Dr. Henelito Sevilla, Jr., Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman took part in the 4th International Conference on Great Powers and the Middle East Political and Social Transformation, which was held from 10 to 11 September 2014 at the Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
As part of the session, “Arab Countries in Middle East Transformation,” Dr. Sevilla presented his paper, “War in Syria and the Changing Political Landscape of the Middle East Region,” where he explains why the conflict in Syria emerged and has been internationalized.
At present, Bashar’s regime finds itself under assault by Syrian opposition and members of the United Nations Security Council save China and Russia. He argues that “the call to liberate Syria” of these parties is part of a “proxy war” and is overshadowed by the grand strategic plan of the extra-regional powers…with regard to their competing interests in the region.” Lastly, he draws out the implications of this conflict on the political landscape of the Middle East.
The conference was organized by the Middle East Studies Institute of the Shanghai International Studies University. Dr. Sevilla coordinates the West Asia Studies MA program of the Asian Center. He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Tehran and has specialized on the energy security, political economy, and international relations of the Middle East. He teaches graduate-level courses on these topics and on Philippine foreign relations.
Like the Asian Center on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @upasiancenter. Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Sevilla's Facebook page. Photo: Dr. Sevilla with Yang Fu Chang of the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University.