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Can a series of far-flung, high-level conferences bring peace to the Middle East by applying lessons from 17th-century Europe?

Forty years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to overthrow Iran’s corrupt monarchy. The revolt radicalised the region and inspired Muslims across the globe.

Led by its ruthless Revolutionary Guards, Iran will do whatever it takes to defend and preserve the Islamic Republic.

How this conflict – played out in the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia – is destabilising the world.

Why the real history of the Peace of Westphalia in 17th-century Europe offers a model for bringing stability to the Middle East.

Why an Old Framework Could Work

Some myths die hard, and the notion that the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, established a system of full sovereignty for the princes of the Holy Roman Empire and the European powers is a tenacious one.

Panel Discussion at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2017 with Simon Coveney, Taha Özhan and Volker Perthes

Can there be a Peace of Westphalia for the Middle East?

The war in Syria and the whole of the Arab world seems to have no end. For some, this is reminiscent of the Thirty Years' War in Central Europe.

Just as the Thirty Years' War devastated Germany 400 years ago, the Middle East wars today are destroying Syria and Iraq.