Abstract

On 6 October 2023, Palestinian organization Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed more than 1200 civilians and triggered a new war on Gaza. This assault by Hamas is likely to be studied as the biggest intelligence and military failure of Israel. This seminar will discuss the causes and consequences of the conflict: why were the Israeli forces unable to anticipate and prevent the offensive? How does the conflict differ from previous clashes between Israel and its neighbours? What could be the endgame in Gaza after Israel launches its military response? And what could be the implications of the war for the Middle East, and beyond, for Asia?

About the Speaker

Jean-Loup Samaan is a senior research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, as well as an associate fellow at the French Institute for International Relations. His research focuses on Middle Eastern strategic affairs, in particular the evolution of defense policies of Gulf States and Israel.

Prior to his position in Singapore, he was policy advisor at the French Ministry of Defense (2008 to 2011), research advisor at the NATO Defense College (2011-2016) and associate professor in strategic studies with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Defense College (2016-2021).

His most recent book, New Military Strategies in the Gulf: The Mirage of Autonomy in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar was published in August 2023 by Bloomsbury/I.B. Tauris. Dr. Samaan has authored five other books and several articles for various international academic and policy journals such as Survival, The National Interest, Orbis, The International Spectator, and Politique Etrangère.

Dr. Samaan holds a Ph.D. in political science (2009) from the University of Paris, La Sorbonne as well as an accreditation to supervise research (2017) from the doctoral school of Sciences Po, Paris.