Dr. Mohammadbagher Forough is a research fellow at GIGA – The German Institute of Global and Area Studies (Hamburg, Germany). He is also a research associate at Clingendael – Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Hague) and a former assistant professor (2016-2021) of International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies at Leiden University (The Netherlands). He holds a PhD in International Relations from Groningen University (The Netherlands).

Research Interests

• Middle Eastern/Iranian affairs
• China-Middle East relations
• Geoeconomics (such as the Belt and Road Initiative – BRI)
• Development-security nexus
• Infrastructure
• Technology
• Cybersecurity

PROJECT & PUBLICATIONS

Global Perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative (2019-2020)

Towards Sustainable China-MENA Relations in the Renewable Energy Sector (2021)