Geoeconomics & economic security
Sanctions, strategic dependencies, supply chains, and industrial policy. I examine how states use economic relations to pursue political objectives and how this reshapes the global economy.
International affairs researcher · Gulf expert
Economic power.
World politics.
I study how economic power shapes international politics, with a particular focus on geoeconomics and the Gulf.
Based in Helsinki, I combine policy research, regional expertise, and clear analytical writing. I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki and a former Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Helsinki, Finland
Working languagesEnglish, Finnish & Arabic
At the intersection ofResearch, policy & public debate
Research & expertise
How economies shape power.
My work connects the international politics of economic power with the institutions and social relations that sustain it.
The Gulf & political economy
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. My research interests include state ownership, economic diversification, and the political consequences of the green transition.
International relations
Great-power competition, regional politics, and international relations theory. I draw on political economy and critical realism, alongside Arabic-language sources and regional knowledge.
Current doctoral research
Saudi Arabia’s changing political economy
My doctoral research at the University of Helsinki examines Saudi economic diversification, state ownership, and the political economy of the green transition. It asks whether diversification transforms the structures of rentierism or reorganizes them.
About the research
I bring rentier-state theory, Marxian political economy, and critical realism to historical and documentary analysis. Fiscal, ownership, and employment evidence helps distinguish sectoral diversification from deeper structural change.
Selected work
Research & publications.
Selected research, books, and writing for a wider audience.
The Age of Geoeconomics
How the Logic of International Economics and Politics is Changing
Co-authored with Mikael Wigell, this book examines how economic dependencies become sources of political power, and how competition over trade, finance, technology, and energy is reshaping relations between states and markets.
Bloomsbury Academic
View at Bloomsbury2026
الاستقرار السياسي.. بين حكمة دنغ واندفاع ترامب
An Arabic essay on historical memory, political legitimacy, and stability, contrasting Deng Xiaoping’s caution with Trump’s approach to presidential legacies.
2025
BRICS+ and the age of multipolarity
Why Turkey and Saudi Arabia remain cautious
An analysis of Turkey’s and Saudi Arabia’s cautious approach to BRICS+ and their efforts to navigate a changing international order.
2024
Hyviä uutisia Irakista – kuinka kestävällä pohjalla maan uusi vakaus on?
An analysis of Iraq’s apparent stability, examining armed groups, state capacity, regional relations, and dependence on oil revenue.
2024
Perustarina globalisaation noususta ja tuhosta
A review of Elisabeth Braw’s Goodbye Globalization, examining the uneven consequences of economic integration and a more divided world.
2023
Water diplomacy analysis for Central Asia
Dynamics of insecurity and sources of resilience
A jointly authored report on water, insecurity, and opportunities for cooperation and resilience in Central Asia.
2023
Amerikan talousase
A review of Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman’s Underground Empire, exploring US power within global economic networks.
2022
Irakin vaalit: jatkumoa edellisille?
An analysis of the 2021 Iraqi election and the political fragmentation, coalition building, and armed groups that shaped its aftermath.
2022
The Tragedy of the Tragedy
A Critical Realist Critique of Mearsheimer's Offensive Realism
A critical realist examination of John Mearsheimer’s theory of offensive realism. Graded Excellent.
Independent writing
Essays on Substack.
Selected essays from Half-Baked Ideas on international politics, the Gulf, and political economy.
The Upcoming Anarchy in the Gulf?
An essay on Gulf security and the risk of a more unstable regional order as external security guarantees weaken.
Read essayThe Humbled Superpower?
Why military success can fail to deliver political outcomes, and how strategic miscalculation in the Gulf exposes the limits of US power.
Read essayIran Beyond Wishful Thinking
The domestic and regional constraints on democratic political change in Iran, and the limits of optimistic assumptions about regime change.
Read essayMedia & public engagement
Media commentary.
Interviews, public discussions, and expert commentary on geoeconomics, Gulf politics, and the wider Middle East.
Podcasts & broadcasts
TV interviewIn Finnish
Syria after the fall of Assad
Ylen aamu interview alongside Hannu Juusola on the fall of Syria’s government and its regional consequences.
TV interviewIn Finnish
EU–Gulf relations at the first summit
Discussion of EU–Gulf relations, regional conflict, and human rights at the first EU–GCC summit.
Podcast & live discussionIn Finnish
The Middle East on the brink of a wider war
UPI Live discussion of the actors, background, and prospects of conflict in the Middle East, also available as a podcast.
News commentary & interviews
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
Saudi sports investment and the Public Investment Fund
Expert commentary on Saudi sports spending, state ownership, and the political economy behind changing investment priorities.
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
How the Gaza war reshapes the Middle East
Expert commentary on the war’s regional implications and the economic and strategic priorities of the Gulf states.
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
Qatar’s state visit to Finland
Commentary on the emir’s visit, Qatar’s diplomacy, and relations with Finland.
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
The risk of a wider Middle East war
Expert commentary on regional escalation following the attack on the Golan Heights.
Article & video interviewIn Finnish
Saudi transformation and Finland’s commercial ties
Quoted analysis and a video interview on Saudi economic transformation, Finnish commercial ties, and human rights.
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
Saudi sports spending and international image
Commentary on Saudi Arabia’s sports investments and their role in shaping the country’s international image.
Further news commentary
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
International affairs commentary
Expert commentaryIn Finnish
International affairs commentary
Professional background
Research, diplomacy & editorial work.
My experience spans policy research, political reporting, and the coordination of international editorial work.
Selected experience
2023–2025Finnish Institute of International AffairsResearch Assistant → Research Fellow
Research Assistant, April 2023–April 2024; Research Fellow, April 2024–July 2025. I worked on the Geoeconomics Research Initiative, researching economic security, strategic dependencies, and great-power competition, and contributing to policy publications, the co-authored book, and Helsinki Geoeconomics Week.
2024–2026Law & GeoeconomicsCo-founder & Deputy Editing Manager
A voluntary editorial role from May 2024 to May 2026. I helped establish editorial procedures and coordinated authors, reviewers, and editors, following submissions, revisions, and publication deadlines.
2022–2023Embassy of Finland, RiyadhPolitical Reporting Intern
August 2022–February 2023. I monitored political and security developments in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Yemen, prepared reports and briefings, and supported meetings and EU coordination.
2022Finnish Institute of International AffairsResearch Intern · Water diplomacy
May–August 2022. I contributed to research on water diplomacy in Central Asia for the Water Cooperation and Peace project. The resulting co-authored FIIA report was published in April 2023.
Education
2024–
Doctoral studies
University of Helsinki · Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences · In progress
2022
Master of Social Sciences
University of Helsinki · World Politics
2020
Bachelor of Social Sciences
University of Helsinki · World Politics; minor in Middle Eastern Studies
Contact
Let’s discuss research.
For research collaboration, expert analysis, or professional opportunities, contact me by email or LinkedIn.
Based in Helsinki · Working in English, Finnish, and Arabic