Cyrus Schayegh

Cyrus Schayegh serves as Professor of International History and Politics and Chair of the Department of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva Graduate Institute) since 2017, following prior appointments as Associate Professor at Princeton University and Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut (2005-2008).

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in History, Columbia University, New York City (2004)

Schayegh's research spans transimperial history, global history, and Middle Eastern studies with thematic expertise in Empires (past and present), Cold War dynamics, sociopolitical history, and the United States' global role. Geographically, he focuses on Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, and the United States, examining how regional histories intersect with imperial and global frameworks through projects like his introductory transimperial history book and primary source collections on 20th-century Middle Eastern history.

Analysis of his 2017-2025 publications reveals consistent engagement with urban history in the Middle East (particularly Beirut's development as an 'aero-city'), decolonization processes, Cold War imperial dynamics, and US foreign policy ambiguities. His work bridges regional Middle Eastern studies with global historical narratives, emphasizing transnational connections and challenging conventional periodizations through case studies on Ottoman successor states, settler colonialism, and differential acceleration in imperial contexts.