GUST Sheds light on Brexit and the future of the European Union

Kuwait City, 13th November, 2016: Gulf University for Science and Technology’s (GUST) Global Studies Center (GSC) organized this week a lecture led by Dr. Jan Claudius Voelkel, entitled “Brexit and the Future of the European Union”. The lecture, which was open to the public, and took place on its campus in West Mishref.

Dr. Jan Voelkel, a lecturer in Euro-Mediterranean studies at the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, better known as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in Cairo, provided a different perspective on the ramifications and effects of the recent Brexit vote made by the UK population. The lecture examined the short and long term effects of the Brexit on the UK, and gave an in-depth analysis of the current situation, and how it could affect its relationship with the European Union. Dr. Voelkel also analyzed the upcoming negotiations and whether they will have an impact. The lecture was then followed by a Q&A session.

Head of the Global Studies Center at GUST, Dr. Martin Rosenstock, said, “We live in a world which is not only dynamic, but also more interconnected than it has ever been in the past. Referendums that take place in the UK, will have a ripple effect not only on Europe, but globally, and will even be felt here in Kuwait, a major ally of Great Britain. With this lecture, we aim to shed light on various topics, and try to understand them from different perspectives in order to form sound and meaningful opinions.”

The GSC was founded in 2015 in partnership with the National University of Singapore, and aims to conduct cutting-edge research on cross-national political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental issues of critical importance, as well as share research output and information regionally and globally. It seeks to foster public understanding of global issues and support the policy-making processes of concerned states.  

Previous events hosted by the GSC include a discussion to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, sponsored by the US Embassy in Kuwait, a lecture by Dr. Peter Sluglett, an expert on Middle Eastern history and Director of the Middle East Institute at NUS, entitled: “An Improvement on Colonialism? The ‘A’ Mandates and their Legacy in the Middle East”, and another by Dr. Daniel Brumberg, the Kuwait Program Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs, on US-Arab Relations in a Time of Crisis.