Iran-Saudi Dialogue

Building trust through dialogue on specific areas of shared concern

Since 2015 the Iran-Saudi Dialogue Project has been building trust between a core group of Iranian and Saudi experts. Together they develop policy solutions in very specific areas of shared interest, including: cooperation in a “post-oil” economic era and in the field of climate change; the role of academic exchange in mitigating conflict; the contours of a “non-aggression pact” between the two countries; and the role of media narrative and discourse in igniting conflict, portraying and stereotyping “the other,” and how these narratives could play a positive role in changing perspectives. This project is conducted in cooperation with the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO). It is jointly funded by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and was previously supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

Research & Writing

Project Note
Stimson Europe and CARPO hosted a workshop in August 2022 that discussed the potential of cultural relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Desirée Custers • Mirjam Schmidt
Commentary
Iran-Saudi talks in Baghdad demonstrate Iraq's potential as a hub for regional dialogue, but this is a fragile process and prone to be undermined by spoilers.
Kawa Hassan • Adnan Tabatabai • Desirée Custers

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Publications & Project Lists

38 North: News and Analysis on North Korea