Dr. Ali Bakir is a research assistant professor of IR, security, and defense at Qatar University (QU). He is a non-resident senior fellow at Atlantic Council’s “Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative” & ME Programs. Bakir previously held positions as a senior advisor to Qatar’s Embassy in Ankara, head of Gulf Studies Unit at the Middle East Studies Center, and a senior researcher at the International Strategic Research Organization’s Center for MENA Studies. Bakir’s work on strategic, geopolitical, security, and inter-regional dynamics in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the foreign and defense policies of Turkey & the Gulf nations, Turkey-Arab/Gulf ties, & Gulf security. His work has been featured in academic and policy platforms in the US, UK, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the Arab world. As an expert, Bakir has contributed to or been featured by RAND, RUSI, ISPI, USIP, Carnegie Endowment-MEC, Brookings-Doha, German FES, Newlines Institute, MEI-Washington, AGSIW, GIF, FNF, GRM, ME Council, and various universities’ centers including in Oxford, King’s College, and Cambridge. Bakir’s education, fieldwork, and work experience span several countries, including Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar.
