Africa and Middle East
The division's work is focused on social and political transformation, domestic and regional conflicts, as well as questions relating to external and security policies in Africa and the Middle East.
Head
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Areas of Expertise
- Iran
- Defence and security policy / Armed forces
- Elites and elite change
- Political systems
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Areas of Expertise
- Southern Africa
- Human rights
- Migration
- Strategic partnerships
- Sustainability governance
Staff
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Areas of Expertise
- Israel
- Middle East
- Palestinian Territories
- Syria
- Civil wars
- Fragile states
- Middle East conflict
- Political systems
- Regional and interstate conflicts
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Areas of Expertise
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Projects
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Areas of Expertise
- North Africa and Middle East
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Areas of Expertise
- Libya
- Sahel
- Civil wars
- Fragile states
- Regional and interstate conflicts
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Areas of Expertise
- Ethiopia
- Horn of Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Sudan
- Civil wars
- Conflict prevention
- Peacebuilding
- UN missions
- United Nations Security Council
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Areas of Expertise
- Arabian Peninsula
- Kurds in the Middle East
- Middle East
- Jihadism
- Political Islam / Islamism
- Terrorism
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Areas of Expertise
- Sahel
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Civil wars
- Defence and security policy / Armed forces
- Political systems
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Areas of Expertise
- East Africa
- Ethiopia
- Horn of Africa
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Civil wars
- Fragile states
- Jihadism
- Political systems
- Regional and interstate conflicts
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Areas of Expertise
- Algeria
- Maghreb / North Africa
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Arab Spring
- Elites and elite change
- Political Islam / Islamism
- Political systems
Research Support
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Areas of Expertise
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Areas of Expertise
- North Africa and Middle East
Social Media
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SWP Publications
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The Destabilising Role of the United Arab Emirates in African Conflicts
SWP Comment 2026/C 19, 13.05.2026, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2026C19
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Warum Friedensbemühungen eine Krise erleben
Seit dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs gab es noch nie so viele bewaffnete Konflikte wie heute. Gleichzeitig ist der eingespielte Umgang mit Konflikten in eine Krise geraten. Besonders deutlich zeigt sich das am Horn von Afrika. Gerrit Kurtz erklärt, weshalb die internationale Gemeinschaft neue Wege finden muss, um Frieden zu stiften.
SWP Teaser, 12.05.2026 -
Frieden in der Krise: Konfliktbearbeitung am Horn von Afrika
SWP-Studie 2026/S 10, 08.05.2026, 34 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2026S10
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Die destabilisierende Rolle der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate in afrikanischen Konflikten
SWP-Aktuell 2026/A 22, 05.05.2026, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2026A22v02
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Der Iran-Krieg und seine Folgen – für den Mittleren Osten, die Großmächte und die Weltwirtschaft
Der Iran-Krieg verschiebt die globalen Kräfteverhältnisse: Teheran zeigt Resilienz, Israel gewinnt Zeit, verfehlt aber zentrale Kriegsziele – und die USA verharren im Dilemma. Welche Folgen das für den Mittleren Osten, die Großmächte und die Weltwirtschaft hat, legt dieses 360 Grad dar.
360 Grad, 30.04.2026 -
Multipolarities – The World-Order Visions of Others
SWP Research Paper 2026/RP 08, 20.04.2026, 47 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2026RP08
External publications
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The New Leaders Calling the Shots in Iran
in: Time, 09.05.2026 -
Azadeh Zamirirad, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, zum Machtgefüge in Iran
Interview, in: tagesschau24, 27.04.2026 (Video) -
America and Israel against Iran: Strategic results during the ceasefire
Clingendael, 24.04.2026 -
Iran’s Supreme Leader No Longer Reigns Supreme
in: Time, 22.04.2026 -
The Role of Civil Society in Transitional Justice and Peace in Sudan
The devastating war in Sudan centres, by definition, on those waging it: the army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), armed groups, militias, mercenaries. It seems to relegate civilians to the passive position of victims of the hostilities, of mass atrocities, forced displacement, starvation and gender-based violence. Conventional approaches to ending the war, based on Sudan’s long experience with conflict, tend to be narrow elite bargains that privilege those with guns through power and wealth sharing arrangements. Impunity reigned, either through blanket amnesty or long-delayed implementation ofofficial commitments.
in: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Policy Paper, 09.04.2026 -
L'Europe doit dénoncer la situation de Mohamed Bazoum
Interview in: Deutsche Welle, 01.04.2026 (in Französisch)