Wael Abdulshafi

Research Analyst

Middle East & North Africa

[email protected]

Wael Abdulshafi is a Research Analyst at the Stimson Center’s Middle East and North Africa program based at Stimson Europe in Brussels, Belgium. His work centers around dialogue and track II diplomacy in the Middle East, and he also has a keen interest in EU and US foreign policy towards the MENA region. Prior to Joining Stimson, Wael held various positions at the EastWest Institute, where he coordinated projects on dialogue and conflict prevention in the Middle East. He also worked as a consultant for The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), contributing data on Military expenditure in the MENA region. Prior to completing his studies, he also worked as a Seminar Assistant at the EU Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a German political party foundation, and as an intern at the UNRWA field office in Amman, Jordan. Wael holds an MSc in International Administration and Global Governance from the University of Gothenburg and a BA in International Relations from Malmö University. Besides his native Arabic and German, he also speaks English and Swedish.

Projects

Iraq and Its Neighbors

Exploring concrete avenues of cooperation and coordination between Iraq and its immediate neighborhood

Iran-Saudi Dialogue

Building trust through dialogue on specific areas of shared concern

Research & Writing

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Policy Paper

Iranian and Saudi Perspectives on the Risks of Climate Change and Ecological Deterioration

The repercussions of climate change and environmental challenges pose enormous risks to Iran and Saudi Arabia alike. While there are differences in geography and climate in both countries, they also have many environmental challenges in common. Problems such as sand and dust storms or diminishing water resources are border-crossing phenomena that no country can deal with alone; therefore, cooperation is key.

Project Note

Envisioning the Future: Iranian and Saudi Perspectives on the Post-Oil Economy

Falling oil and gas prices and shrinking demand across global energy markets pose enormous challenges for energy exporting countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia and lead to decreasing revenues from this sector.

Project Note

Iranian and Saudi Perspectives on the Refugee Crisis

insights on how Saudi Arabia and Iran view the ongoing crises in the Middle East and how they believe Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen can be stabilized and how the escalating refugee crisis can be contained.