Dr. Jens Heibach

Research Fellow

Dr. Jens Heibach

  • Short CV

    • 09/2017: 2017 Dissertation Award of the German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO)
    • Since 01/2017: Research Fellow at GIGA Institute of Middle East Studies
    • 2009 - 2016: Research and Teaching Associate at the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Philipps-Universität Marburg
    • 2008 - 2009: Member of the Political and Cultural Department at the German Embassy in Sanaa
    • Education: Diploma in Political Science (Minor: Islamic Studies) at the Freie Universität Berlin; Dissertation “Opposition Cooperation under Authoritarianism: The Case of the Joint Meeting Parties in Yemen” at Philipps-Universität Marburg (2016)

    Current Research

    • Saudi Foreign Policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa

    • Political Opposition in Authoritarian Regimes

    • Political Islam

    • International Relations of the Persian Gulf

    Countries and Regions

    • Yemen

    • Saudi Arabia

    • Sub-Saharan Africa


    Memberships

    • Yemen Policy Center (YPC), Member of Advisory Board, since 2020
    • German Political Science Association (DVPW), Membership in discipline-specific association or network, since 2017
    • International Studies Association (ISA), Membership in discipline-specific association or network, since 2017
    • Deutsch-Jemenitische Gesellschaft (DJG), Membership in region-specific association or network, since 2012
    • German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO), Membership in region-specific association or network, since 2010

    Dr. Jens Heibach

    Research Fellow

    T. +49 (40) 42825-545[email protected]


    Infographic | 10/2025

    External Military Presence in the Red Sea Security Complex: Bases and Naval Operations

    A geospatial look at military presence in the RSSC: fixed bases vs. recorded naval operations plotted on the same map. The layers make it easy to spot activity clusters and proximity to key maritime passages such as Suez and Bab el-Mandeb.

    Infographic | 10/2025

    Fatalities from Organized Violence in the RSSC: Types of Violence and Spatial Clusters

    A hotspot map of organized-violence fatalities across the RSSC, based on UCDP geocoded events. The focus is spatial: which areas show concentrated fatality records. Use it for quick orientation and comparative reading of where violence clusters—not why it happens.

    Infographic | 10/2025

    Foreign Trade Ties of RSSC States: Imports, Exports, and Destination Shares Overtime

    A view of who trades with whom in the RSSC. Track each country’s exposure to external partners—Gulf states, the EU, China, among others—on both exports and imports. Compare partner shares, shifts over time, and asymmetries between countries in and outside the Greater Horn of Africa.

    Infographic | 10/2025

    Migrant Stocks in Red Sea Security Complex (RSSC) Countries: Interactive bubble map of refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs

    An interactive bubble map of migrant stocks across RSSC countries. Pick a category—refugees, asylum seekers, or IDPs—and the bubbles resize to show country totals. A quick, comparative view designed for fast scanning and cross-country context.

    Infographic | 10/2025

    State Fragility in the RSSC: Authority, Capacity, Legitimacy: Subtitle of the Contribution in Original Language Indexes from IDOS

    View state fragility in the RSSC as three IDOS components: authority, capacity, and legitimacy. The page shows how these dimensions differ by country. Scores are compiled by IDOS from multiple underlying sources to create comparable indicators.

    Research Project | 01/03/2022 - 28/02/2025

    Explaining Middle-Power Engagement in External Regions: A Comparison of Iranian, Saudi, and Turkish Sub-Saharan Africa Policies

    By means of a comparative historical analysis of Iranian, Saudi-Arabian, and Turkish engagement in Africa following the continent’s decolonization processes and running up until 2020, this project seeks to make sense of middle-power engagement in external regions. First, the project will identify the periods of shifting IST engagement in Africa. Second, it will analyze the reasons why, and the conditions under which, IST have stepped up—or reduced—their foreign policy efforts in Africa. Third, it will develop mid-range generalizations on middle-power engagement in external regions.
    DFG, 2022-2025

    Research Project | 01/03/2019 - 01/12/2023

    Mediating Islam in the Digital Age (MIDA), Work Package "Contested Authority and Knowledge Production"

    Work Package 4 ‘Contested Authority and Knowledge Production’ deals with the construction and transformation of religious authority and religious knowledge production in changing circumstances. It addresses questions of legitimacy, power and discipline. The Work Package is part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network ‘Mediating Islam in the Digital Age’ (MIDA), coordinated by the ‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’ (CNRS).
    EC. Horizon 2020, 2019-2023

    Tagesspiegel | Interview | 21/03/2025

    Trump droht den jemenitischen Huthis: Warum es die Miliz wagt, die USA herauszufordern

    Der US-Präsident lässt Angriffe gegen die Miliz im Jemen fliegen und warnt vor „großer Gewalt“, sollte sie ihre Attacken auf den Schiffsverkehr und Israel nicht einstellen. Dr. Jens Heibach erklärt, was die Huthis antreibt.

    Tagesschau | Interview | 16/03/2025

    US-Militär greift Huthi-Miliz im Jemen an

    Das US-Militär hat in der vergangenen Nacht die Huthis im Jemen angegriffen. Zur Begründung sagte Präsident Donald Trump, die Miliz hätten wieder Schiffe angegriffen. Dr. Jens Heibach ordnet die Entwicklungen in der Tagesschau ein. 

    The Guardian | Quote | 07/03/2025

    Saudi Arabia is hosting more Ukraine talks – but how neutral is it?

    The US and Ukraine will meet in Jeddah next week, but the Saudi crown prince’s closeness to Putin is a concern. The article quotes Jens Heibach's paper "Saudi Arabia’s ambivalent stance on the Russia-Ukraine war: Balancing regime stability and equal sovereignty".

    Conference | 26/09/2024 - 28/09/2024

    30th International Congress of DAVO

    30th International Congress of DAVO, University of Göttingen, Göttingen Dr. Clara-Auguste Süß (Chair), Dr. André Bank (Panelist), Prof. Dr. Hanna Pfeifer (Panelist), Dr. Jens Heibach (Panelist), Dr. Muriel Asseburg (Discussant)

    Clara-Auguste Süß chaired a panel titled "The Gaza War and Its Impact on Middle East Politics" at the DAVO Congress 2024. André Bank and Jens Heibach contributed as panelists.

    Prof. Dr. Hanna Pfeifer

    Dr. Muriel Asseburg

    Teaching | Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Heidelberg University | 2024

    Die Logik autokratischer Kooperation im Nahen und Mittleren Osten

    Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Heidelberg University Heidelberg Germany

    Kooperation ist eine Folge sozialer Konflikte und entsprechend ein grundlegendes Phänomen sozialer und mithin politischer Beziehungen. Sie findet sowohl innerhalb als auch zwischen Staaten und Gesellschaften statt, und das auf mehreren Ebenen (mikro, meso, makro) unabhängig vom Regimetyp. Dennoch spielt die Frage der politischen Verfasstheit und Kapazität eines Staates eine wichtige Rolle bei der Bewertung von Anreizen, Formen, Bedingungen und Konsequenzen von Kooperation. Auf Grundlage konzeptioneller Texte widmet sich dieses Seminar den Fragen, wie, warum und wo Kooperation in den autoritären Staaten des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens erfolgt, und was sie hierbei von Kooperation in liberalen Demokratien unterscheidet. Behandelt werden unter anderem folgende Themen: taktische und strategische Kooperation oppositioneller Akteure; Koalitionsregierungen in konsolidierten Autokratien und in Demokratisierungsprozessen; außenpolitische Kooperation autokratischer Staaten; und Kooperationsformen staatlicher und nicht-staatlicher Akteure. Die Veranstaltung ist als Blockseminar (in Präsenz) konzipiert, wobei einige wenige Sitzung auch online stattfinden.

    Teaching | Institut für Politikwissenschaft, Philipps-Universität Marburg | 2023

    Die internationalen Beziehungen des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens und Nordafrikas

    Das Seminar bietet eine Einführung in die internationalen Beziehungen des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens und Nordafrikas seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Thematisiert werden u.a. die Entstehung des regionalen Systems (und seiner Subsysteme); dessen Beziehungen zum globalen System und anderen regionalen Systemen.

    Teaching | Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) | 2016

    Politics and Society of Saudi Arabia

    Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg (CNMS) Marburg Germany

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