.

This integrated structure will enable the programme to cater to the needs of both students and professionals. Students will have the opportunity to earn ECTS credits, provided they are recognized by their university. The events will be free for all registered participants

The courses offered are in English, face-to-face and interactive:

Youth, Identity, Mobilisation and the Art of Dissent in the Mediterranean
Lurdes Vidal Bertran (URL, IBEI & UPF)
29-30 June (10:30 - 13:30)

Energy, Water, and Food Security under Strain: The Gulf, Iran, and the Geopolitics of Regional Supply Chains
Eckart Woertz (Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES))
29-30 June (10:30 - 13:30)

Peacebuilding, Peace Processes, and Mediation: From Traditional Modes to Out-of-the-box Thinking
Laurie Nathan (KROC Institute), Pinar Tank (Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)) & Harry Tzimitras (Peace Research Institute Oslo - PRIO Cyprus Centre)
29-30 June (14:30 - 17:30)

China in the Mediterranean and the Middle East: Connectivity, Digital Power, and Geopolitical Competition
Tinhinan El-Kadi (Technology and Industrialisation for Development (TIDE) Centre at the University of Oxford)
29-30 June (14:30 - 17:30)

Searching for European influence amid the transitions, rivalries and wars of the new Middle East
Julien Barnes-Dacey (European Council on Foreign Relations)
1-3 July (09:00-11:00)

Urban Politics of the Middle East: Conflict and Cooperation
Gabriel Garroum (UPF)
1-3 July (09:00-11:00)

Anti-Gender Politics and Feminist Resistances in the Middle East and North Africa
Susana Galán (IBEI)
1-3 July (12:00-14:00)

War and Transition in the Middle East
Yezid Sayigh (Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut)
1-3 July (12:00-14:00)

From Managing to Resolving Conflicts in North Africa
Riccardo Fabiani (International Crisis Group)
1-3 July (15:00-17:00)