Who We Are - MENA Research Center

MENA Research Center is an independent, non-partisan and secular think tank founded in 2018 and based in Vienna, Austria. It provides research, analysis and expert perspectives on political, security, economic, cultural and social developments in the Middle East and Europe.

The Center has long worked on political Islam, security issues and relations between Europe and the Middle East. Today, its focus has been gradually shifting towards engagement on the ground, particularly in Syria, to support dialogue, strengthen civil society, promote good governance and contribute to societal transition.

Through field engagement, publications, podcasts, conferences and expert dialogue, the Center connects realities on the ground with policy debates in Europe. Its work is published in English, German, French and Arabic.

President

Denys Kolesnyk

Denys Kolesnyk is a French analyst based in Paris and President of the MENA Research Center since April 2025. His work focuses on security, defense, information warfare, and geopolitical developments in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas and is pursuing a PhD at CNAM.

Director

Mohamad Alkodmani

Mohamad Alkodmani is a Syrian geopolitical analyst based in Vienna and Founder and Director of the MENA Research Center since May 2018. His work focuses on geopolitics, security, political Islam, and regional politics across the Middle East and North Africa. His research examines political dynamics, security challenges, and strategic developments shaping the region. He holds a Global MBA from The European Business School in Barcelona.

Associate Experts

Harold Hyman

Franco-American journalist based in Paris, specialising in international affairs and U.S. politics. He graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and holds a M.A. in Contemporary History from the Université de Montréal. Since 1988, he has worked with international media including Reader’s Digest, RFI, Radio Classique, Courrier International, BFMTV, and CNEWS. His reporting covers the Middle East, Asia, Kosovo, and the Americas, with a particular focus on international affairs and U.S. politics.

Emmanuel Dupuy

President of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies (IPSE), a think tank focused on track two diplomacy and strategic prospective analysis. He is an Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Lille, in the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (ISG, Paris and Strasbourg) and in Ecole des Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politique (HEIP, Paris) as well as various universities across the world (Geneva in Swizerland, Hanghzou, in China), specializing in war and security studies. Emmanuel Dupuy served as advisor to the French Secretary of Defence and Veterans Affairs (2008-2010), and political advisor to French military forces deployed in Afghanistan (2011).

Michek Makinsky

Michel Makinsky

Director General of Ageromys International and a specialist in Iranian and Middle Eastern geopolitics. A former legal manager with 30 years’ experience in an international industrial group, he has deep expertise in intellectual property, compliance, lobbying, and crisis management. Since the 1970s, he has conducted pioneering research on international political risks and strategy, particularly focused on Iran’s political, nuclear, and regional dynamics. He is a research associate at the Institut de Prospective et de Sécurité en Europe (IPSE), a scientific council member of the Institut d’Études de Géopolitique Appliquée, and a contributor to Gulf 2000 at Columbia University. A prolific author and speaker, he regularly advises businesses and institutions on Iran-related issues and leads research projects on connectivity in Central Asia.

Akram Kharief

Algerian independent researcher and journalist specialising in defence and security. Since 2011 he runs the website menadefense.net, which focuses on defence in the Middle East and North Africa.

Bako Kheladze

Geopolitical and security analyst specializing in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Iran. He is currently a Research Fellow at Turan Research Center, Associate Advisor at Outpost Eurasia, and Non-Resident Fellow at the Irregular Warfare Initiative. Previously, he worked at the Embassy of Georgia to the Islamic Republic of Iran. He holds an MA in International Security Studies from the University of Leicester and a BA in International Relations from International Black Sea University. His research focuses on geopolitics, defense and security, regional connectivity, the Middle Corridor, energy and transport infrastructure, and Iran’s regional strategy.