【Text: Professor Shun-Wen Wang, Department of Government and Law; Edited by: Public Affairs Section】

【Translated with the assistance of Google Gemini】

【United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Promotion Series】

2026-05-08 From conflicts in the Middle East and the Red Sea crisis to Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, global supply chains, and semiconductor diplomacy, the current international landscape is shifting rapidly, with the impacts of regional conflicts long transcending geographical boundaries. On May 8, 2026, the Department of Government and Law at the National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) hosted the 3rd International Conference on Middle East and Africa. Centered around the theme "Embedded Crisis and Reconstruction: Governance in the Middle East and Africa within the Global Order," the conference gathered prominent domestic and international scholars at NUK to explore governance challenges and reconstruction issues through a global lens.

NUK President Chi-Jen Chen noted in his opening remarks that regional conflicts and geopolitical competition in today's international arena are no longer confined to a single nation or territory. For instance, the situation in Iran and the maritime security of the Strait of Hormuz directly disrupt global energy supplies and international market stability. Similarly, from the reconstruction of Gaza and the conflict in Sudan to social governance across Africa, these issues demonstrate that global governance is facing highly complex and interconnected challenges. He emphasized that beyond conducting research and cultivating talent, universities must serve as platforms for public dialogue, responding to critical global issues through international academic exchange.

Keynote Insights on the Global South and Shifting Structures

The keynote speeches featured Dr. Chen-Shen Yen, Adjunct Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University (NCCU), and Dr. David Winter, Emeritus Professor at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Dr. Yen analyzed the positions of the Middle East and Africa within global political and economic frameworks through the prisms of the Global South, post-colonial development, resource dependency, and the international order. Citing African debt, resource-based economies, the international financial system, and geopolitics, he illustrated how regional governance is steered by global structural dynamics, further highlighting the modern phenomenon of "embedded crises."

Interdisciplinary Research: Technology, Security, and Diplomacy

The paper presentations encompassed a wide array of vital contemporary issues in the Middle East and Africa, including:

• Iran's strategic culture and political narratives.

• The geopolitics of the Red Sea and Somaliland.

• US-China competition and dependency dynamics in Africa.

• AI governance, digital authoritarianism, surveillance, and national security.

• Global South governance and the role of Taiwan's semiconductor diplomacy amidst situations in South Africa.

These presentations demonstrated how Middle Eastern and African studies have increasingly intersected with interdisciplinary fields like technological governance, global supply chains, international security, and diplomatic strategy.

Notably, Dr. Shun-Wen Wang, Professor of the NUK Department of Government and Law, presented his paper during the morning session: "Strategic Culture under Threat: Iran’s Use-of-Force Narratives and the Adjustment of Strategic Culture after the Gaza War." Utilizing strategic culture and narrative analysis, the study explores Iran's political responses and nationalistic shifts under external pressures following the Gaza War. The afternoon roundtable forum was moderated by Dr. Wen-Sheng Chen, Professor of the Department of Government and Law, who led a panel of local and foreign scholars in mapping out future challenges and research directions for Middle Eastern and African studies in a changing global order.

Collaborative Network and Deepening Academic Exchange

The closing ceremony was chaired by Dr. Wu-Lung Yang, Chair of the NUK Department of Government and Law, with Yong-Bo Chen, Deputy Director-General of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), joining the dialogue. Participating scholars engaged in continuous discussions on regional conflicts, reconstruction governance, the Global South, and international cooperation, showcasing the deepening academic energy and international exchange networks of Taiwan's Middle East and Africa research community.

The conference was organized by the NUK Department of Government and Law in collaboration with the NUK College of Law, the College of International Affairs at NCCU, the Institute of Ethnology at Academia Sinica, and National Quemoy University. It was guided and supported by the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Department of West Asian and African Affairs of MOFA, and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, continuing to foster cross-institutional and interdisciplinary academic exchange.

#SDG4 #SDG16 #SDG17 @Department of Government and Law &Activities