"Trends Global" organizes its sixth annual conference on "Sustainable Security"
With the participation of international officials, experts, researchers, and thought leaders
Abu Dhabi5 min read
Share
"Trends Global," part of the Trends Group, announced the organization of its sixth annual conference for 2026, under the title "Sustainable Security: The Post-War Middle East Future," on October 12th in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of officials, experts, researchers, and thought leaders from the UAE, the region, and the world.
The conference features the participation of former U.S. Secretary of State and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Federal National Council member and Chairperson of the Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs Committee Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz, and Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Admiral Brad Cooper.
Trends Group Chairman Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali stated that the conference comes amidst the security, geopolitical, and economic transformations witnessing the Middle East and the world, and the consequent need to rethink concepts of security, stability, and strategic partnerships.
He added that choosing "Sustainable Security" as the conference title reflects the importance of shifting from crisis management after the fact to building systems with greater capacity for anticipation, adaptation, and resilience against shocks, pointing to the importance of research and analysis in understanding regional and international transformations.
The conference discusses the ramifications of the war in the Middle East and its reflections on regional security, the information domain, energy and trade flows, and strategic partnerships, alongside the launch of a new book addressing the region's post-war future.
Trends Global Director General Awadh Al-Breiki said that the conference is hosting political, military, academic, and media figures from the United States, the United Kingdom, European, Asian, and Arab countries, alongside leaders and experts from the UAE.
The conference proceedings will kick off with keynote speeches by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Ambassador Mike Waltz, and Admiral Brad Cooper, followed by a special dialogue session with Mike Pompeo, and then four main sessions.
The first session, titled "Toward a New Vision for Regional Security: What Lies Beyond Deterrence?", discusses regional security issues and features General Karen Gibson, former Intelligence Chief at U.S. Central Command; Professor Choi Jong-kun, former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea; Barry Pavel, former Vice President and Director of the National Security Research Division at the U.S. RAND Corporation; Sir Michael Fallon, former British Defence Secretary; and Abdulaziz Al-Shehhi, Deputy Director General of Trends Research and Advisory. The session is moderated by Jamil Anderlini, Regional Editor for POLITICO Europe in Belgium.
The second session, "The Information Domain as an Arena of Conflict: Narratives, Influence, and Information Warfare," examines issues of narratives, influence, and information warfare, with the participation of Dr. Saif Al-Dhaheri, Director of the National Operations Center and Official Spokesperson for the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority; Dr. Saad bin Tifla Al-Ajmi, former Kuwaiti Minister of Information; Nina Jankowicz, CEO of the American Sunlight Project; Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez, Vice President of the Middle East Media Research Institute in the United States; and Karen Allen, former BBC correspondent and founder of Karen Allen International in South Africa. The session is moderated by Alyazia Al-Hosani, Head of the Media Sector at Trends Group.
As for the third session, it is titled "Power Through Partnerships: Redrawing Power Balances," featuring Dr. Johnnie Moore, Vice President of Pepperdine University and Managing Director for Middle Eastern Studies in the USA; Dr. Judy Wynn, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS) of Tsinghua University and Director of International Communication for the China Forum; Professor Irina Zvyagelskaya, Head of the Middle East Studies Center at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Russia; Dr. Mihai Sebastian Chiflea, Policy Analyst in the "Europe in the World" program at the European Centre for Policy in Belgium; and Dr. Barin Kayaoglu, Chair of the Department of American Studies at Ankara University of Social Sciences in Turkey. The session is moderated by Bilal Saab, Director of the Trends Office in the USA.
The fourth session, "Resilient Interconnectedness: Securing Energy and Trade Flows in an Era of Geo-Economic Competition," discusses energy and trade security under geo-economic competition, with the participation of Dr. Karen Young, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University in the USA; Professor Christian Bueger, Professor of International Relations at the University of Copenhagen and Fellow at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research in Denmark; Dr. Neil Quilliam, Associate Fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House in the UK; Professor Federico Donelli, Senior Fellow at the Orion Policy Institute and Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Trieste in Italy; and Abdullah Al-Junaid, Geopolitical Columnist and Specialist Writer on Middle Eastern Affairs in Bahrain. The session is moderated by Mozah Al-Marzooqi, Director of the Economic Studies Department at Trends Research and Advisory.
The conference will conclude its proceedings with closing remarks and recommendations, following four main sessions that addressed the dimensions of sustainable security and the future of the region, as well as the reflections of the war on regional security, the information domain, energy and trade flows, and strategic partnerships.
