Held in coordination with TRENDS offices across 26 countries, the conference will feature distinguished officials, experts, researchers, and thought leaders from the UAE and beyond.
TRENDS Global, a subsidiary of the TRENDS GROUP, in coordination with its global offices across 26 countries, has announced the Sixth Annual TRENDS Conference 2026, titled Sustainable Security: The Post-War Future of the Middle East. The event will take place on Monday, October 12, 2026, at The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, UAE. It will feature a distinguished group of international officials, experts, researchers, and thought leaders from the UAE, the region, and around the world.
Key participants will include H.E. Mike Pompeo, former United States Secretary of State and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Federal National Council (FNC), Chairman of the FNC Committee on Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs, UAE; Ambassador Michael Waltz, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, USA; and Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), USA. This was announced during a media briefing where TRENDS Global revealed details of the conference, key participants, and the partners involved.
Dr. Mohamed Abdullah Al-Ali, Chairman of TRENDS Group, emphasized that the conference takes place amid rapid transformations sweeping the Middle East and the world, and that security, geopolitical, and economic developments necessitate a re-evaluation of concepts regarding security, stability, and strategic partnerships.
He stated that selecting Sustainable Security as the conference theme reflects the importance of shifting from reactive crisis management to building systems better equipped to anticipate, adapt to, and withstand shocks. He noted that TRENDS Global, through its international conferences and forums, continues to enrich dialogue grounded in knowledge, research, and analysis, and to contribute to understanding regional and international transformations.
Mohammed Alsalmi, Director General, noted that the conference includes a special panel discussion. TRENDS hosts H.E. former U.S. Secretary of State and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mike Pompeo, in a session moderated by Becky Anderson, CNN International Anchor and Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi Bureau, UAE.
He noted that a new book, featuring insights into the post-war Middle East in line with the conference’s theme, will be launched during the event, which has local and global media partnerships. Lead researchers – Awadh Al-Breiki, Director General of TRENDS Global, and Mohammed Alsalmi, Director General of TRENDS Research & Advisory – explained that the conference focuses on the repercussions of the war in the Middle East and their impact on regional security architectures, the information domain, energy and trade flows, and strategic partnerships.
Awadh Al-Breiki added that the conference, through its global offices, hosts a distinguished group of political, military, academic, and media figures from the United States, the United Kingdom, and various European, Asian, and Arab countries – alongside leaders and experts from the UAE – thereby providing an international platform to exchange insights on the future of regional security and ways to enhance the capacity to address evolving shifts and interconnected risks.
He noted that the conference proceedings will commence with keynote addresses by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, Chairman of TRENDS GROUP; H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Federal National Council (FNC) and Chairman of the FNC’s Committee on Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Michael Waltz, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
A special discussion session with H.E. Mike Pompeo will commence after this session. The conference features four interconnected main sessions exploring various dimensions of sustainable security and the region’s future.
The first session – Rethinking Regional Security: What Comes After Deterrence? – will feature speakers including Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson, former Head of Intelligence, U.S. Central Command, USA; Prof. Choi Jong-kun, former First Vice Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs; Professor, Political Science & International Studies, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea (South Korea). Barry Pavel, Former Vice President and Director of the National Security Research Division, RAND Corporation, USA; Sir Michael Fallon, former UK Secretary of State for Defense; and Abdulaziz Al-Shehhi, Deputy General Manager of TRENDS Research & Advisory, UAE. Jamil Anderlini, Politico Regional Director – Europe, Belgium, will moderate the session.
Speakers for the second session – The Information Battleground: Narratives, Influence and Conflict – include H.E. Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, Director of the National Operations Center and Official Spokesperson for the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), UAE; H.E. Dr. Saad Bin Teflah Al-Ajmi, former Minister of Information, Kuwait; Nina Jankowicz, CEO of the American Sunlight Project, USA; Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez, Vice President, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), USA; and Karen Allen, former BBC correspondent and founder of Karen Allen International, South Africa. Elyazia Al Hosani, Head of the Media Department, TRENDS GROUP, UAE, will moderate the session.
Participants of the third session – Strength Through Partnerships: Alignments Reshaping the Balance of Power – include Dr. Johnnie Moore, Vice Chancellor and Managing Director of Middle East Studies, Pepperdine University, USA; Dr. Jodie Wen, Fellow, Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, and Director of International Communication, China Forum, China; Professor Irina Zvyagelskaya, Head of the Primakov Institute for Middle East Studies, IMEMO; Dr. Mihai Sebastian Chihaia, Policy Director, Europe in the World Program, The European Policy Centre (EPC), Belgium; and Dr. Barın Kayaoğlu, Chair of American Studies, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Türkiye. Bilal Saab, Senior Managing Director of the TRENDS office in the USA, will moderate the session.
The fourth session – Resilient Connectivity: Securing Energy and Trade Flows in the Age of Geo-Economic Competition – will feature speakers including Dr. Karen Young, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, USA; Professor Christian Bueger, Professor of International Relations, University of Copenhagen, and Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Denmark; Dr. Neil Quilliam, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House, UK; Professor Federico Donelli, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste, Italy; and Abdullah Al-Junaid, a Geopolitical Columnist and writer on Middle East affairs, Bahrain. Mouza Al Marzooqi, Director of the Economic Studies Department at TRENDS Research & Advisory, UAE, will moderate the session.
The conference will conclude with closing remarks and a set of recommendations. During the event, TRENDS Research & Advisory will launch a book titled The Post-War Middle East. Mohammed Alsalmi, Director General of TRENDS, said the pioneering book anticipates the event and discusses the major repercussions and transformations resulting from the military confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. It highlights the collapse of traditional deterrence frameworks, structural shifts in the political and regional order, and the direct impacts on global energy markets and maritime security.
Alsalmi explained that the book also examines post-war security and political shifts within Iran, as well as changes in warfare and armament. It warns of escalating threats from extremist groups and “gray-zone warfare” during the region’s upcoming transitional phase.
Several TRENDS directors and officials spoke at the briefing, noting that the conference program includes a parallel exhibition showcasing the output of the five companies within the TRENDS Group and introducing the Group’s new identity as an integrated knowledge ecosystem. The exhibition also features specialized scholarly publications, research and training services, an innovation and artificial intelligence corner, and interactive events and workshops.
