Public debate “Motives and Consequences of Qassim Suleimani’s Assassination”
Date of publication: January 23, 2020
The Institute for Politics and Society, in cooperation with the Prague Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of the CEVRO Institute, organized a public debate titled “Motives and Consequences of Qassim Suleimani’s Assassination”. The event was held on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 17:00 to 19:00 in the atrium of the CEVRO Institute (Jungmannova 17, Prague 1). Our guests were:
- Jaroslav Bžoch, Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of the Czech Republic.
- Ondřej Veselý, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of the Czech Republic.
- Tomáš Pojar, Security Analyst, CEVRO Institute.
- Jan Fingerland, Commentator, Czech Radio.
- Petr Boháček, Analyst, Research Center, Association for International Affairs.
The debate was moderated by Roman Máca, an analyst at the Institute for Politics and Society.
Qassim Suleimani’s assassination has brought another wave of tension to the highly volatile Middle East region. Suleimani was killed in Baghdad by a missile from a US drone on President Trump’s orders. What was Donald Trump’s motive, and what was he aiming to achieve by killing Suleimani? Was he really concerned about the safety of American citizens, or was he trying to score political points for the forthcoming presidential elections? Can the situation escalate further, or will it calm down and continue the long-standing status quo? Where do Israel, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, and the EU stand on the matter? Are there actors who are comfortable with the escalated situation? What are the economic implications of the situation?