A timely discussion analysing the latest developments surrounding the ongoing war in Iran and its far-reaching implications.
This event aims to provide an academic platform for informed discussion and critical analysis of the ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The conflict, marked by escalating military confrontations, regional instability, fragile diplomatic efforts, and an ever-growing human toll, has generated significant humanitarian, economic, and geopolitical consequences for the Middle East, and beyond. Recent developments, including ceasefire negotiations, disruptions to global energy markets and concerns over long-term regional security, highlight the urgency of scholarly engagement with the evolving situation.
The event will focus on the political origins and international implications of the conflict, on the strategic calculations, the technological dynamics, the information environment, as well as the impact for economic and energy security.
Speakers
Discussants
Mauro Gilli is Professor of Military Strategy and Technology at the Hertie School. Mauro's research focusses on military-technological competition, modern military operations, and strategic rivalry. His research has been published in International Security, Security Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Strategic Studies, Texas National Security Review, and Competitive Strategy, among other notable outlets. He received the Best Academic Article Award from the America in the World Consortium for one of his articles. Before joining the Hertie School, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College from 2015 to 2016, and from 2016 to 2025, he was a Senior Researcher in Military Technology and International Security at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zürich).
Anita Gohdes is Professor of International and Cyber Security at the Hertie School in Berlin. She works at the intersection of international security and technology, and is the author of the book “Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence”, published with Oxford University Press. Previously, she was Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Zurich and Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the International Security Programme at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. Since 2009, she has worked for the California-based non-profit organisation Human Rights Data Analysis Group. She has advised the German Federal Foreign Office and has consulted for the World Bank and the United Nations on security and state fragility. Her work has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Nature Human Behavior, among others.
Marina Henke is Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School and Director of the Centre for International Security. She researches and publishes on grand strategy, nuclear security and European security and defence policy. Before joining the Hertie School, she was an Associate Professor (with tenure) at Northwestern University, specialising in international relations, as well as at Princeton University where she was a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Her book “Constructing Allied Cooperation” published with Cornell University Press in 2019 won the prestigious 2020 Lepgold Best Book Award, the ISA 2020 Diplomacy section Best Book Award, and the APSA 2020 International Collaboration section Best Book Award.
Lion Hirth is Professor of Energy Policy at Hertie School, a Berlin-based public policy school and founder and director of Neon, a boutique energy economics consulting firm. He is an energy economist and expert in renewables, electricity markets, and energy policy. Lion was a member of Germany’s gas commission and has advised clients across the private and public sectors, including the German government, the International Energy Agency, the European Commission, as well as transmission system operators, utilities and commodity traders. Lion is founder of Strommarkttreffen, a 5000-member network of energy professionals, and is among the most-followed energy voices on social media. Before acquiring a Ph.D., he spent five years in industry. His academic articles are published in the top energy economics and engineering journals, have won several awards and are among the most cited in the field.
Chair
Mark Hallerberg is Dean of Research and Faculty and Professor of Public Management and Political Economy at the Hertie School. He also serves as Co-Deputy Director of the DFG Excellence Cluster "Contestation of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS).).” From 2013 to 2018 Prof. Hallerberg served as MPP Director, from 2015 to 2018 as MIA Director, from 2017 to 2018 as Dean, and from 2018 to 2022 as Dean of Research and Faculty. From September 2020 to March 2022 he was first Deputy President, then Acting President of the Hertie School. His research focuses on fiscal governance, tax competition, financial crises, and European Union politics.