Dr. Ilyas Saliba

Dr. Ilyas Saliba

ilyas.saliba@uni-erfurt.de

Research associate at the Professorship of International Politics and Conflict Research (Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences)

Mailing address

Universität Erfurt
Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences
Postfach 90 02 21
99105 Erfurt

Dr. Ilyas Saliba

Dr. Ilyas Saliba is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chair of International Politics and Conflict Studies at the University of Erfurt.

His research lies at the intersection of comparative authoritarianism, international relations, and regional studies of Western Asia and North Africa. He investigates transnational mechanisms of authoritarian rule and repression. His work focuses on shrinking civic space, the resilience of civil society and authoritarian regimes in Western Asia and North Africa, as well as attacks on academic freedom and university autonomy, and questions of research ethics and fieldwork safety.

Dr. Saliba brings more than 13 years of experience in research, teaching, policy advisory, and work with civil society organizations. He has previously worked at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), where he conducted research on protest dynamics and regime stability during the Arab Uprisings, as well as at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), where he contributed to the development of the Academic Freedom Index. Further professional experience includes positions at Amnesty International Germany and the German Bundestag, as well as consultancy work for governmental and international organizations, including the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

He received his PhD from Humboldt University Berlin with highest distinction (summa cum laude). In 2024, his dissertation was awarded the prize for best dissertation in Middle Eastern Studies by the German Association for Middle Eastern Studies (DAVO). He publishes regularly in academic journals, policy outlets, and media, and has taught at the Hertie School of Governance, Humboldt University, and the University of Potsdam.

More information: www.ilyas-saliba.com

Research Areas

  • Civil society in the Middle East and North Africa
  • Authoritarian rule, protest and repression in the Middle East and North Africa
  • International relations of the Middle East and North Africa region
  • Academic freedom and university autonomy
  • Human Rights

Curriculum Vitae

  • Since May 2026 Postdoctoral Researcher, Chair of International Politics and Conflict Studies, University of Erfurt. Research on transnational authoritarianism, shrinking civic space, and civil society resilience in Western Asia and North Africa.
  • Since 2024 Associate and Adjunct Lecturer, Hertie School of Governance. Teaching on human rights, protest, authoritarianism, and fieldwork methods.
  • Since 2023 Associate Fellow, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient. Research and policy advisory, including work for BMZ and GIZ.
  • Since 2019 Research Fellow (since 2021 Non-Resident Fellow), Global Public Policy Institute. Work includes contribution to the Academic Freedom Index and advisory work for the German Federal Foreign Office and Bundestag on democracy and rule of law support.
  • 2018–2019 Advocacy Coordinator Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International Germany, Berlin. Advocacy, campaigning, and media work on human rights.
  • 2013–2022 Research Fellow, Berlin Social Science Center, Department for Dmeocracy and Democratization. Research on authoritarianism and democratization; science communication.
  • 2013–2024 PhD in Political Science (Dr. phil., summa cum laude), Humboldt University Berlin. Dissertation: Authoritarian Learning in Crises: Egypt & Morocco during the Arab Uprisings (awarded Best Dissertation 2024 by DAVO). Research stays at the University of Oxford, European University Institute, American University in Cairo, and École Gouvernance et Économie de Rabat.
  • 2011–2013 Master’s degree, Comparative and International Studies, ETH Zurich / University of Zurich. (including one semester at the Freien Universität Berlin).
  • 2007–2011 Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, University of Hamburg (including Erasmus stay at the University of Gothenburg).

Publications

Articles

  • Ilyas Saliba, Jannis Julien Grimm, and Imane El Goubashy. 2026 (forthcoming). Capturing the Transnationalization of Violence: Towards a Systematization of Mapping Projects in the Context of the Gaza War. Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen.
  • Ilyas Saliba, Katrin Kinzelbach, and Janika Spannagel. 2021. Global data on the freedom indispensable for scientific research: towards a reconciliation of academic reputation and academic freedom. The International Journal of Human Rights. doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2021.1997000
  • Ilyas Saliba and Jannis Grimm. 2017. Free Research in Fearful Times: Conceptualising an Index to Monitor Academic Freedom. Inter-disciplinary Political Studies, 1: 42–75. doi.org/10.1285/i20356609v10i1p42
  • Ilyas Saliba. 2016. Change or Charade? Morocco's constitutional reform process 2011. ORIENT: German Journal for Politics, Economics, and Culture of the Middle East, 3: 50–55. www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/248282/1/Full-text-article-Saliba-Change-or-charade.pdf

Books

Book Chapters

Policy Papers and Reports

Media Contributions and Interviews