German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies | Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Short CV

Since 10/2019: Director of GIGA Institute of Middle East Studies, Hamburg
Since 10/2019: Professor for contemporary history and politics of the Middle East at the University of Hamburg
2012 - 2019: Senior Research Fellow, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB)
Since 2013: Adjunct Lecturer, Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI)
2016 - 2018: Scientific Advisor to the Kuwait Chair at Sciences Po, Paris
Spring 2014: KSP Visiting Professor, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po
2009 - 2012: Visiting Research Fellow, Princeton University
2006 - 2010: Director of Economic Studies, Gulf Research Center (GRC), Dubai
2000 - 2006: Work for banks in Frankfurt, Mainz and Dubai in equity and fixed income trading
Education: PhD in Economics (Political Science and Islamic Studies as minors) Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (1999); Free University of Berlin (1995-1996); M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies (Political Science, Economics, Islamic Studies), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (1995); Institut Français d'Études Arabes de Damas and University of Damascus (1993-1994)

Current Research

Contemporary history of Iraq (1979-2003)
Political Economy of the Middle East
Energy and food security
Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation

Countries and Regions

Gulf region
Iraq
Egypt
Syria

Research Programmes

Memberships

Middle East Institute, Washington, Member of editorial board of the Middle East Journal, published by the Middle East Institute, since 2025
Marco Polo book series of Department of Asian and North African Studies of Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Member of editorial board, since 2021
Review of Economics and Political Science, Editorial Board Member of Review of Economics and Political Science, journal of the American University of Cairo, since 2020
Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (AGAPS), Member of Advisory Board, since 2019
German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO), Member of DAVO, since 2019
Food Security, Member of editorial board of Food Security, since 2013
Middle East Studies Association (MESA), Membership in region-specific association or network, since 2013
Journal of Arabian Studies, Member of editorial board, since 2010

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

T. +49 (40) 42825-504 [email protected]

Chapter in Edited Volume | 06/2025

Ölabhängigkeiten und die Diversifizierung der Wirtschaft

Wirtschaftliche Diversifizierung hat eine hohe Priorität in den Golfstaaten, um deren Ölabhängigkeit zu verringern. Das vorliegende Kapitel skizziert die Unterschiede und Ähnlichkeiten solcher Diversifizierungsanstrengungen im historischen Verlauf und diskutiert mögliche Zukunftsszenarien.

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

GIGA Focus Middle East | 2/2025

Ten Things to Watch in the Middle East and North Africa in 2025

From the Gaza War and ethnic conflicts in Lebanon and Syria to the significance of a second Trump administration for the region, the MENA remains of central importance for Europe. We present ten topics that will play a prominent role in relations between the two regions in the year ahead.

Diba Mirzaei

Doctoral Researcher

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Middle East Journal | 07/2024

Special Issue Introduction: Iraq since 2003

Today, the United States’ invasion of Iraq in 2003 is widely regarded as a strategic failure that caused tremendous humanitarian suffering, especially in its aftermath. Two decades later there is a shift in memory culture toward the inclusion of more Iraqi voices and alternative approaches.

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Dr. Achim Rohde

Academy in Exile

Middle East Journal | 07/2024

The Iraq War as a War over the Meaning of Europe

The Iraq War of 2003 has been described as a conflict over the meaning of Europe between a transatlantic and a more independent, “Carolingian” vision of the continent. As such, it highlighted the continued importance of a US-led NATO for defining such meaning.

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Dr. Manon-Nour Tannous

Dr. Achim Rohde

GIGA Focus Middle East | 1/2024

Ten Things to Watch in the Middle East and North Africa in 2024

From the Gaza War to other regional conflicts and the lasting importance of oil, the Middle East and North Africa region remains pivotal for Europe. We present ten issues that will play a central role in the relationship between both regions in the year ahead.

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Olena Osypenkova

Doctoral Researcher

Research Project | 01/10/2024 - 30/09/2027

World Order Narratives of the Global South, Phase II

In its second funding phase, the WONAGO project continues to investigate powerful world order narratives in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It particularly aims to understand those perceptions in these regions that - as currently in the Ukraine war - differ significantly from prevailing ideas in the U.S., the EU, and their allies.
BMBF, 2024-2027

Research Project | 01/07/2022 - 30/06/2025

Transfer for Transformation – Knowledge Exchange with Global Reach (T4T)

Transfer for Transformation (T4T) is an application lab. T4T will innovate in the practice of knowledge transfer through consequent target-group-integration and novel access strategies. It will also advance the scholarship on the subject by analysing the effectiveness and impact of different types of knowledge transfer.
Leibniz Association, 2022-2025

Research Project | 01/05/2021 - 31/12/2025

SAGE-Centre: Sustainable Adaptation to Global Change in the Middle East

The overarching goal of SAGE is to contribute to sharing of and exposure to knowledge and capacity-building in disciplines relevant for sustainable resource management, to conduct multilateral, inter- and transdisciplinary research on areas of concern, and to make cutting-edge, relevant research available for decision-makers.
DAAD, 2021-2025

Research Project | 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2024

World Order Narratives of the Global South (WONAGO)

The decades since the late twentieth century are marked by the end of the bipolar world order and the rise of countries of the Global South. Most explanations focus on political and economic power shifts and do not pay much attention to ideas of order, especially those prevalent in the Global South. To provide a more inclusive perspective, this project researches world order narratives in Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of its Area Studies strategy.
BMBF, 2021-2024

Der Tagesspiegel | Quote | 01/07/2025

Rohstoffpolitik: Von Erdöl zu Seltenen Erden

Der weltgrößte Ölexporteur will eine Industrie für Seltene Erden aufbauen. Für die EU ist das eine verlockende Gelegenheit, mit Saudi-Arabien wieder enger zusammenzuarbeiten.

Deutschlandfunk Nova | Interview | 18/06/2025

Historiker: Atomare Aufrüstung wird wahrscheinlicher

Das iranische Nuklearprogramm zurückwerfen und Regime-Change erreichen: Das sind die erklärten Gründe für den israelischen Präventivkrieg – mit geringen Erfolgsaussichten, sagt Historiker Eckart Woertz. Eine atomare Eskalation hält er für wahrscheinlicher.

Tagesschau 24 | Interview | 19/01/2025

Waffenruhe im Gazastreifen hat begonnen

Die Waffenruhe in Gaza hat begonnen. Aber: "Ein Waffenstillstand ist kein Friedensvertrag", sagt Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz bei Tagesschau24. Der GIGA-Experte ordnet die aktuelle Entwicklung des Konflikts zwischen Israel und der Hamas im Interview ein.

Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionales (IBEI) | 02/06/2025

Unlikely Companions of Energy Transitions? Opportunities and Challenges of Triangular Cooperation Between the EU and the GCC in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Organiser: Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionales (IBEI) Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz (Speaker)

Talk at workshop of the OILDOWN research project on The Impact of the Renewable Energy Transition on National and International Politics in the Middle East and North Africa

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Goethe University Frankfurt | 29/04/2025

Der Nahe Osten seit 1990 - Versuch einer Gesamtschau

Organiser: Goethe University Frankfurt Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz (Speaker)

Vortrag im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung Der Nahe Osten im Wandel: Zeitgeschichtliche
Perspektiven

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies / Editor GIGA Focus Middle East

Workshop | 10/03/2025 - 12/03/2025

Preserving and Transferring Indigenous Knowledge in a Digital World

Preserving and Transferring Indigenous Knowledge in a Digital World, Hamburg Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez (Organiser), Julia Kramer (Organiser), Eduardo Valencia (Organiser), Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz (Organiser), Dr. Daniela Osorio Michel (Speaker), Arukapé Suruí Aikewara (Speaker), Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra (Panelist), Ana Rosa de Lima Tovstiga (Panelist)

The workshop brings together leading scholars, practitioners and representatives of indigenous communities to answer important questions related to preserving and transferring indigenous knowledge.

PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez

Julia Kramer

Eduardo Valencia

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Dr. Daniela Osorio Michel

Arukapé Suruí Aikewara

Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

Ana Rosa de Lima Tovstiga