Cornelius Adebahr is a nonresident fellow at Carnegie Europe. His research focuses on foreign and security policy, in particular regarding Iran and the Persian Gulf, on European and transatlantic affairs, and on citizens’ engagement.
Adebahr has been the owner of a political consultancy in Berlin since 2000. Among his clients are government institutions and foundations as well as not-for-profit associations and companies. In addition, he is an associate fellow at the Research Institute of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), a fellow at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and a member of Team Europe, an experts’ network of the European Commission in Brussels.
Since 2005, he has taught as a lecturer at various international universities, including the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Erfurt, Tehran University in Iran, and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in the United States. He is the author of Europe and Iran: The Nuclear Deal and Beyond (Routledge 2017) and Learning and Change in European Foreign Policy: The Case of the EU Special Representatives (Nomos 2009)
Adebahr has been awarded academic and professional scholarships inter alia from German National Academic Foundation, Fulbright Commission, Robert Bosch Foundation, and Volkswagen Foundation. He is a frequent commentator for major German and international print, radio, and television media outlets, including the BBC, NPR, and POLITICO. He has also testified before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament and provided written evidence to the UK House of Lords.
For too long, the EU focused on Iran’s nuclear program while mostly ignoring its malign regional activities and missile program. As the consequences of both hit closer to home, the union must pursue a new strategy focused on containing Iran’s regime, supporting Iranian civil society, and engaging with Gulf states.
Nearly every Western country has seen at least some democratic decline over the past years, and much of it is related to the steady mainstreaming of extremism. However, seeing the ghosts of the past rise to prominence in places like Germany and Austria is of particular concern.
To be effective, the new European commissioner for defense will need a unique portfolio and significant resources.
The new EU leadership faces the crucial task of advancing a more comprehensive agenda with Iran. To achieve this, the union must develop a long-term, inclusive strategy that prioritizes human rights, supports civil society, and regionalizes policies.
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A consortium of 13 institutions has devised a ten-point plan for making the EU a more coherent and effective global actor.
As its citizens head to the polls in June’s European Parliament elections, the EU faces an unprecedented combination of external threats. The incoming cohort of EU leaders will need to make bold decisions that bolster the union’s geopolitical power and render it a stronger global actor.
To become a stronger global actor, the EU should reinforce its foreign policy through the high representative role, new policies, and strategic partnerships.
To quell the revolt sparked by Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in 2022, Iran committed crimes against humanity, including gender persecution. EU governments must coordinate to advance judicial accountability of those responsible while protecting vulnerable groups and countering digital repression.
The demise of the Roman Empire holds lessons for the EU’s system of governance. To fulfill its purpose of unity, Europe needs to develop a vision of community built on the rule of law and encourage states to cooperate in devising sound policies.
The power Iran projects on the international scene masks a fragile regime that fears for its survival. The EU should comprehensively assess the challenges Tehran poses and adjust its policy accordingly.
