Dr. Ali Bakir is a research assistant professor at Qatar University's Ibn Khaldon Center for Humanities and Social Sciences. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's "Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative," working on the strategic, geopolitical, security, and inter-regional trends and dynamics in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Turkey's foreign and defense policies, Turkey-Arab/Gulf ties, and the Gulf security. Bakir is a senior foreign policy and security analyst and consultant with over 15 years of professional experience working with senior officials, decision-makers, and stakeholders for governmental, non-governmental, and private sector institutions.