Mirdef Alqashouti

Nonresident Fellow

Bio

Mirdef Alqashouti is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. He is a counselor at Qatar’s Embassy to Belgium. 

A diplomat since 2008, Alqashouti has worked in several capitals across the world, holding bilateral and multilateral cooperation tasks. He was a member on the taskforce of Afghanistan peace process. Prior, he was an advisor on mediation and conflict resolution at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. 

Alqashouti’s research focuses on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states relations with Iran. His analysis has been featured in several journals and media outlets and he has presented his work in many global and regional conferences. He has recently published an Arabic translation and review of Máté Szalai’s book The Foreign Policy of Smaller Gulf States Size, Power, and Regime Stability in the Middle East (Qatar University Press, 2023). 

Research Areas

  • Small states foreign policy  
  • Conflict resolution  
  • International relations 

Countries of Focus

  • GCC States 
  • Iran 

Other Areas of Interest

  • Mediation  
  • Soft power 

Education

  • Ph.D., International Relations, Durham University, 2024 
  • M.A., International Relations, Khazar University, 2012 
  • E.MBA., Economy, HEC-Paris, 2013 
  • B.A., Political Sciences, Tehran University, 2007