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Events

OUR UPCOMING EVENTS.

We hold events prestigious venues in central London, all with opportunities for discussion and networking and including insights from politicians, policy makers, business leaders, diplomats, subject matter experts, and academics.

Events range from private dinners at exclusive London clubs to seminars, lectures, round tables, panel discussions and receptions at private venues.

Jordan's diplomatic path: Middle East relations and the Trump factor
Mon, Jun 30
RAG Army and Navy Club
Please join us for an exclusive dinner with H.E. Manar Dabbas, Jordan's Ambassador to the UK, for a discussion on the latest twists and turns in its relations with Israel, and the future of the Palestinians in Gaza.
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Syria: power, conflict and diplomacy
Tue, Jun 17
London
Round Table dinner with Firas Modad, Modad Geopolitics, and Burcu Ozcelik, Middle East Analyst at RUSI. Sir Liam Fox, former Secretary of State for International Trade, and Chairman of the UK Abraham Accords Group, will Moderate.
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DSF Members event: Bosphorus Summit Briefing, Thursday 29 May 2025
Thu, May 29
The Four Seasons Hotel
Hear first hand from the founder of the International Co-operation Platform, Dr Cengiz Ozgencil, as he sets out his vision for the 16th Bosphorus Summit
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Ukraine on the Brink
Wed, May 28
The RAG Army and Navy Club
Ukraine will not lose its friends.
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Turkey Today
Tue, May 27
Round Table Dinner
Join us at an exclusive dinner with Dr Cengiz Ozgencil to discuss Turkey's resurgence as a regional power and its geopolitical ambitions alongside economic constraints and domestic challenges. Firas Modad of Modad Geopolitics will be our Moderator.
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Saudi Arabia's Role in the World
Wed, May 07
Naval and Military Club (In and Out)
H.E., HRH Prince Khalid Bin Bindar Al Saud Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ambassador
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President Trump's Global Reset
Wed, Apr 09
21 Cloudesley St, London N1 0HX, UK
Greg Swenson, Chairman, Republicans Abroad, UK
Details
Middle East Update Dinner
Thu, Feb 06
London
The war shifts from Gaza to the West Bank as Syrian extremists unsettle its neighbours
Details

RECENT EVENTS.

The impact of Cyber attacks on civil society today

NHS, British Airways, local authorities, 50% of all businesses, 1/3 charities have been hit and shut down.The cost is trillions of pounds.

The fight back is led by Britain’s leading cyber expert, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, co-founder of Open Date, Professor of Computer Science, Oxford University, Principal Jesus College, Oxford and an Advisor to the government on the Strategic Defence Review.

Response by Alex van Someran, computer entrepreneur and venture capitalist, now Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security.

Contribution by Fergus Hay, Founder, The Hacking Games: How to turn teenagers away from cyber crime.

Which Way Russia?

Lady Olga Maitland hosted a round table dinner: ‘WHICH WAY RUSSIA?’ Post the US Presidential Elections, critical questions to be asked include: How will President Putin react? What impact will President Trump have on the outcome of the war with Ukraine?

Our speaker was Professor Jonathan Haslam, distinguished academic on the former Soviet Union, Professor of International Relations at Cambridge University, Fellow of Corpus Christi, former Professor at Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Our moderator was Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, former UK Ambassador to Belarus, Senior Fellow, IISS on Russia.

Donald Trump Inaugural Dinner

We were grateful to Meredith Wilson for agreeing to travel from the US to the UK to address DSF in January. Timed to perfection with President Trump’s inauguration, Meredith helped us to decode how a Trump Administration will impact the UK and Europe.

Meredith Wilson is the founder and CEO of Emergent Risk International, a global risk advisory service, having started her career at the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Other speakers were Lady Olga Maitland and Rt Hon. Sir John Wheeler, JP, DL, former Minister of State, Northern Ireland responsible for Security

Middle East Update

Shay Zavaro, CEO of Montfort Advisory in Tel Aviv, gave us an eye-opening first hand account of the situation within the West Bank. We received insights into the perspective of settlers entrenched in open conflict with the Palestinians, as tensions escalate amidst the smuggling of heavy arms by hardline groups.

Firas (Abi Ali) Modad, founder of Modad Geopolitics in Oxford, provided a broader perspective on the shifting dynamics in Syria and their regional implications. Lieut. General Sir Simon Mayall moderated the discussion. Sir Simon has a distinguished 40-year military career behind him, including many years in the Middle East, as a result of which he became a key advisor to the Ministry of Defence.

How is Ukraine weathering the storm?

On the ground first hand reports. What next for the allies? Is Moldova the next in line?

We were joined by General Sir Nick Parker, KCB, CBE, former commander Land Forces, and today chairman of Re-Act, a disaster response charity rescuing people on the ground. He is also today working in Turkey.

We had another speech from Mr. Justin Crump, CEO, Sibylline, military veteran, specialist in on the ground intelligence with a large network in Ukraine, and Mr. Mike Longstaff, OBE, CEO, Audere Ineternational Kiev Report

Iran - the Key to Middle East Turmoil.

Very recently returned, former UK Ambassador to Tehran, Simon Shercliff spoke at this dinner, helping us to decode Iran today and their mission for the Middle East via Hamas and Hezbollah, and to understand how can they might co-exist with Israel.

Rt. Hon. Lord Lamont of Lerwick, President, British Iranian Chamber of Commerce, and President Iran Society provided the response, and Dr Merhdad Khonsari, former Iranian diplomat, now consultant to Iranian Centre for Policy Studies, provided a contribution. Our moderator was the Rt. Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, KCMG, KC , former Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary.

Cyber Warfare - The Changing Face of Modern War

Exploding pagers and mobile phones in Beirut are but one example of the threat in modern conflicts of emerging technology. The rise of cyber warfare evidenced by cyber attacks crippling defences has changed combat as seen in Ukraine.

Accelerating the UK's response is Lt. Gen. Tom Copinger-Symes, CBE, who has pioneered a push for dedicated cyber and digital & data strategies in his role as Deputy Commander UK Strategic Command and Director, Joint Force Development.

Responding, Major Jack Sharpe, Royal Marines, expert in cyber warfare, emerging and disruptive technologies and their impact on geopolitical security.

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Speakers