IBBC held its seventh weekly geopolitical and security update for members on April 13th continuing the series of briefings convened since the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf.

The session was led by Jon Wilks, Senior Adviser to the Iraq Britain Business Council and Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He was joined by Professor Lina Khatib, IBBC advisory council and Professor at Harvard and fellow at Chatham house, making her second appearance at a time the Hormuz straights are closed and negotiations have stalled. Regional dynamics were a key focus, particularly Lebanon’s role as a proxy arena for Iran and the broader influence of Iranian-backed groups. It was noted that Iraq should act cautiously in this environment, avoiding major escalatory steps.

The conversation covered a wide-ranging insight into how Iran may respond to the conflict, US strategy, the impact on the GCC and Iraqi political economy, and Syriah.

 

Dr Lina’s Khatibs article – The Degradation of Irans Proxy Model is below:

Belfer_-Degradation-of-Irans-Proxy-Model_2.1.pdf

 

Professor Frank Gunter joined the call and provided a USA perspective on the conflict and flagged up his report for next week. Sara Akbar gave a stark insight to the situation in Kuwait and called for all countries in the Gulf to contribute to the process.

More than 30 members attended including SBBC advisors, reflecting strong ongoing engagement and interest and were deeply engaged, contributing insights and questions.

IBBC will continue to host these weekly meetings to provide expert briefings for members and to facilitate the exchange of information and best practice in an informal and confidential setting. Next meeting is with Professor Frank Gunter and Jon Wilks.