Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad is a German-Iranian political scientist, author, and geopolitical analyst specializing in Iran, the Middle East, international security, and the evolving global order. He is the Founder and Director of the Center for Middle East and Global Order (CMEG), a Berlin-based think tank focused on geopolitical transformations and foreign policy analysis.
Dr. Fathollah-Nejad is widely recognized for his expertise on Iran’s domestic politics, Middle East geopolitics, EU and U.S. foreign policy, and the post-unipolar international order. He currently serves as Lecturer in Middle East Politics and International Security at the Hertie School in Berlin and is a Senior Fellow at the University of Bonn’s Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS).
Previously, he held research and policy roles at leading institutions including the Brookings Institution Doha Center, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. He earned his PhD in International Relations from SOAS, University of London, and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Iran Project.
He is the author of several acclaimed publications, including Iran in an Emerging New World Order: From Ahmadinejad to Rouhani and The Islamic Republic in Existential Crisis: The Need for a Paradigm Shift in the EU’s Iran Policy. His commentary and analysis frequently appear in international media, policy forums, and academic platforms.
