Eckart WOERTZ

Eckart WOERTZ

Associate Senior Researcher

  • Geographical lines of research: The greater Mediterranean.
  • Thematic lines of research: Sustainable development, Global cities and metropolises.
  • Expertise: Political economy of the Middle East and North Africa, especially the Persian Gulf, energy issues, food security, financial markets, development economics.
  • Languages: German, English, Arabic, Spanish, French

Professional experience

Eckart Woertz is director of the Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES) at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg, professor for contemporary Middle East history at the University of Hamburg and a non-resident senior research associate at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs). His research interests comprise the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa, energy issues and food security. He is author of Oil for Food (Oxford University Press 2013), co-editor of the Water-Energy Food Nexus in the Middle East and North Africa (Routledge 2016) and editor of GCC Financial Markets (Gerlach Press 2012).

Articles of him have been published in the Middle East Journal, Food Policy, Food Security, International Development Policy, the International Journal of Water Resources Development, Third World Quarterly, Global Environment, Globalizations, The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, several Oxford Handbooks and other edited volumes. He has been a commentator to international media outlets and has contributed to various policy papers and reports.

He has been involved in numerous third-party projects, among them a Marie Curie grant and FP7 and H2020 projects of the European Commission. His consultancy engagements have included the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Kuwait Investment Authority, the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning and international and regional organizations such as the European Parliament, UNCTAD, UNDP and the Union for the Mediterranean.

He serves on the editorial boards of Food Security and the Journal of Arabian Studies and holds a PhD in economics from Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, where he conducted research about structural adjustment and trade unions in Egypt. Before moving to Hamburg, he held positions at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), Sciences Po in Paris, Princeton University and the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. Prior to that he worked for banks in Germany and the United Arab Emirates in equity and fixed income trading.

  • Woertz, Eckart and Soler i Lecha, Eduard. Populism and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation: The Barcelona Process 25 years after. Mediterranean Politics, 2020 (August). doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2020.1799165
  • Woertz, Eckart. Apoyando desde atrás: la política alemana en Oriente Medio. Anuario Internacional CIDOB 2020. Barcelona: Fundació CIDOB, 2020.
  • Hamade, Kanj;  Saghir, Cynthia;  Tala Ismail; Chaaban, Jad; Chalak, Ali;  Woertz, Eckart and Martínez; Irene. EU Policies on Agriculture and Rural Development in the MENA. MEDRESET Policy Papers, nº 4. (2018)
  • Zurayk, Rami; Woertz, Eckart and Bahn, Rachel  (eds), Crisis And Conflict In Agriculture (Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI, 2018) 
  • “Food Security in Iraq: Results from Quantitative and Qualitative Surveys,” Food Security, Vol.  9, Issue 3, (2017) 511-522
  • Allan, Tony ; Keulertz, Martin and Woertz, Eckart. "The Water–Food–Energy Nexus: An Introduction to Nexus Concepts and Some Conceptual and Operational Problems." International Journal of Water Resources Development, Volume 31, Issue 3, (September 2015) 301-11 
  • Woertz, Eckart and Keulertz, Martin. “The MENA and Food Trade Relations with Tropical Countries,” Food Security, Vol. 7, Issue 6 (December 2015), 1101-1111
  • Ghilès, Francis and Woertz, Eckart. “Tunisian Phosphates and the Politics of the Periphery,” in Political Economy of the Environment in the Middle East and North Africa, Harry Verhoeven (ed.) (London: Hurst; New York: Oxford University Press, 2018) 
  • “West Asia: Food imports amidst self-sufficiency illusions and agricultural reorientation,” in Oxford Handbook on Water, Food, and Society, Martin Keulertz, Tony Allan (eds.) (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)
  • "The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Arid Regions: The Politics of Problemsheds" in Oxford Handbook of Water Politics and Policy, Ken Conca and Erika Weinthal (eds.) (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press 2016) (with Martin Keulertz, Jeannnie Sowers and Rabi Mohtar)
  • Muro, Diego and Woertz, Eckart  “With an exiled president Skyping from Brussels, where now for Catalan independence?” The Conversation, 26 January 2018 
  • Jaafar, Hadi  and Woertz, Eckart  “It’s not funded just by oil and looting. How the Islamic State uses agriculture,” Monkey Cage Blog, Washington Post, 27 September 2016
  • Chaaban, Jad; Chalak, Ali ;Tala, Ismail; Abou Taha,Yasmine; Martinez, Irene; Woertz, Eckart. MEDRESET Concept Paper, nº. 7, September, 2017Agriculture and Development in the Wake of the Arab Spring,” International Development Policy, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (2017)
  • Agriculture and Development in the Wake of the Arab Spring,” International Development Policy, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (2017)
  • Reconfiguration of the Global South. Africa, Latin America and the "Asian Century". Oxon: Routledge, 2016
  • Jaafar, Hadi H. ; Woertz, Eckart. Agriculture as a funding source of ISIS: A GIS and remote sensing analysis. Food Policy, Vol 64, October, 2016. Pp. 14-25
  • L’acord sobre el clima de París i els Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible: són règims polítics que es reforcen o que es debiliten mútuament?. Revista econòmica de Catalunya, 73, pp. 44-49. 2016 (Carafa, L. and  Woertz E.)
  • Oil for Food. The Global Food Crisis and the Middle East (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2013)
  • GCC Financial Markets: The World’s New Money Centers (as editor) (Berlin; London: Gerlach Press, 2012)
  • “Financial Challenges of the Nexus: Pathways for investment in water, energy and agriculture in the Arab world,” International Journal of Water Resources Development, Spring 2015 (with Martin Keulertz)
  • “Environment, Food Security and Conflict Narratives in the Middle East,” in Global Environment, Vol. 7, Issue 2, 2014, 490-516
  • “Mining Strategies in the Middle East and North Africa,” Third World Quarterly, Vol. 35, Issue 6, 2014, 939-957
  • “The Governance of Gulf Agro-Investments,” in Globalizations, Vol. 10, Issue 1, Special Issue: Governing the Global Land Grab, 2013, 87-104
  • “Arab Food, Water and the Big Landgrab that Wasn’t,” The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Vol. 18, Issue 1 (Fall/ Winter 2011), 119-132
  • “U.S.-Arab Economic Relations and the Obama Administration,” (with Nader Habibi), Middle East Brief No. 34, February 2009, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University
  • “GCC Stock Markets: Managing the Crisis,” Gulf Papers (Dubai: Gulf Research Center, 2007)
  • “The Atlantic Trade of Agricultural and Mineral Commodities,” in German Marshal Fund of the United States (GFMUS) and OCP Policy Center, Atlantic Currents. An Annual Report on Wider Atlantic Perspectives and Patterns (Washington D.C.; Rabat, October 2014) 33-49
  • “Historic Food Regimes and the Middle East,” in Zahra Babar and Suzi Mirgani (eds.) Food Security in the Middle East (London: Hurst and New York: Oxford University Press 2014)
  • “The Global Food Crisis and the Gulf’s Quest for Africa’s Agricultural Potential,” in Tony Allan, Martin Keulertz, Suvi Sojamo, Jeroen Warner (ed.), Handbook of Land and Water Grabs in Africa: Foreign Direct Investments and Food and Water Security (London, New York: Routledge 2012)
  • “Oil, the Dollar and the Stability of the International Financial System,” in Robert Looney (ed.), Handbook of Oil Politics (London, New York: Routledge, 2012)
  • “The Domestic Challenges in the Saudi Energy Market and Their Regional and Geopolitical Implications,” Norwegian Peacebuiliding Resource Center (NOREF), Policy Brief, 29 November, 2013  
  • “Syria Under Stress: Did Drought Trigger the Crisis in Syria?” Footnote1, 12 September 2013 (with Jeannie Sowers and John Waterbury)  
  • “Gulf Food Security: Strategic Concerns, Nutrition and the Necessity to Trade, IFPRI- Arab Spatial, Arab Food and Nutrition Security Blog, 23 February 2015
  • “Egypt: Return of the Deep State,” openDemocracy, 20 January 2014
  • “Mirage in the Desert: The Myth of Africa’s Land Grab,” CNN, July 9, 2012
  • “How To Lower the Price of Oil. The Road to Cheaper Gas at the Pump Runs through Riyadh,” Foreign Policy, April 18, 2012 (with Bernard Haykel and Giacomo Luciani)
  • “Bahrain’s Oil Dependence,” (in German, Bahrain hängt am Tropf), Neue Züricher Zeitung, March 1, 2011
  • “Revisit Investment Strategy,”Financial Times, July 22, 2009
  • “Away from Oil, Onwards to Stuttgart (in German, Weg vom Öl, Auf nach Stuttgart), Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 25, 2009
  • “Gulf Food Security Needs Delicate Diplomacy,” Financial Times, March 4, 2009
  • “Don’t Believe the Dubai Hype, Good or Bad,” Forbes, February 24, 2009
  • RUDEFOPOS-IRAQ

    RUDEFOPOS-IRAQ

    Rural Development, Food Security and Political Stability in Iraq

    Rural Development, Food Security and Political Stability in Iraq (RUDEFOPOS-IRAQ) is a project that is funded by a Marie Curie grant of the European Commission. It analyzes current challenges of food security in Iraq, opinions about such challenges among Iraqi academics and experts and the history of the multilateral UN embargo against Iraq in the 1990s based on Iraqi archival sources.

  • Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping geopolitical shifts, regional order and domestic transformations

    MENARA

    Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping geopolitical shifts, regional order and domestic transformations

    The MENARA Project analyses the drivers of change for the regional order in the Middle East and North Africa and the implications of those geopolitical shifts for Europe.

  • MEDRESET

    MEDRESET

    A comprehensive, integrated and bottom-up approach to reset our understanding of the Mediterranean space, remap the region and reconstruct inclusive, responsive and flexible EU policies in it

    CIDOB participates as a partner in Med-Reset, a project that aims to re-invigorating the partnership between the two shores of the Mediterranean

  • RE-DEV – Assessing the transition to renewable energy in Rapidly Developing Countries

    RE-DEV

    Assessing the transition to renewable energy in Rapidly Developing Countries

    The RE-DEV project builds knowledge on how to facilitate a sustained transition to renewable energy in Rapidly Developing Countries.

  • CASCADES

    CAScading Climate risks: towards ADaptive and resilient European Societies

    CASCADES analyzes the impact of climate change on livelihoods, economies and political systems outside Europe, the implications of such impact for Europe and what European foreign policy could do to mitigate associated risks.

  • CIDOB-OCP

    CIDOB-OCP Policy Center partnership project

    The CIDOB-OCP Policy Center partnership project deals with the Western Mediterranean Cooperation and Integration Potential. Within this framework it focuses on sustainable agriculture, food security and the water-energy-food nexus in particular.

El Español - Sep 6, 2022

El calor extremo siembra la próxima crisis del hambre. El verano que se nos cayó la venda (IV)

El IPCC proyecta que, para el año 2030, habrá 250 millones de personas en África que pueden experimentar un alto riesgo hídrico. Si a todo esto le sumamos el cambio climático y la pérdida de rendimiento de los cultivos, el desafío que se nos presenta es de una magnitud colosal. Paradójicamente, explica Eckart Woertz, investigador sénior asociado a CIDOB, los países que más se han visto afectados son los que se encuentran en el cinturón tropical del mundo. “Son los que menos han contribuido al cambio climático, pero que ahora se están viendo más perjudicados en términos de desertificación y en cuanto a fenómenos extremos como está ocurriendo ahora en Pakistán”, cuenta el también director del Instituto de Estudios de Oriente Medio (IMES) en el Instituto Alemán de Estudios Globales y de Área GIGA en Hamburgo.

Nació digital - Aug 27, 2022

Eckart Woertz: “Ucraïna suposa un canvi de magnituds històriques pel món”

Entrevista a Eckart Woertz, investigador sènior associat del CIDOB, sobre les conseqüències polítiques i econòmiques de la guerra a Ucraïna i les seves implicacions per al sector alimentari: “Aquesta guerra no és només un conflicte entre Ucraïna i Rússia. Amb aquesta guerra assistim a un canvi fonamental de magnituds històriques. Canviarà l'escenari de la política internacional”.

Al Jazeera - Sep 17, 2019

Saudi oil strikes: Will Gulf ‘powder-keg’ detonate?

Eckart Woertz, an expert on Gulf security and energy markets at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, said the attacks appeared to deviate from Iran’s playbook. “This was not just a proxy group bombing a pipeline that could be quickly repaired, this was a very central piece of Saudi infrastructure. Until now, the Iranians had played their escalation adroitly. But this was such an extraordinary escalation that Trump would have little choice but to retaliate. What is Iran’s calculation here, and do they have a Plan B?”.

The Independent - Sep 16, 2019

Unprecedented drone attack on Saudi oil supply brings Middle East closer to brink of war

“It’s a clear escalation," said Eckart Woertz, a researcher at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs. "It’s serious. It’s not like attacks before where the effect was more symbolic. This facility is essential for all of the oil produced in Saudi Arabia. It all has to go through Abraig. This was quite a critical piece of infrastructure. That it was able to be hit in that way certainly leaves an impression on the markets”.

Al Jazeera - May 15, 2019

Are tensions between US, Gulf allies and Iran coming to a head?

Tensions have ratcheted up between the US and Iran following Washington’s decision this month to try and cut Iranian oil exports to zero and to send a US aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf in response to an unspecified threat. “I don’t expect to see a full-scale land invasion, but I’m watching for military escalations by the US or Iranian proxies in Iraq and any other strikes on oil facilities that prove more effective and actually disrupt the flow of oil” added Eckart Woertz, an expert on Gulf security and energy markets at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

Der Spiegel - Jun 6, 2017

Hamsterkäufe im reichsten Land der Welt

"Wir sehen hier den Versuch von Saudi-Arabien und anderen Staaten, Katar in seine Schranken zu weisen", sagt Eckart Woertz. Das kleine Land habe sich in den Augen der Nachbarn zu eng an den Iran angelehnt und sie immer wieder verärgert: Etwa indem es die Volksaufstände des arabischen Frühlings, die Muslimbrüder in Ägypten oder die Palästinenserorganisation Hamas unterstützte. "Jetzt wird probiert, Katar wirtschaftlich unter Druck zu setzen", sagt Woertz.

Middle East Eye - Dec 17, 2016

GCC eyes better relations with Washington under Trump

Riyadh is wary of the tough talk from Trump, Flynn and others on the threat from Middle Eastern Muslim refugees and of political Islam, said Eckart Woertz, a scholar at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs. “Wahhabism has almost become a swear word”, said Woertz referring to the puritanical brand of Islam that the rich Saudis spread in poorer parts of the Muslim world.

The Washington Post - Sep 27, 2016

It’s not funded just by oil and looting. How the Islamic State uses agriculture

“The Islamic State economy is not sustainable in the long run. Agriculture in its territory lives on bought time as supply chains of agricultural input factors like quality seeds and fertilizers have been disrupted”, Eckart Woertz, senior research fellow at CIDOB and Hadi Jaafar, assistant professor at the American University of Beirut.

Al Arabiya English - Sep 19, 2016

Agriculture as the new oil for ISIS

Eckart Woertz, research fellow at CIDOB, estimates that “in 2015 ISIS might have generated $56 million from wheat and barley taxation alone. Moreover, the total value of estimated 2.45 million tons of wheat in 2015 roughly equaled that of ISIS oil production during its peak in late 2014 and early 2015. Thankfully, this situation is not likely to continue for too long as supply chains have been disrupted and quality seeds and other agricultural input aren’t getting any better”.

National Geographic - Apr 26, 2016

Gulf Countries Look to Farm Abroad as Aquifer Dries Up

“This whole food sufficiency scheme was really ridiculous,” says Eckart Woertz, senior research fellow at CIDOB and author of Oil for Food: The Global Food Crisis and the Middle East. “Not since the 1970s have the Middle East and North Africa been able to grow enough. Their populations are just too big”.

Bloomberg Business - Jan 8, 2016

A new Saudi Arabia is in a hurry in era of cheap oil

Saudi Arabia, one of the most tradition-bound societies on the planet, where family structure and tribal patriarchy differ little from a century ago, is suddenly in a hurry. It has done more in the past week than in most years. “The Saudis had a reputation of being kind of cautious, secretive,” says Eckart Woertz, a senior researcher at Barcelona Centre for International Affairs. “Right now there are some concerns about rash decisions”.

The Boston Globe - Aug 22, 2015

The Arab Spring was a revolution of the hungry

So it follows that bread riots will break out every time there’s a disruption in the global food supply. Anger will bubble up every time there’s a drought. Or when oil profits fall and it becomes harder to pay for grain imports. The Middle East North Africa region consumes about 44 percent of global net grain imports, according to Eckart Woertz, senior research fellow at CIDOB and author of “Oil for Food: The Global Food Crisis and the Middle East”: “Self sufficiency is not an option in the region,” he said in an interview.

Bloomberg - Mar 26, 2015

Yemen Emerges as Latest Battleground for Saudi Arabia and Iran

Eckart Woertz, a Gulf expert and senior research fellow at the Barcelona Center for International Affairs in Spain, said by phone: “This anti-Shiite sentiment is not just informed by politics but also by a virulent anti-Shiite stance of Wahhabism, so you have a lot of kind of sensitivities and images that inform such enmity.”

CNBC - Mar 10, 2015

Could Islamic State's 'looting economy' face defeat?

"I think ISIS will face massive problems this year which will soon begin to materialize," Eckart Woertz, a senior researcher at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and Middle East specialist, told CNBC. "ISIS revenue base is not sustainable and we will see cracks appearing. I would suspect these to increase over the year and for ISIS to have economic problems over this year. Its economy is based on looting —which is great if you have geographic expansion -- but, if anything, ISIS is on the retreat and you can hardly continue this business model in territory you've already looted."

Die Zeit - Dec 4, 2014

The caliphate, a floundering state

Propaganda claims that oil has made IS self-sufficient are also bald-faced lies. At the end of the day, money is still just money, and it does no good if you can't buy anything with it. And if no goods reach IS-controlled regions, can a productive economy be kept afloat? If not, then oil revenues will merely drive inflation. Economist and oil expert Eckart Woertz, Senior Research Fellow at CIDOB, likens the IS to an "overvalued stock company" and speaks of a "Ponzi scheme" in need of constant expansion.

Slate Magazine - Oct 24, 2014

Does ISIS Have a Cash Flow Problem?

Discussions of how the group funds itself necessarily rely on speculation and guesswork, but researchers are starting to get a better idea about the terror group’s finances. Eckart Woertz, a fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), provides a useful summary of what’s known about the Islamic State’s financial lifelines.

El País - May 8, 2015

El mito del clima y las guerras del agua en Oriente Medio

Artículo de opinión de Eckart Woertz, investigador sénior de CIDOB, sobre los conflictos provocados por el agua en Oriente Medio. Woertz argumenta que aunque la falta de agua y el cambio climático son un grave problema en esta región, la mayoría de conflictos de la zona están provocados por la polarización socioeconómica, la represión política y la falta de oportunidades.

Energía 16 - Jun 19, 2015

“La pesadilla saudí”

“La intervención militar de Arabia Saudí en Yemen ha marcado el fin de su tradicional diplomacia de chequera y revela un creciente sentido de urgencia tras de una serie de reveses. Arabia Saudí enfrenta rivalidades por la hegemonía regional con Irán junto con cada vez más trasfondos sectarios. Los gobiernos controlados por chiíes en Bagdad, las inquietas poblaciones chiíes en Bahréin y la provincia occidental Saudí, la influencia de Hezbolah en el Líbano, la alianza tradicional entre el régimen de Assad e Irán, y el apoyo de este último a la rebelión Houthi en Yemen se perciben en Arabia Saudí como una usurpación” Eckart Woertz, investigador senior de Barcelona Center of International Affairs (CIDOB).

El Periódico - Dec 6, 2015

El limbo de los refugiados climáticos

En la COP21, la cumbre del cambio climático de París, se han sucedido los llamamientos a reconocer el estatus de los refugiados climáticos, ya que, según sus defensores, el calentamiento global está causando guerras y migraciones. Pero diversos expertos llaman a la cautela: “Los militares necesitan velar por sus presupuestos en tiempos de austeridad”, asegura Eckart Woertz, investigador del Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB).

lainformacion.com - Jan 7, 2016

EEUU analiza el futuro de Bashar Al Assad

El Gobierno de Obama tiene una previsión para el futuro de Bashar Al Assad, una hoja de ruta que ha desvelado The Associated Press, en la que analiza la situación de Siria y prevé que su cuestionado presidente permanezca en el poder hasta marzo de 2017. A falta de que se reconozca el carácter oficial del documento, Eckart Woertz, investigador senior del centro de investigación CIDOB y especialista en Oriente Medio señala que: “De momento es solo un papel, y hay que darse cuenta de que hay actores más importantes que EEUU, que son los partidos de dentro de Siria”.

El Periódico - Jan 22, 2016

Turbulencias en Arabia

El rey Salman de Arabia Saudí celebra este sábado entre fuertes turbulencias su primer año en el trono. Enfrentado al hundimiento del precio del petróleo, a la rehabilitación de su archienemigo iraní en la escena internacional y al empuje del terrorismo yihadista, el monarca -rodeado de una nueva generación de jóvenes dirigentes- ha pisado el acelerador de unos cambios necesarios para hacer frente a las crecientes dificultades que esconde el reino tras su aparatosa opulencia. “El país está en un momento crucial y habrá que estar muy atento a lo que puede pasar en los próximos cinco años”, dice Eckart Woertz, investigador de CIDOB y experto en las monarquías del Golfo.

Infobae - Jan 23, 2016

La crisis que acorrala a Merkel por defender a los refugiados

La canciller alemana enfrenta críticas y ataques inéditos en sus 10 años de mandato. “El plan —dice Eckart Woertz, investigador del Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB)— era distribuir entre las naciones europeas 160 mil refugiados, pero hasta ahora fueron solo 300. Claramente no funcionó. Merkel está bastante sola en Europa, y ha perdido a su único aliado, Suecia, que decidió cerrar la frontera. Los países como Francia, España e Italia no tienen interés en ayudarla, y los del este están categóricamente en contra de la inmigración, de un modo casi racista”.

El Español - Feb 17, 2016

Por qué el nuevo alto el fuego en Siria apenas significa nada

“Para ver el éxito del anuncio del alto el fuego hay que esperar”, afirma con escepticismo Eckart Woertz, experto en Oriente Medio de CIDOB, que desconfía de la capacidad de diálogo de las partes en las negociaciones de paz.

El Español - Feb 5, 2016

El Estado Islámico tiene dificultades para controlar su 'santuario' en Siria e Irak

Mosul y Raqa: los principales enclaves del EI son estas dos ciudades en Irak y Siria, pero no sólo por ser las ciudades más grandes conquistadas y ofrecer una importante infraestructura. “También por la imagen del grupo. Si perdieran una de las dos, sería un gran fracaso para ellos”, destaca Woertz.

La Vanguardia - Feb 8, 2016

El nuevo orden mundial del petróleo barato

Las relaciones de poder entre los distintos países deberán replantearse y salir del modelo que ha durado hasta ahora. “No creo que la economía vaya a cambiar la política exterior. Pero es cierto que todos estos países tendrán que enfrentarse a problemas internos,” alerta Eckart Woertz, investigador de CIDOB.

Capital Radio – Mercado Abierto - Apr 25, 2016

Arabia Saudí, protagonista con el Plan Visión 2030

Con el Plan Visión 2030, Arabia Saudí pretende reformar su economía, muy dependiente del petróleo. Eckart Woertz, investigador senior de CIDOB, analiza el contexto y la pertinencia de esta reforma.

El Independiente - Dec 11, 2016

‘Mutti’ Merkel en el laberinto europeo

“Merkel es conservadora y cuidadosa, y ni quiere ni puede liderar un continente sola en estos momentos”, afirma Eckart Woertz, investigador senior en CIDOB. “Su política en la crisis de los refugiados fue valiente, pero en la crisis de la eurozona no ha desarrollado una visión para una Europa unificada. Europa necesitaría una narrativa de esperanza y de optimismo”, añade Woertz.

RNE – Diario de las 2 - Jul 10, 2017

El ejército iraquí recupera Mosul

Eckart Woertz, coordinador de investigación de CIDOB, analiza las implicaciones de la reconquista de Mosul, que califica de “derrota simbólica para ISIS”. “El fin de Estado Islámico no significa necesariamente el fin de la amenaza terrorista: la organización todavía controla territorio en Siria y podría sobrevivir como insurgencia y organización mafiosa en áreas rurales y algunos barrios urbanos”, afirma.

El Independiente - Sep 10, 2017

El entramado yihadista

Para Eckart Woertz, el islamismo yihadista se presenta con un mensaje universal, una capacidad persuasiva y una red operativa que fascina a muchas personas. Sin embargo está constituido sobre todo por organizaciones locales, cada una muy radicalizada en su territorio. “La ideología tiene un valor relevante en la radicalización, más allá del fracaso de la modernización y de la marginación de los jóvenes. Eslóganes como “vosotros amáis la vida, nosotros la muerte” son muy atractivos”, sostiene Woertz.

La Vanguardia - Sep 24, 2017

Elecciones Alemania 2017: El discurso xenófobo de AfD arraiga en los länder con menos refugiados

Los hits temáticos de AfD –refugiados, inmigración, control de fronteras y seguridad nacional– marcarán la agenda política del Bundestag, como se ha visto en la campaña electoral. “Veremos un declive del civismo y lo que hasta ahora se consideraba políticamente correcto” en el Parlamento Federal, prevé Eckart Woertz, investigador senior de CIDOB.

- Sep 28, 2017

Dos años para olvidar: por qué Arabia Saudí necesita limpiar su imagen

Según Gallup, los estadounidenses que valoran negativamente a Arabia Saudí han pasado del 55% al 65% en un año y las cifras de febrero de 2017 son peores que las de febrero de 2002, sólo unos meses después de los atentados del 11S. “La opinión pública occidental está cada vez más en contra de Arabia Saudí y esto es muy peligroso para ellos, porque podría complicar las relaciones políticas con sus aliados y hacer más difíciles las ventas de armas”, afirma Eckart Woertz, coordinador de investigación y experto en el Golfo Pérsico del think tank CIDOB.

esglobal - Dec 21, 2017

Diez temas que marcarán la agenda internacional en 2018

Hace años que intuimos una crisis del orden global pero en 2018 los síntomas se manifestarán con mayor frecuencia e intensidad. A ello contribuirán algunas corrientes de fondo, como los vacíos de poder que deja un Estados Unidos en retirada, la cuarta revolución industrial o una creciente vulnerabilidad digital.