Dr. Hamidreza Azizi
Africa and Middle East Visiting Fellow
Areas of Expertise
FocusIranian Foreign Policy, Syria, Iraq, Iran-Russia Relations, Geopolitics and Security in the Middle East and Central Eurasia
Short Curriculum vitae
Since 01/2023 Visiting Fellow, Africa and Middle East Research Division, SWP Berlin
2022 CATS Fellow, SWP Berlin
2020–2022 Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Africa and Middle East Research Division, SWP Berlin
2016-2020 Assistant Professor of Regional Studies at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran
2016-2018 Guest Lecturer at the Regional Studies Department at the University of Tehran
2011-2015 Ph.D. Candidate in Regional Studies at the University of Tehran
2012-2013 Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies, Tehran
SWP Publications
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The Political Transition in Syria: Regional and International Interests
SWP Comment 2025/C 11, 18.03.2025, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2025C11
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The Fall of the Assad Regime: Regional and International Power Shifts
SWP Comment 2025/C 09, 25.02.2025, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2025C09
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Turkey-Iran Rivalry in the Changing Geopolitics of the South Caucasus
SWP Comment 2023/C 49, 27.09.2023, 6 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2023C49
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Turkish and Iranian Involvement in Iraq and Syria
Competing strategies, rising threat perceptions, and potentials for conflict
SWP Comment 2022/C 58, 12.10.2022, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2022C58
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The War in Ukraine and Its Impact on Syria
Humanitarian Deterioration and Risks of Disrupting a Volatile Status Quo
SWP Comment 2022/C 32, 28.04.2022, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2022C32
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Challenges to Iran’s Role in Iraq in the Post-Soleimani Era
Complex Rivalries, Fragmented Alliances, Declining Soft Power
SWP Comment 2021/C 44, 22.07.2021, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2021C44
External publications
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How Iran Is Calculating Its War with Israel
Facing a massive attack on its homeland, the Islamic Republic's response has been restrained, driven by vulnerability and the need to avoid U.S. intervention.
Middle East Council on Global Affairs - Afkār, 18.06.2025 -
Israel Applies Its Lebanon Playbook to Iran in Opening Salvo
Middle East Council on Global Affairs - Afkār, 13.06.2025 -
Strategic Transactionalism: The Iran-Russia Partnership
Middle East Council on Global Affairs, Issue Brief, June 2025 -
How Iran Lost Syria
And Why a Stable Post-Assad Future Will Require Tehran’s Involvement
in: Foreign Affairs, 23.12.2024 (online) -
Will ‘missile transfer’ enable Russian shift on Iran’s nuclear program?
in: Amwaj.media, 16.09.2024 (online) -
Playing with Fire: Patterns of Iranian-Israeli Military Confrontation
in: War on the Rocks, 25.06.2024 (online)