Email · kontakt@ine.org.pl
Institute of New Europe Institute of New Europe Institute of New Europe Institute of New Europe
  • Home
  • Ukraine
  • Publications
  • Reports
  • Programmes
    • Europe
    • Security
    • Indo-Pacific
    • Three Seas Think Tanks Hub
  • People
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Polski
Institute of New Europe Institute of New Europe
  • Home
  • Ukraine
  • Publications
  • Reports
  • Programmes
    • Europe
    • Security
    • Indo-Pacific
    • Three Seas Think Tanks Hub
  • People
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Polski
Aug 11

Cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia

  • August 11, 2021
  • dr Aleksander Olech
  • Africa and Middle East, Domestic policy, Geopolitics, Publications, Security
Cybersecurity in Saudi ArabiaDownload

Author: dr Aleksander Olech

Analytical support: Karolina Siekierka

Main points:

– Saudi Arabia has the largest information and communication technology (ICT) market in the Middle East and the country is constantly developing it.

– In 2020, Saudi Arabia recorded over 22,5 million cyber attacks, each of which cost 6,5 million dollars to the state.

– In March 2021, the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia and the National Cybersecurity Authority signed an agreement on launching joint training and research programs in the field on cybersecurity.

– Since the first cyber attack on Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of measures aimed at reducing the occurrence of cyber attacks.

Challenges and competition in a context of billions-worth of investments

Saudi Arabia is undergoing domestic developments focused on expanding its cyberspace capabilities. This process has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the drastic fall of oil prices. Already in 2016, in the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy, it had been emphasized that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) intends to reduce its dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors, such as the health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism sector. The core of this initiative consists in a focus on technology, digital transformation, and the development of digital infrastructure. Essentially, the strategy itself does not deal either with cyberspace or cyberterrorism issues[1], but it indicates the path for changes.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, the Middle Eastern countries experienced an increase in malware attacks by 22% and in spam attacks by 36%. It was a particularly difficult period for the companies in Saudi Arabia, which were undergoing the process of converting to remote work[2]. ICT infrastructure in both the public and private sector are constantly threatened by cyber incidents due to Saudi Arabia’s strategic position in the region. These cyber attacks have a huge impact on economy at the financial, operational, and tactical level, which can potentially weaken the citizens’ trust in government services and in authority itself[3]. Consequently, this may affect the country’s political stability and lead to further attacks by cybercriminals from neighbouring states. 

Private and public institutions in Saudi Arabia also faced the challenge of work organisation in times of  COVID-19 pandemic. The emerging risk of losing sensitive data sent by employees working from home resulted in the reorganisation of the IT domain in the whole country. The compulsory blockade to stop the spread of the virus caused all forms of communication to be transferred to the internet. They enforced the rule of holding meetings on Zoom, making online purchases and conducting virtual education. Thus far, in Saudi Arabia the custom of working at the office and organising meetings in person had been predominant. The dynamic change in the operating policy of virtually all companies in the country resulted in calls for the rapid implementation of strategies enabling employees to maintain a good level of productivity. This involved moving data to data clouds and granting access to remote IT resources of enterprises. As a result, it was necessary to increase the security level in cyberspace by investing in new technologies and implementing security measures resistant to external attacks. Another important element was training employees[4], who have access to the company data, so that they also constantly analyse emerging threats and follow safety rules[5].

More than one half of the Saudi directors of information affairs consider security management as the greatest technological challenge, and investing in cybersecurity as a key business goal. Moreover, the necessity to maintain cybersecurity has become one of the main indicators of companies performance and digital transformation in the whole country, which means that expenditure on technologies and protection against data leakage will get higher from year to year[6]. 

Cyberterrorism threats

In 2015, Saudi Arabia faced 160,000 attacks a day[7]. The country is attacked much more often than other countries in the region due to its international position and its resources. Such intensification of threats causes difficulties in the functioning of both the public and private sector. Cyber attacks of different scale and intensity can considerably damage the economy and negatively affect the social and political stability of the country. What is more, cybercrime is also one of the main causes of huge money financial prestige loss.  

Cyberspace protection currently represents one of the most important challenges in ensuring the security and stability of states. Since 2006, there has been a significant increase in attacks on their critical infrastructure, which plays an important role in the functioning of the state and civil society. They can take different forms and are aimed at, for example, gaining insight, stealing or destroying highly guarded information, and disrupting the activity of files or computer systems by introducing malicious software. In 2012 alone, the Kingdom lost 693 million dollars, while this amount gets higher year by year[8]. In 2020, Saudi Arabia recorded over 22,5 million such attacks[9], each one costing the state 6,5 million dollars[10], while in the first quarter of 2021 over 7 million cyber attacks were registered[11]. The American Centre for Strategic and International Studies reports that of all the attacks carried out between May 2006 and June 2020, 15 posed a significant threat to national security. In the 2020 Cybersecurity Exposure Index rankings and in the 2020 Cyber Risk Index, Saudi Arabia was ranked respectively 31st[12] and 25th-26th[13] on a global scale. 

Attacks on the Saudi Arabian cyberspace

One of the most threatening attacks on national cyberspace took place in August 2012, when the virus Shamoon was introduced into the internal communication network of the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco. Its aim was to stop the oil and gas production and weaken the largest company in the Middle East energy market. As a result of this incident, more than 30,000 computers were damaged and all data on their disks were deleted and replaced with a picture of a burning American flag. In order to stop the spread of the virus, Saudi Aramco was forced to stop working and blocked both the email and internet access of all employees. This stopped the activity of the company for two weeks and caused huge financial losses. During the five-months shutdown, the cybersecurity team carried out activities aimed at implementing new solutions to maintain cybersecurity. The attack posed a threat not only to Saudi Arabia itself, but also to Western countries, in particular those dependent on AS oil supply. Despite the lack of evidence, the US intelligence accused Saudi Arabia’s greatest rival in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran, of having attacked.

Another attack on Saudi Aramco, inflicted this time with the updated Shamoon 2 virus, took place in August 2017. The company stopped working for 48 hours. The significantly shorter business activity pause was due to the company’s decision, made after 2012, to constantly store backups. According to the New York Times, the purpose of the cyberattack was to trigger an explosion and sabotage the entire system[14]. The identity of the responsible for the attack has not been confirmed, but Iran has also been accused in this case.

In December 2019, Saudi government bodies detected a cyberattack planned on Saudi Arabia’s critical structure. The Dustman malware, permanently deleting data stored on disks, was used during the attack. It was uncertain which state bodies were to be targeted, as the traces left by the hackers suggested that the attack was hastily organised. More importantly, it took place in conjunction with the escalation of tensions on the Iranian-American front. According to CyberScoop, whose article bases its assumption on the political situation, the similar manners in which the attacks were carried out and the traces left, the responsible party was the Iranian hackers[15].

Saudi Arabian state authorities and companies are not the only targets of attacks that result in deletion or blocking of information. In May 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was victim of an unsuccessful espionage campaign led by the Iranian entity Chafer APT. It was directed at the Saudi critical infrastructure, and in particular at the telecommunication and tourism sectors that store a significant amount of personal data, as well as at the government administration. The purpose was, among others, to gather data on credentials for espionage purposes[16].

What is more, contemporary trends in Saudi Arabia indicate that cyber terrorists are using social media as an alternative to disrupt communication between citizens and hinder the economic activity by penetrating users’ communication channels. Moreover, they use the network to recruit adepts, raise funds and conduct disinformation campaigns on Saudi Arabia. As many as 30,2 million citizens (91% of the population) have access to the internet and 25 million have an account on a social network. Currently, the media most often cracked by terrorists are WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter[17].

Cybersecurity strategy

In the light of the contemporary challenges for cybersecurity, the Royal Decree of October 31st, 2017 established the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), whose main task is to increase the state’s cybersecurity by preparing internal analysis and legal solutions. The office consists of the head of the Presidency of State Security, the head of the General Intelligence Presidency (GIA)[18], the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Deputy Minister of Defence[19]. The NCA performs both regulatory and operational functions related to cybersecurity and it also closely cooperates with public and private entities to improve the country’s security, protect its interests, critical infrastructure, and build a cyberspace environment for the implementation of the 2030 strategy[20].   

The NCA developed a strategic cybersecurity vision that reflects the Saudi Arabia’s goals, which are the creation of conditions in cyberspace to maintain security, trust in the authorities, and technological growth. The priority goals for 2030 encompass six aspects[21]:Harmonisation of cybersecurity throughout the country – ensuring high-level coordination and guideline adjustment in all the subordinated entities; it is important to adopt a comprehensive state approach to cybersecurity through integration, clear definition of roles and responsibilities of the actors at a national level to develop and implement regulations and policies, and compliance with national standards.

– Risk management – identifying targets in cyberspace and detecting damages; subsequently, verifying the most appropriate methods of risk elimination in order to reduce the negative effects.

– Optimal functioning in the cyberspace environment – introducing comprehensive controls, national norms and a compliance monitoring system that will ensure the protection of the cybersecurity environment, including raising the level of social awareness of cyber threats.

– Dynamic defence – strengthening and constantly developing national capabilities in the field of defence against cyber threats; detecting, preventing, responding and reorganising after attacks.

– International partnership – cybersecurity requires stable local partnerships, strengthened by advanced information exchange mechanisms, which allows for the improvement of systems and the exchange of best practices; in order to achieve the required level of security, efforts should be made to strengthen foreign partnership.

– Cyberspace development – efforts should be made to increase national capabilities in the field of cybersecurity, and one of the main paths to be undertaken are investments in education and training, as well as in industry and research.

Moreover, in view of the size of the Saudi economy, the Kingdom focused on creating government structures that would make it possible to use the state’s potential and counteract emerging threats. Thus, in 2019 Saudi Arabia created another three bodies that are related to the NCA. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is responsible for the elaboration of data storage strategies and development of artificial intelligence, as well as for the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and the Saudi Commission for Data and Artificial Intelligence, which are subordinated to it. Such actions are a clear manifestation of the Kingdom’s determination to expand its digital capabilities and build a future based on artificial intelligence and innovation. According to Saudi authorities, artificial intelligence will increase productivity, improve decision-making processes in all sectors, provide more innovative services to citizens and allow businesses to grow[22]. It is also worth noting that Saudi Arabia is constantly updating the 2007 Cyber Crime Law.

A new cyberspace deal

In March 2021, the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia and the National Cybersecurity Authority signed an agreement to launch joint training and research programs in the field of cybersecurity. This is of great importance in terms of investing in cybersecurity initiatives and it is part of the realisation of the 2030 Strategy. The Ministry of Education and the NCA are already implementing several joint projects on scholarships for cyberspace research and the development of higher education in the domain of cybersecurity[23]. 

Since the first cyber attack on Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of measures to reduce the occurrence of cyber attacks. One of these is the government’s decision to double the cybersecurity budget. Back in 2012, these expenditures increased from 7,8 to 15,4 billion dollars[24], while in 2020 they reached the amount of 27,2 billion[25]. In 2014, they established the National Centre for Cybersecurity Technology, a research and development institution dealing with network, software, and information security issues. The analysis elaborated by the Centre is to prepare the country for the implementation of the “Vision 2030” project. The state cooperates in the field of cybersecurity both with international organisations (including the United Nations and the League of Arab States) and on the basis of bilateral agreements (for example with the United States, Great Britain, and the United Arab Emirates), but in the light of the tensions in the relations with Iran and the related increase in the number of cyber-attacks, it is most active in the Gulf Cooperation Council, where it initiates discussions on extending cooperation in the field of cybersecurity. The number of actors Saudi Arabia cooperates with is limited since the state considers the issue of cybersecurity as a small element of its foreign policy[26], instead being rather focused on internal security as a key aspect


[1] Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Vision 2030, Government of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh 2016

[2] A.  Buller, Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites, Computer Weekly, 17.09.2020, accessed: 16.07.2021

[3] A. Quadri, M. K. Khan, Cybersecurity challenges of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Past, Present and Future, Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research, January 2019, p. 7

[4] A. Alzubaidi, Measuring the level of cyber-security awareness for cybercrime in Saudi Arabia, Heliyon, Vol. 7, 1st edition, 2021

[5] A. Buller, Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites, Computer Weekly, 17.09.2020, accessed: 16.07.2021

[6] B. Wright, K. Allan, Saudi CIOs consider security their toughest tech challenge, CIO, 25.08.2020, https://www.cio.com/article/3445225/saudi-arabias-cybersecurity-concerns-increase-as-threats-evolve.html, accessed: 18.07.2021

[7] Arabian Business, 160,000 cyberattacks a day in Saudi Arabia, https://www.arabianbusiness.com/160-000-cyberattacks-day-in-saudi-arabia-630120.html, accessed: 20.07.2021

[8] A. Quadri, M. K. Khan, Cybersecurity challenges of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Past, Present and Future, Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research, January 2019, p. 7

[9] T. Nasarallah, Saudi Arabia: over 7 million cyberattacks foiled in 3 months, Gulf News, https://gulfnews.com/photos/lifestyle/photos-fashion-abayas-by-safia-hussain-showcased-in-riyadh-1.1611420228808?slide=6, accessed: 16.07.2021

[10] C. Kelly, IBM: Cyber breaches cost enterprises in the UAE and KSA over $6.5m per attack in 2020, ITP, https://www.itp.net/news/93473-ibm-cyber-breaches-cost-enterprises-in-the-uae-and-ksa-over-65m-per-attack-in-2020, accessed: 16.07.2021

[11] T. Nasarallah, op. cit.

[12] J. Frisby, Cybersecurity Index (CEI) 2020, PasswordManagers.co, https://passwordmanagers.co/cybersecurity-exposure-index/, accessed: 16.07.2021

[13] NordVPN, Cyber Risk Index, 2020, https://s1.nordcdn.com/nord/misc/0.13.0/vpn/brand/NordVPN-cyber-risk-index-2020.pdf, accessed: 16.07.2021

[14] N. Perlroth, C. Krauss, A Cyberattack in Saudi Arabia Had a Deadly Goal. Experts Fear Another Try., The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/technology/saudi-arabia-hacks-cyberattacks.html, accessed: 16.07.2021

[15] S. Lyngaas, Saudi cyber authority uncover new data-wiping malware, and experts suspect Iran is behind it, CyberScoop, https://www.cyberscoop.com/saudi-arabia-iran-cyberattack-soleimani/, accessed: 17.07.2021

[16] B. Rusu, Iranian Chafer APT Targeted Air Transportation and Government in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Bitdefender, https://www.bitdefender.com/files/News/CaseStudies/study/332/Bitdefender-Whitepaper-Chafer-creat4491-en-EN-interactive.pdf, accessed: 17.07.2021

[17] Skillzme, Saudi Arabia Social Media Statistics 2018, https://skillzme.com/ksa-social-media-statistics-2018, accessed: 17.07.2021

[18] The General Intelligence Presidency is the Saudi security body, established in 2017, which supervises simultaneously the activities of national anti-terrorist and intelligence services. 

[19] Saudi Gazette, King orders setting up of National Cyber Security Authority, https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/520782/SAUDI-ARABIA/King-orders-setting-up-of-National-Cyber-Security-Authority, accessed: 17.07.2021

[20] National Cybersecurity Authority, Essential Cybersecurity Controls, 2018, pp. 6-10

[21] National Cybersecurity Authority, National Cybersecurity Strategy (Overview), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, December 2020, pp. 14-29

[22] A. Gernonimo, National Centre for AI to drive Saudi Arabia’s digital future: minister, TahawulTech, 01.09.2019

[23] Arab News, Deal signed to boost cybersecurity education in Saudi Arabia, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1830711/saudi-arabia, Homepage 24.03.2021, accessed: 17.07.2021

[24] S. Alshathry, Cyber Attack on Saudi Aramco, “International Journal of Management and Information Technology”, 2017, Vol. 11, No. 5, p. 3039

[25] USSABC Economic Brief: Saudi Arabia’s Emergence in Cyber Technology, U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, http://ussaudi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Economic-Brief-Saudi-Cybersecurity-Leadership.pdf, accessed: 17.07.2021

[26] Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy Priorities, Chatham House, https://chathamhouse.soutron.net/Portal/DownloadImageFile.ashx?objectId=3483, accessed: 17.07.2021

IF YOU VALUE THE INSTITUTE OF NEW EUROPE’S WORK, BECOME ONE OF ITS DONORS!

Funds received will allow us to finance further publications.

You can contribute by making donations to INE’s bank account:

95 2530 0008 2090 1053 7214 0001

with the following payment title: „darowizna na cele statutowe”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

About The Author

Aleksander Olech, PhD. Director of the Security Programme at the Institute of New Europe and a visiting lecturer at the Baltic Defence College. Graduate of the European Academy of Diplomacy and War Studies University. He has undertaken research at several international institutions, among others, the Université Jean Moulin III in Lyon, the Institute of International Relations in Prague, the Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management in Vienna, the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Vilnius, and the NATO Centre of Excellence Defence Against Terrorism in Ankara. Scholarship holder of the OSCE & UNODA Peace and Security Programme, the NATO 2030 Global Fellowship, and the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. His main research interests include terrorism, international cooperation for security in Eastern Europe and the role of NATO and the EU with regard to hybrid threats.

Comments are closed.

Program Europa tworzą:

Marcin Chruściel

Dyrektor programu. Absolwent studiów doktoranckich z zakresu nauk o polityce na Uniwersytecie Wrocławskim, magister stosunków międzynarodowych i europeistyki Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Prezes Zarządu Instytutu Nowej Europy.

dr Artur Bartoszewicz

Przewodniczący Rady Programowej Instytutu Nowej Europy. Doktor nauk ekonomicznych Szkoły Głównej Handlowej. Ekspert w dziedzinie polityki publicznej, w tym m. in. strategii państwa i gospodarki.

Michał Banasiak

Specjalizuje się w relacjach sportu i polityki. Autor analiz, komentarzy i wywiadów z zakresu dyplomacji sportowej i polityki międzynarodowej. Były dziennikarz Polsat News i wysłannik redakcji zagranicznej Telewizji Polskiej.

Maciej Pawłowski

Ekspert ds. migracji, gospodarki i polityki państw basenu Morza Śródziemnego. W latach 2018-2020 Analityk PISM ds. Południowej Europy. Autor publikacji w polskiej i zagranicznej prasie na temat Hiszpanii, Włoch, Grecji, Egiptu i państw Magrebu. Od września 2020 r. mieszka w północnej Afryce (Egipt, Algieria).

Jędrzej Błaszczak

Absolwent studiów prawniczych Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach. Jego zainteresowania badawcze koncentrują się na Inicjatywie Trójmorza i polityce w Bułgarii. Doświadczenie zdobywał w European Foundation of Human Rights w Wilnie, Center for the Study of Democracy w Sofii i polskich placówkach dyplomatycznych w Teheranie i Tbilisi.

Program Bezpieczeństwo tworzą:

dr Aleksander Olech

Dyrektor programu. Wykładowca na Baltic Defence College, absolwent Europejskiej Akademii Dyplomacji oraz Akademii Sztuki Wojennej. Jego główne zainteresowania badawcze to terroryzm, bezpieczeństwo w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej oraz rola NATO i UE w środowisku zagrożeń hybrydowych.

dr Agnieszka Rogozińska

Członek Rady Programowej Instytutu Nowej Europy. Doktor nauk społecznych w dyscyplinie nauki o polityce. Zainteresowania badawcze koncentruje na problematyce bezpieczeństwa euroatlantyckiego, instytucjonalnym wymiarze bezpieczeństwa i współczesnych zagrożeniach.

Karolina Siekierka

Absolwentka Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego na kierunku stosunki międzynarodowe, specjalizacji Bezpieczeństwo i Studia Strategiczne. Jej zainteresowania badawcze obejmują politykę zagraniczną i wewnętrzną Francji, prawa człowieka oraz konflikty zbrojne.

Stanisław Waszczykowski

Podoficer rezerwy, student studiów magisterskich na kierunku Bezpieczeństwo Międzynarodowe i Dyplomacja na Akademii Sztuki Wojennej, były praktykant w BBN. Jego zainteresowania badawcze obejmują m.in. operacje pokojowe ONZ oraz bezpieczeństwo Ukrainy.

Leon Pińczak

Student studiów drugiego stopnia na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim na kierunku stosunki międzynarodowe. Dziennikarz polskojęzycznej redakcji Biełsatu. Zawodowo zajmuje się obszarem postsowieckim, rosyjską polityką wewnętrzną i doktrynami FR. Biegle włada językiem rosyjskim.

Program Indo-Pacyfik tworzą:

Łukasz Kobierski

Dyrektor programu. Współzałożyciel INE oraz prezes zarządu w latach 2019-2021. Stypendysta szkoleń z zakresu bezpieczeństwa na Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security w Waszyngtonie, ekspert od stosunków międzynarodowych. Absolwent Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego oraz Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. Wiceprezes Zarządu INE.

dr Joanna Siekiera

Prawnik międzynarodowy, doktor nauk społecznych, adiunkt na Wydziale Prawa Uniwersytetu w Bergen w Norwegii. Była stypendystką rządu Nowej Zelandii na Uniwersytecie Victorii w Wellington, niemieckiego Institute of Cultural Diplomacy, a także francuskiego Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques.

Paweł Paszak

Absolwent stosunków międzynarodowych (spec. Wschodnioazjatycka) na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim oraz stypendysta University of Kent (W. Brytania) i Hainan University (ChRL). Doktorant UW i Akademii Sztuki Wojennej. Jego zainteresowania badawcze obejmują politykę zagraniczną ChRL oraz strategiczną rywalizację Chiny-USA.

Jakub Graca

Magister stosunków międzynarodowych na Uniwersytecie Jagiellońskim; studiował także filologię orientalną (specjalność: arabistyka). Analityk Centrum Inicjatyw Międzynarodowych (Warszawa) oraz Instytutu Nowej Europy. Zainteresowania badawcze: Stany Zjednoczone (z naciskiem na politykę zagraniczną), relacje transatlantyckie.

Patryk Szczotka

Absolwent filologii dalekowschodniej ze specjalnością chińską na Uniwersytecie Wrocławskim oraz student kierunku double degree China and International Relations na Aalborg University oraz University of International Relations (国际关系学院) w Pekinie. Jego zainteresowania naukowe to relacje polityczne i gospodarcze UE-ChRL oraz dyplomacja.

Kamil Opara

Absolwent Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego na kierunkach prawo oraz stosunki międzynarodowe (specjalizacja: bezpieczeństwo i studia strategiczne). Ukończył także School of Law and Economy of China UW, gdzie obecnie pracuje jako zastępca kierownika. Zainteresowania badawcze koncentruje wokół polityki zagranicznej i wewnętrznej, prawa oraz cyberbezpieczeństwa Chin.

The programme's team:

Marcin Chruściel

Programme director. Graduate of PhD studies in Political Science at the University of Wroclaw and Master studies in International Relations at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. President of the Management Board at the Institute of New Europe.

PhD Artur Bartoszewicz

Chairman of the Institute's Programme Board. Doctor of Economic Sciences at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Expert in the field of public policy, including state and economic strategies. Expert at the National Centre for Research and Development and the Digital Poland Projects Centre.

Michał Banasiak

He specializes in relationship of sports and politics. Author of analysis, comments and interviews in the field of sports diplomacy and international politics. Former Polsat News and Polish Television’s foreign desk journalist.

Maciej Pawłowski

Expert on migration, economics and politics of Mediterranean countries. In the period of 2018-2020 PISM Analyst on Southern Europe. Author of various articles in Polish and foreign press about Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt and Maghreb countries. Since September 2020 lives in North Africa (Egypt, Algeria).

Jędrzej Błaszczak

Graduate of Law at the University of Silesia. His research interests focus on the Three Seas Initiative and politics in Bulgaria. He acquired experience at the European Foundation of Human Rights in Vilnius, the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia, and in Polish embassies in Tehran and Tbilisi.

PhD Aleksander Olech

Programme director. Visiting lecturer at the Baltic Defence College, graduate of the European Academy of Diplomacy and War Studies University. His main research interests include terrorism, international cooperation for security in Eastern Europe and the role of NATO and the EU with regard to hybrid threats.

PhD Agnieszka Rogozińska

Member of the Institute's Programme Board. Doctor of Social Sciences in the discipline of Political Science. Editorial secretary of the academic journals "Politics & Security" and "Independence: journal devoted to Poland's recent history". Her research interests focus on security issues.

Karolina Siekierka

Graduate of International Relations specializing in Security and Strategic Studies at University of Warsaw. Erasmus student at the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1) and the Institut d’Etudes Politique de Paris (Sciences Po Paris). Her research areas include human rights, climate change and armed conflicts.

Stanisław Waszczykowski

Reserve non-commissioned officer. Master's degree student in International Security and Diplomacy at the War Studies University in Warsaw, former trainee at the National Security Bureau. His research interests include issues related to UN peacekeeping operations and the security of Ukraine.

Leon Pińczak

A second-degree student at the University of Warsaw, majoring in international relations. A journalist of the Polish language edition of Belsat. Interested in the post-Soviet area, with a particular focus on Russian internal politics and Russian doctrines - foreign, defense and information-cybernetic.

Łukasz Kobierski

Programme director. Deputy President of the Management Board. Scholarship holder at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security in Washington and an expert in the field of international relations. Graduate of the University of Warsaw and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

PhD Joanna Siekiera

International lawyer, Doctor of social sciences, postdoctor at the Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, Norway. She was a scholarship holder of the New Zealand government at the Victoria University of Wellington, Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Germany, Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques in France.

Paweł Paszak

Graduate of International Relations (specialisation in East Asian Studies) from the University of Warsaw and scholarship holder at the University of Kent (UK) and Hainan University (China). PhD candidate at the University of Warsaw and the War Studies University. His research areas include the foreign policy of China and the strategic rivalry between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific.

Jakub Graca

Master of International Relations at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He also studied Arabic therein. An analyst at the Center for International Initiatives (Warsaw) and the Institute of New Europe. Research interests: United States (mainly foreign policy), transatlantic relations.

Patryk Szczotka

A graduate of Far Eastern Philology with a specialization in China Studies at the University of Wroclaw and a student of a double degree “China and International Relations” at Aalborg University and University of International Relations (国际关系学院) in Beijing. His research interests include EU-China political and economic relations, as well as diplomacy.

Kamil Opara

University of Warsaw graduate (law and international relations; specialization: Security and Strategic Studies); he graduated also from the School of Law and Economy of China in which he currently works as a Deputy Head. His fields of research include Chinese domestic and foreign policy, law and cybersecurity.

Three Seas Think Tanks Hub is a platform of cooperation among different think tanks based in 3SI member countries. Their common goal is to strengthen public debate and understanding of the Three Seas region seen from the political, economic and security perspective. The project aims at exchanging ideas, research and publications on the region’s potential and challenges.

Members

The Baltic Security Foundation (Latvia)

The BSF promotes the security and defense of the Baltic Sea region. It gathers security experts from the region and beyond, provides a platform for discussion and research, promotes solutions that lead to stronger regional security in the military and other areas.

The Institute for Politics and Society (Czech Republic)

The Institute analyses important economic, political, and social areas that affect today’s society. The mission of the Institute is to cultivate the Czech political and public sphere through professional and open discussion.

Nézöpont Institute (Hungary)

The Institute aims at improving Hungarian public life and public discourse by providing real data, facts and opinions based on those. Its primary focus points are Hungarian youth, media policy and Central European cooperation.

The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (Austria)

The wiiw is one of the principal centres for research on Central, East and Southeast Europe with 50 years of experience. Over the years, the Institute has broadened its expertise, increasing its regional coverage – to European integration, the countries of Wider Europe and selected issues of the global economy.

The International Institute for Peace (Austria)

The Institute strives to address the most topical issues of the day and promote dialogue, public engagement, and a common understanding to ensure a holistic approach to conflict resolution and a durable peace. The IIP functions as a platform to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution across the world.

The Institute for Regional and International Studies (Bulgaria)

The IRIS initiates, develops and implements civic strategies for democratic politics at the national, regional and international level. The Institute promotes the values of democracy, civil society, freedom and respect for law and assists the process of deepening Bulgarian integration in NATO and the EU.

The European Institute of Romania

EIR is a public institution whose mission is to provide expertise in the field of European Affairs to the public administration, the business community, the social partners and the civil society. EIR’s activity is focused on four key domains: research, training, communication, translation of the EHRC case-law.

The Institute of New Europe (Poland)

The Institute is an advisory and analytical non-governmental organisation active in the fields of international politics, international security and economics. The Institute supports policy-makers by providing them with expert opinions, as well as creating a platform for academics, publicists, and commentators to exchange ideas.

YouTube

Latest publications

  • 5 challenges facing the Three Seas June 20, 2022
  • Information Technology and Legal Informatics. To what extent are big data technologies friends or foes in the struggle to stop climate change? Legal outlook June 13, 2022
  • Phone calls to Volodymyr Zelensky by high representatives of the Council of Europe member countries, EU, USA and Canada between 24.02 – 25.05.2022 June 1, 2022
  • Visits in Kiev to Volodymyr Zelensky by high representatives of the Council of Europe member countries, EU, USA and Canada between 24.02 – 25.05.2022 June 1, 2022
  • Disunited We Stand? Central Europe vis á vis Ukraine and the future of the EU. Interview with prof. Aleks Szczerbiak [part I] May 25, 2022

Categories

Tags

5G Afghanistan Africa armament Austria Central Europe China climate change conflict defense diplomacy disinformation Domestic law Donald Trump Ecology economy Europe European Union foreign policy foreign visits France Great Britain Humanitarian crisis Human rights India Indo-Pacific Infographic International politics International security Iran ISIS Joe Biden Map Middle East NATO Poland Russia Security terrorism Three Seas Turkey Ukraine United Nations USA Xi Jinping

© 2019-2020 The Institute of New Europe Foundation · All rights reserved · Support us