The Middle East in the Global Economy and Global Security

Location: Gordon Dining and Event Center, 770 W. Dayton Street, Symphony Room

The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea route into the Persian Gulf. Before this year’s crisis it carried about one-fifth of the petroleum the world consumes and more than one-fifth of global LNG trade. It also carried the shipping that serves the Gulf’s ports, including Jebel Ali in Dubai, the largest port in the Middle East and a transshipment hub for the region. The Middle East is home to about half a billion people, who meet this crisis as employees, consumers, and citizens. This program will examine the fallout of the crisis: fuel prices, inflation, commodity prices and shortages, and the security and political consequences for the region’s people, the United States, and the wider world.

Rachel Ziemba, founder of the macroeconomic advisory firm Ziemba Insights and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, has spent her career analyzing oil-exporting economies, sanctions, and the linkages between finance and security. She opens with “Fuel, Chokepoints, and Capital: The Economic Fallout of the Hormuz Crisis.” Dave Schroeder, Director of National Security Initiatives at UW-Madison, follows with “What Is at Stake: The National-Security and Critical-Infrastructure Dimensions of the Strait.” Steven Brooke, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Middle East Studies Program, presents “Regional Ramifications of the Iran War,” then moderates a discussion among all three speakers and questions from the audience.

This event is open to students, faculty, staff, and the public; the program is intended for a general audience, and no background in the region is needed. There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is requested.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin School of Business and co-sponsored by the UW-Madison Middle East Studies Program and UW-Madison National Security Initiatives.