Our Projects
Analyses based on policy-oriented research and strategy consulting for projects in Western Asia – this is what we thrive on. What do we do specifically? Here’s a selection of our projects, both completed and ongoing.
Evaluation and Strategic Recommendations
The foreign ministry of a European country assessed its engagement with bilateral and multilateral development cooperation organizations from the Gulf region. With a team of four experts, bringing together decades of professional experience, we supported this process. Combining desk research with semi-structured interviews of more than thirty stakeholders from Europe and the Gulf, we produced a comprehensive report: evaluating the current approaches and providing strategic recommendations to improve strengths further, mitigate risks, and realize untapped potential.
Daily Press Review on Security Policy
A German federal government agency publishes a daily press review on security policy. On behalf of the agency, we run the editorial board and prepare the review: from the identification and selection of relevant pieces, the drafting of teaser texts, to the finalization of the review for subsequent distribution.
Strategy Consulting on Iran Policy Matters
A German think tank runs a host of international dialogue formats on Iran policy. We support the organization both with respect to its strategy process as well as the implementation of the various workstreams. In this context, we have organized dozens of meetings with high-ranking policy-makers and international experts, and also supported the preparation of multiple policy reports.
Bi-weekly Briefings on Political and Economic Developments
A major East Asian bank receives bi-weekly briefings on political and economic developments in Western Asia as well as selected other regions, including Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. We have developed the format of the briefing and run the editorial board, coordinating and editing more than a dozen contributions per issue. In addition, we also contribute analyses of the politics surrounding sanctions against Iran. Parallel to this, on an ad hoc basis, we are providing the bank with access to international experts on issues ranging from geopolitics to supply chain risks.
Expert Pool on Development Cooperation
in the Arab World
In the broader Western Asia region, Arab donors play a key role in development cooperation. We led a consortium providing an international development cooperation organization with access to more than a dozen senior experts on development and the role of Arab donors. Our experts have prepared numerous studies, reports, and presentations on development assistance in the Arab world, including bespoke briefings for the German government. Our expert pool comprised both international and local specialists with backgrounds in economics, finance, Islamic studies, law, and political science.
Ad-hoc Briefings
for a Ministry
A German government ministry requested ad-hoc briefings on issues related to the activities of the Gulf states and their donor organizations in Western Asia and North Africa. We produced these briefings for the ministry in collaboration with an international development cooperation organization. On short notice, we effectively managed the preparation of the briefings with our expert team and ensured their timely delivery.
Manual on
Risk Reduction
A publicly funded organization from Europe implements a project in a sensitive political environment in a Western Asian country. With an expert team of four, we assessed risks and developed strategies to reduce them. On this basis, we prepared a set of guidelines, which we summarized in a manual and presented to key personnel involved in the project.
Strategy for
Regional Cooperation
An international development cooperation organization works with several local partners to establish a vocational training center in Jordan. We helped in this effort by identifying the potential for regional cooperation, particularly with the Gulf states, and by developing a strategy to realize this potential. Our expert team prepared a strategy document based on stakeholder interviews and briefed all the organizations involved in the project during a collaborative workshop.
Seminar Series “International Politics”
The study sponsorship program of a German business association organizes training and workshops for its scholarship holders. We support this by organizing and implementing a seminar series on international affairs. In four seminars annually, senior experts share their knowledge and experience on topics ranging from strategic foresight and conceptual questions of foreign policy-making to specific policy cases. Each seminar is concluded by a debate among the seminar participants, moderated by our experts.
Implementation of the Support Program Conflict, Climate Change, and Environment in the Middle East
We were the implementation partner of a major foundation associated with a private company for a project on conflict, climate change, and the environment in the Middle East. In collaboration with our partners, we devised an implementation strategy for the support of local actors and managed the tendering and selection process of an open call for project ideas. Building on this, we worked with local initiatives from Lebanon and Yemen by designing and organizing a series of meetings as well as supporting research, policy work, and capacity building measures.
Report on Foreign Policy and Energy in Western Asia
The policy planning unit of a German federal ministry sought to identify the foreign policy implications of energy dynamics in Western Asia. In a report (“Gutachten”) we assessed the challenges for the region’s oil and gas producing countries within the context of a changing global energy system and identified key energy and climate developments at the regional level. We also discussed local policy responses, focusing in particular on economic diversification efforts, as well as the broader geopolitical consequences. The report was prepared by two senior experts on the basis of extensive research as well as fieldwork and expert interviews in Europe, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Quarterly Briefing on Politics and Economics in Iran
A stock-listed German chemical company receives regular updates on Iran. In quarterly briefings, we discuss political and economic developments, identify decisive geopolitical trends, and assess their implications for the country’s chemical sector.
Fact-finding Mission for a Project on Sustainable Development in Iran
The European Union and a German federal ministry initiated a support program to promote sustainable development in Iran. On behalf of an international development cooperation organization, we assisted this endeavor by supporting the development of the project design. Building on this, we also prepared and implemented a technical fact-finding mission to Iran, which brought together stakeholders from several EU member states. The project covered four fields: air quality, marine environment, solid waste, and water resources management.
Quarterly Briefings on Arab Development Assistance
Donor organizations from the Arabian Peninsula are among the most important actors in development cooperation in Western Asia. On behalf of an international development cooperation organization, we prepared quarterly briefings on Arab development assistance for a German government ministry. As well as reviewing the broader geopolitical dynamics at play, we evaluated the activities of Arab donor organizations, identified trends, and assessed their implications. The briefings were prepared by a team of four and were based on the comprehensive research of 100+ Arabic and English language sources.
Study and Actor Mapping on Conflict, Climate Change, and Environmental Governance in the Middle East
A major foundation associated with a private company was redefining its strategy toward the Middle East. We supported this process with a study and actor mapping on conflict, climate change, and environmental governance in the Middle East. Our study assessed developments and trends in this field, evaluated the contributions of environmental peacebuilding projects, and identified opportunities for philanthropic engagement. Moreover, our actor mapping detailed dozens of initiatives and organizations active in this context. We prepared this study with a team of one senior and two junior researchers, based on expert interviews as well as desk research of Arabic and English language primary and secondary sources.
Market Study of Iran in the Context of US Sanctions
As part of its strategy process, an established German machinery and plant engineering company was assessing the Iranian market and the international politics surrounding it. We supported this assessment with a study on geopolitics and sanctions, elucidating the implications for trade and investments, producing a short-to-medium-term outlook, and outlining options to mitigate risks.
Country Reports
Since 2020, we have been preparing country reports for a leading publishing house on a range of nations from across the broader region of Western Asia. These include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The country reports, which offer comprehensive accounts of politics, economics, and societies, are used as reference guides by journalists and analysts.
Study on the Impact of Sanctions on the Iranian Economy
A foreign ministry of a European country with a decisive role in Europe’s Iran policy was seeking to assess the broader impact of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal. To this end, our study examined the consequences of sanctions for the Iranian economy and economic policy, their ramifications for the country’s foreign policy, as well as their implications for relations with Europe.
Briefings and Reports
A leading political risk consultancy offers a broad range of standardized reports as well as ad-hoc briefings. As part of a longstanding partnership, we contribute to these products, offering analysis on various countries from the broader West of Asia. This also comprises bespoke consultations via both in-person and virtual meetings.
Study on the Impact of Geopolitical Factors on Migration in the Levant
Supporting the strategy process of a major corporate foundation, we prepared a comprehensive study on how geopolitical factors shape the activities of Arab donor organizations regarding migration issues in the Levant, with a special focus on Lebanon. Assessing the situation in Lebanon in the context of the broader geopolitical environment and development work in the region, our study detailed the operations of Arab donors, with a special focus on overall dynamics and trends as well as on practical challenges on the ground. The study drew from fieldwork and interviews with local migration initiatives in Lebanon, in addition to the analysis of primary and secondary sources in Arabic, English, and German. We prepared the study with a team of two senior and two junior researchers.
