Ishtar Roundtable Hosts MERI President Dr. Dlawer Ala’Aldeen Baghdad – Ishtar Center Media On Monday, 17 August 2026, the Ishtar Center for Democracy Support organized a closed-door roundtable titled: “State Dialogue: Iraq in the Dynamics of the New Middle East” The roundtable hosted Dr. Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) in Erbil, alongside a number of political, diplomatic, and academic figures. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Mohammed Alwiya, President of the Ishtar Center, who introduced the guest and highlighted his academic and professional background and contributions. Dr. Ala’Aldeen opened the discussion by addressing the current challenges facing the global order, examining the pressures and structural difficulties arising from an increasingly multipolar international system and shifting balances of power. He also discussed the ongoing conflicts in the region and their implications for Iraq. The roundtable provided an in-depth analysis of the transformations reshaping the region and the wider international landscape, as well as the challenges facing Iraq amid security and economic pressures and geopolitical rivalries. The discussion also examined potential risks and the mechanisms available to Iraqi decision-makers in responding to them, while highlighting the role of political, social, and intellectual elites in strengthening the concept of the state and fostering greater alignment of positions and visions in addressing existing challenges
