Schwarzenberg stage | The Middle East on Edge: Navigating a Region at War

The Middle East on Edge: Navigating a Region at War In 2026, the Middle East is no longer merely in flux — it is in rupture. The Iran war has shattered what remained of the region's fragile equilibrium, overlaying every existing crisis with new urgency and uncertainty. Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen were already deeply unsettled; the war has compounded each while adding its own consequences: mass casualties, displacement, contested nuclear narratives, and a regional balance of power being redrawn in real time. By May, some contours of what comes next may be visible. Others will not. Urgent, clear-eyed analysis of where the region's key hotspots stand and what, if any, pathways to stability remain has never been more necessary. Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow, Middle East & North Africa Programme, Chatham House Abdulaziz Sager, Founder & Chair, Gulf Research Center Dan Schueftan, Director, National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa Adnan Tabatabai, Co-founder & CEO, CARPO Kabir Taneja, Executive Director, ORF Middle East Led by: Tobias Ellwood, Former Minister for the Middle East, United Kingdom