Conference by Grégoire Mettra "The Forgotten Roots of Current Geopolitical Crises. The United States, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East in the Late 1970s."

As part of the first cycle of conferences Agora des Savoirs 2026-2027.

Several months after the launch of American-Israeli strikes against Iran in late February 2026, the war has bogged down into a phase of intermittent conflict. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global energy crisis, and Tehran is ramping up threats and attacks against Gulf countries. In this context, the Horn of Africa is asserting itself more than ever as a strategic extension of the Middle East and the Red Sea.

Israel's recognition of Somaliland, the first by a UN member state, the civil war in Sudan, Ethiopian ambitions for access to the sea and the Nile, as well as rivalries between the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, add to the maneuvers of Tehran and its allies. Jimmy Carter's policy in the late 1970s - the Camp David Accords, management of crises related to the fall of the Shah of Iran, and the war between Ethiopia and Somalia - provides an enlightening framework for understanding these contemporary fault lines.

Yesterday as today, the Horn of Africa remains a critical crossroads where security dynamics between Africa, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf intersect, under the persistent shadow of Middle Eastern conflicts.

In partnership with the Presses universitaires de la Méditerranée - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry.

Free entry subject to availability.

Author Biography

A doctor in history, Grégoire Mettra's work focuses on international relations and particularly explores Africa's anchoring in a contemporary system of alliances and dominations. His teaching activities notably question the influence of major democracies on the structural changes in African countries since 1945 and the founding national myths of African identities.

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