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Prénom de l'expert

Dorothée

Nom de l'expert

SCHMID

Head of the Turkey/Middle East Program, Ifri

Research Areas:

Türkiye, foreign policy, social questions
European policies in North Africa and in the Middle-East
Political economy in the region

Turkey/Middle East Program

Turkey 2050 Program

An expert on Mediterranean and Türkiye issues, Dorothée Schmid holds a diploma in public management from Sciences-Po Paris and a PHD in Political Science from Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She worked as a country-risk analyst for Bank Crédit Agricole-Indosuez and carried out consulting missions for public institutions (European Commission, French Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), as well as NGOs and private companies, before joining Ifri in 2002.

Dorothée Schmid has produced extensive analysis on EU and French policies in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the issue of induced democratization, political economy and the regional balance of powers. She has started and developed Ifri’s Contemporary Türkiye Program since 2008 in order to follow the transformations of Turkish politics and the rise of Turkish foreign policy in its neighborhood and beyond. Her current research focusses on the dynamics of political reforms in the Middle East, the future of the rentier-state culture, post-conflict agendas and the new competition for influence among powers in the region.

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Analysis from Dorothée SCHMID

Publications

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Studies

Mevlana Museum, Whirling Sufi Dervish - Konya, Turkey, July 29, 2012

"A Capital City Will Always Be a Capital City”: Konya’s Rise Under the AKP’s Rule

27 March 2024

While the May 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections looked as a difficult test for the flagging Islamo-conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), they eventually held on to power, demonstrating their remarkable foothold in the Turkish context. The party notably recorded one of its highest scores in Konya, confirming the massive and uninterrupted support of this two-million inhabitants central Anatolian city for Turkish political Islam.

Elisa DOMINGUES DOS SANTOS Jules LIAUD Dorothée SCHMID

Papers

Emmanuel Macron and Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paris (January 2020)

The French-Greek Partnership: Beyond the Eastern Mediterranean

23 February 2022

The bilateral defense agreement signed by France and Greece in September 2021 confirms the strategic turn of the relationship between the two countries. It was already unveiled in 2020 when Paris supported Athens to counter Turkish maritime operations that France and Greece considered very hostile.

Dorothée SCHMID Elisa DOMINGUES DOS SANTOS

Memos

Turkey's Method in the Mediterranean: The Hold over Northern Cyprus

21 July 2021

On July 20, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan celebrated with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Ersin Tatar the 47th anniversary of the Turkish military intervention in Northern Cyprus. This ceremony marks the strategic reinvestment of the Cypriot file by Turkey.

Dorothée SCHMID Yasmina DAHECH

Is Escalation Between France and Turkey in the Middle East and Beyond Inescapable?

11 November 2020

In recent years, France and Turkey have been on opposing sides relating to Middle East concerns.

Dorothée SCHMID

Papers

France and the Modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union: Interests and Obstacles

28 July 2020

This report is part of a joint endeavor of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), along with Elcano Royal Institute (ELCANO, Madrid), The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM, Warsaw), Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI, Rome) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP, Athens), to open perspectives for the modernization of the European Union-Turkey Customs Union (EU-Turkey CU).

Aurélien DENIZEAU Dorothée SCHMID

Studies

Beautiful view of Abu Dhabi city Famous Landscape.

The Middle East: The Economy in The Race for Power

23 March 2020

Middle Eastern geopolitics is currently undergoing structural changes: the regional order is in transition in the aftermath of the Arab Spring that undermined authoritarian governance, and triggered the competition for power against a backdrop of American withdrawal.

Dorothée SCHMID Amine BENBERNOU

le_golfe_de_la_geopolitique_a_la_politique_tout_court_an.jpg

The Gulf: from Geopolitics to Plain Politics

10 March 2020

The geopolitical shadow of the Gulf now extends far beyond the Middle East as a function the external dealings of Iran and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

Dorothée SCHMID

External Articles

Mind the Gap: How France and Germany Can Spearhead Joint Foreign Policy Initiatives Now

20 April 2018

In light of the current instability on Europe’s borders and uncertainties about the international role of the US under the administration of President Donald Trump, it is high time for Franco-German foreign policy initiatives. With the formation of a new German government, a window of opportunity opens for new joint action by the two countries at the core of the EU. At the same time, differences between France and Germany, both on policy issues and in terms of their strategic cultures, could impede any such cooperation.

Frédéric CHARILLON Claire DEMESMAY, professeure à la chaire Alfred Grosser de Sciences Po, chercheuse au CERI, et chercheure associée au Centre Marc Bloch à Berlin Laure DELCOUR Laura Lale KABIS-KECHRID Barbara KUNZ Stefan MEISTER Jana PUGLIERIN Dorothée SCHMID

Articles from Politique Etrangère

Middle Eastern States: Crisis and Comeback

05 March 2018

The Arab Spring has shaken dysfunctional states that were built upon the recurrent use of violence.

Dorothée SCHMID

External Articles

Saving Transatlantic Cooperation and the Iran Nuclear Deal. A View from Europe and the United States

16 February 2018

Transatlantic differences over the future of the Iran nuclear deal – or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of July 2015 – are damaging a nuclear accord that all parties, except the United States, see as delivering on its purpose. They also increase the risk of Washington and European capitals working at cross-purposes vis-à-vis Iran and broader regional policies. To avoid such a scenario, the E3 (France, Germany, United Kingdom)/European Union (EU) and the United States need to set up new channels of communication to avoid a transatlantic rift, to attempt – if at all possible – to preserve the Iran deal, and to secure its benefits for regional and global security.