Sara Bazoobandi
Visiting Scholar, AGSI; Non-Resident Researcher, Institute for Security Policy, Kiel University
Sara Bazoobandi is a visiting scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute. She is also a non-resident researcher at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies in Milan. She was previously a Marie Curie fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, a senior lecturer in international political economy at Regent’s University London, and a visiting scholar at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. Bazoobandi has served as an economic analyst for various international corporate organizations, policy advisory institutions, and think tanks, including Nomura International.
Between 2021 and 2024, she served as principal investigator for a European Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project examining Iran’s economic diversification, “look East” strategy, and resilience mechanisms. Her prior research focused on military-industrial complexes in Iran and China, particularly examining the rise of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran’s political and economic systems. She also contributed to a Euromesco-funded project examining the intersection of geopolitics, economic digitalization, and digital sovereignty in the Middle East and North Africa region, with a focus on technological governance.
Her current research focuses on autocratic application of artificial intelligence, AI governance, cybersecurity, and cyber-enabled repression and influence operations. As part of a German Institute for Global and Area Studies research group, she contributed to a Digital Transformation Lab project funded by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, focusing on digital diplomacy and statecraft in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, particularly China-GCC technological collaboration and emerging defense technologies in the Middle East.
Bazoobandi has contributed to various global and regional Track II initiatives and research projects on political, economic, and social affairs of the Middle East and North Africa. She was an associate fellow at the MENA program of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House (2013-16), and a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa (2014-16).
She holds a PhD in Arab and Islamic studies from the University of Exeter and an MSc in economic development in emerging markets from the University of Reading. Bazoobandi speaks Persian, English, German, and Arabic.
Bazoobandi is the author of “Emerging Defence Technologies in the Middle East: Strategic Implications and Regional Security Dynamics”; “The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Quest for Economic and Digital Transformation”; “Populism, Jihad, and Economic Resistance: Studying the Political Discourse of Iran’s Supreme Leader”; and “Iran’s Foreign Policy Making: Consensus Building or Power Struggle?” (with Jens Heibach and Thomas Richter). Her work and commentary on global affairs has been widely published in Persian and English media.
Analysis
Iran War: Gulf Unity, Economic Shocks, and Regime Scenarios
After a massive U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, AGSI explores scenarios for the future of Iran and implications for broader Gulf security.
16 min read
The Architecture of Iran’s Digital Repression
The Iranian regime’s internet censorship and shutdowns function as comprehensive weapons of political warfare, designed to isolate, demoralize, and ultimately suppress dissent.
The Next Battlefield: AI, Cybersecurity, and the Evolution of Military Threats
As AI capabilities increasingly converge with cyber warfare, military superiority will depend not on troop numbers or weapons platforms but on algorithmic advantages and digital resilience.
10 min read
Maximum Pressure, Minimum Options: Potential Pathways for Iran
The convergence of internal dysfunction and external pressure has renewed speculation regarding the Iranian regime’s downfall and scenarios for a political transformation.
Development of the Knowledge-Based Economy in Iran
Rather than addressing deficiencies in social services, Iran is intensely focused on the military and security fields in developing its knowledge-based sector.
Iran Confident Israel-Hamas Conflict Can Advance Its Geostrategic Position
In offering support for Hamas and the Palestinian cause, Tehran is likely to avoid direct regime – or irretrievable Hezbollah – entanglement to shield its core strategic interests.
Events
Apr 29, 2025
The Real Deal? Are Washington and Tehran Closer to a Compromise?
On April 29, AGSI hosted a discussion on the U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations.
Speakers
