
FBA's International Research Working Groups form an important part of the agency's evidence-based approach. From left: Mathilda Lindgren, FBA; Corinne Bara, researcher; Sara Lindberg Bromley, researcher.
Research within FBA's areas of expertise, the Middle East
Abdalhadi Alijla is a Senior Researcher in the Research Team, at the Department for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Milan, a master's degree in political science from Zeppelin University, and a bachelor's degree from Al-Azhar University in Gaza.
Since 2021, he has been an associate researcher at the Varieties of Democracy Institute at the University of Gothenburg, as well as for SEPAD (Sectarianism, Proxies, and De-Sectarianization) at Lancaster University and the Center for Social Sciences and Actions in Beirut, Lebanon.
He has previously worked as a senior researcher at the EU Regional Maddad Fund for the Syrian crisis in Lebanon, focusing on social cohesion. He has also worked with several international NGOs in the Middle East and Europe, such as Transparency International, Adyan Foundation, International Alert, GiZ, and the United Nations Volunteer Programme.
Within FBA, he covers themes related to MENA, Asia, the Americas, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, democracy, SSR, and hybrid threats. Abdalhadi has extensive experience in policy-oriented research from the Middle East, Europe, and the Western Balkans. His research focuses on trust in public institutions and between individuals in divided societies, as well as how armed non-governmental actors negotiate power and legitimacy in society. Among his many publications, he is also the author of Trust in Divided Societies (Bloomsbury Academics). Click here to see a list of Abdalhadi's publications.
Abdalhadi is currently working on a research project, which investigates social cohesion in conflict settings, with a particular focus on Ukraine. While most studies on social cohesion address post-conflict situations in specific geographic regions, this project aims to fill a research gap by employing a transdisciplinary approach and mixed methods to analyze social cohesion during ongoing conflict.
Research within FBA's areas of expertise | the Middle East | social capital | social cohesion and conflict | conflict analysis | negotiation with non-governmental armed actors
Colombia, peace-building and mediation
Colombia, ELN, FN peace operations and inclusion issues
Afghanistan, Western Balkans, Africa, Preventive Diplomacy
Conflict prevention and peacebuilding | Security sector reform
Inclusive peace processes
Women, peace and security
Afghanistan
State-building and human security
FBA's work in Africa
Democracy and governance, leadership and cooperation in peace operations
Ukraine, international peace operations and civil-military cooperation
Head of Research
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Western Balkans
Palestine and state-building
Multilateral Cooperation | Liberia
The African Union and peace operations
Civilian crisis management and international deployments
Myanmar, peace and democracy building
Sustainable peacebuilding | support to peace processes
Latin America and disarmament of ex-combatants
Election observation
Iraq and Palestine
Mozambique, dialogue, reconciliation, and peace processes
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