Imbert Security Lecture
25th March 2025Saddlers' Hall
The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals' Lord Imbert Security Lecture was given by Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall KBE CB. He spent much of a distinguished military career in the Middle East and his talk was based around what has happened, what is happening and what may happen in the Middle East.
His talk encompassed many aspects of why the Middle East is in such a mess at the moment and why many people from the region are sympathetic or indeed join what we regard as terrorist organisations.
For example, there have been four major empires in the region: the Persian, the Arab, the Egyptian and the Ottoman. Each of the countries originating in one of these empires retains a belief that that it has an interest in areas such as Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Then add in religious differences (Christianity, Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslems etc and others), and the fact that Israeli territory coincides mostly with the European Crusader States and you have a potent mix for instability.
Population growth, climate change and poverty overlay all of these issues and therefore it is difficult to see a way forward, particularly in the light of current American instability of policy in the area - anyone for a luxury development in Gaza?
A most interesting talk but it left everyone feeling somewhat depressed as to what the future holds!