Dr. Sara Bazoobandi

AI governance is shifting, with national priorities outweighing global coordination. To uphold its leadership in rights-respecting and innovation-friendly AI, the European Union must strengthen its domestic capabilities, expand international partnerships, and assert its regulatory influence.

Sanction evasion, economic and military collaboration, and narratives of resistance against a US-led liberal global order bind Russia and Iran together. To thwart their continued and intensified power projection, the West needs to strengthen ties with other key actors in the Middle East and Eurasia.

The Iranian government has turned to the development of knowledge as a power projection tool. In Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speeches from 2011-20, “knowledge based” was among the most frequently used terms when addressing topics such as “jihad” and “economic resistance".

“Purification” of the higher education and “jihad of knowledge” have assisted the Iranian government in advancing its military, cyber-based, and nuclear capabilities. This paper reviews these strategies and evaluates their outcomes.

Einst hofften Mercedes und andere im Iran auf gute Geschäfte. Heute zündelt Teheran im Nahen Osten. Der neue Präsident bietet keinen Anlass zur Hoffnung, kommentiert die GIGA-Forscherin.

This workshop brings together experts from across regions to discuss critical issues at the intersection of AI governance, cyber resilience, and digital transformation.

Gulf Research Meeting 2023, Cambridge University, Cambridge Organisers: Gulf Research Centre Cambridge Hamid Talebian (Speaker), Dr. Sara Bazoobandi (Speaker)

Presentation of a draft paper by Dr. Sara Bazoobandi and Hamid Talebian at the annual Gulf Research Meeting conference.