This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests.
Ali Bakeer is a political analyst and consultant with more than a decade of professional experience working with senior officials, decision makers, and stakeholders for governmental, non-governmental, and private sector institutions in countries across the MENA region.
Dr. Bakeer follows geopolitical and security trends in the Middle East, great power politics, and non-state actors, among other topics. He is a distinguished TV commentator in the Arab world and analyst on the foreign policies of Turkey, Iran, and GCC countries. He writes regularly for many Arabic, English, and Turkish platforms. He has recently contributed to English-language outlets including: The National Interest, Al-Jazeera English, Al-Monitor, Atlantic Council, and Sada-Carnegie Endowment MEC.
He has been featured as an expert at a variety of international conferences and workshops including the ones held by RAND, Brookings-Doha, Carnegie Endowment MEC, and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), among others.
Dr. Bakeer has a PhD in political science/international relations from Beirut Arab University. He recently contributed to a book chapter on the “Evolution of Turkey-Qatar Relations Amid a Growing Gulf Divide” published by Palgrave.
The fight for Syria’s skies: Turkey challenges Russia with new drone doctrine
In retaliation for an airstrike that killed 33 Turkish soldiers at the end of February, Ankara launched “Operation Spring Shield” (OSS) against the Syrian regime and the pro-Iranian militias supporting it. Despite being unable to rely on its fleet of F-16s due to Russia’s control of the Syrian airspace over Idlib, Turkey managed to successfully wipe out a large portion of Assad’s army in the area within just a couple of days by making innovative use of drones.
Challenges threaten the rise of Turkey’s defense industry
Building up Turkey’s defense industry has long been a priority for the government, and it has made considerable progress. Turkey is now the world’s 14th largest defense exporter. Despite its success to date, the industry is facing growing pains, and challenges like brain drain, a currency crisis, dependence on foreign suppliers, and regional political disputes could hamper growth going forward.
Targeting the Revolutionary Guard: Why Iran’s blame game is not the answer
Following the Feb. 13 truck bomb on members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Sistan-Baluchistan, the government was quick to blame foreign powers. Iranian officials aim to deflect attention from the country’s intractable internal problems, such as the persecution of its Sunni minority, a deep-rooted issue that has often been overlooked by the international community.
