Our Center for Gulf Studies and Global Policies (GSGP) organized the International Summer School on Gulf Studies on July 21–25 2026. As the first event of its kind organized in Türkiye, the program was held under the theme “Understanding the Gulf: Politics, Economy, and Society”.
As part of the Gulf Studies Summer School, postgraduate participants from higher education and research centers—including the University of Oxford, Geneva Graduate Institute, University of Erfurt, Philipps-University Marburg, Charles University, Jamia Millia Islamia, International Islamic University of Islamabad, Middle East Council on Global Affairs, Qatar University, Doha Institute, and the International Organization for Migration—gathered at Ibn Haldun University’s Başakşehir Complex.
The opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Atilla Arkan, Rector of Ibn Haldun University, and Prof. İsmail Numan Telci, Director of the Center for Gulf Studies. During these remarks, new trajectories in Gulf studies in light of changing regional dynamics were opened up for discussion.
Alongside the researchers and faculty members from the Center for Gulf Studies and Global Policy, Gulf experts from various universities in Türkiye and invited scholars from institutions in the Gulf and Europe served as speakers in the lectures and sessions. Faculty from the University of Sharjah, the University of Kalba, and the Ajman Royal Diwan in the United Arab Emirates delivered lectures focusing on various dimensions of the Gulf region.
Spanning five days, the program adopted a layered approach that avoided reducing the region to a single axis. The first day was dedicated to the political and social history of the Gulf, forms of governance, reform processes, and debates on identity and nationalism. The second day examined Gulf foreign policy in a multipolar order, Gulf–Levant relations, and the competitive-cooperative dynamics with Iran.
The third day addressed the political economy of public policy, regional security architecture, and the future of the US–Israel–Gulf axis in the post-Iran war context. The fourth day focused on cultural memory, heritage politics, and Gulf historiography through British and Indian archives.
The International Summer School on Gulf Studies concluded with a cultural tour of Istanbul's historic landmarks organized by Ibn Haldun University for the participants and visiting faculty.
