Eckart Woertz

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz is Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies and Professor of Contemporary History and Politics of the Middle East at the University of Hamburg. He holds leadership roles at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), a Leibniz Institute, and serves on editorial boards of journals like the Middle East Journal and Food Security. His research focuses on Iraq’s contemporary history, Middle East political economy, energy security, and Euro-Mediterranean relations. Woertz has held senior positions at institutions such as CIDOB in Barcelona and Princeton University, and advised on Gulf economic studies. His academic work addresses pressing regional issues like economic diversification in the Gulf, post-invasion Iraq analysis, and climate change impacts.

Education: Political Science, Islamic Studies, and Economics from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (1990–1995) with DAAD and DFG scholarships. Doctorate in 1999. Professional experience includes banking (2000–2006) and roles at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai (2006–2010).

Research interests span geopolitical shifts, food security, and energy transitions. Key projects include the WONAGO initiative on global South narratives and the SAGE program on sustainable resource management. Media contributions include analyses on the Gaza conflict and Iran’s nuclear program. Teaching includes courses at Princeton and Hamburg Universities on Middle Eastern history and politics.