Anoush Ehteshami

Professor Anoush Ehteshami holds the Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Chair in International Relations at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs. He directs the Institute for Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies (IMEIS), one of Europe's oldest centers of excellence in Middle Eastern studies, and leads the HH Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security. Previously, he served as Durham's Dean of Internationalization (2009-2011), founding Head of the School of Government and International Affairs (2004-2009), and Joint Director of the £3.9 million AHRC-funded Open Worlds Initiative (2016-2021).

His research centers on Middle Eastern international relations with emphases on Persian Gulf dynamics, regional security architectures, and China's geopolitical expansion through the Belt and Road Initiative. He examines evolving power structures including Iran-Saudi rivalries, Eurasian connectivity, and the impact of non-state actors on regional stability. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with policy-relevant analysis of energy politics, strategic alliances, and cultural diplomacy in contested spaces.

Ehteshami's publication trajectory reveals intensifying focus on Asia-Middle East linkages, Iranian strategic behavior, and multipolar security frameworks. Recent works analyze China's economic statecraft, proxy warfare mechanisms, and the fragmentation of regional orders through lenses of geopolitical competition and institutional adaptation.

Scientific Awards:

• Fellow of the World Economic Forum (2002)

As a doctoral supervisor, Ehteshami mentors Abdullah Al-Khonaini, Fahad Al Fahad, and Mengqi Sun. His £3.9 million AHRC grant directed cross-linguistic community research, while his RCUK-funded Centre for Advanced Study of the Arab World (2006-2016) established national doctoral training networks. He edits two major book series and serves on seven international journal editorial boards, shaping scholarly discourse on Middle Eastern and Islamic studies.

He leads IMEIS as a hub for interdisciplinary Middle Eastern scholarship and directs the HH Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Programme, which integrates security studies with political economy analyses through collaborative international research initiatives.