Nils Lukacs

Dr. Nils Lukacs is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies and a member of GIGA Research Program 4. He specializes in US foreign policy in the Middle East, political discourse analysis, and refugee studies, with a focus on Iraqi refugees in Europe. His work examines the evolution of American global orders and foreign policies.

• PhD in History (University of Hamburg)
• Master's in History (University of Heidelberg & EHESS Paris)
• Bachelor's in History and British & American Studies (University of Konstanz)

Current research includes analyzing testimonies of Iraqi refugees, US Middle East policy shifts, and the concept of “change” in foreign policy discourse. His publications and lectures frequently address historical continuity and contemporary geopolitical challenges.

• 2024: GIGA Focus Middle East article on US elections and European Middle East policy
• 2023: Monograph analyzing Obama's 'new beginning' rhetoric
• 2019: Working Paper on Obama's rhetorical journey to Cairo

As an educator, Dr. Lukacs has taught courses on Israeli-Palestinian conflict research at the University of Hamburg (2023) and Leuphana University of Lüneburg (2022). He actively engages in academic knowledge transfer through conference lectures and panel moderation, including presentations at MESA Annual Meeting 2023 and the Fourth European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (2023).