The Security Studies Unit was created in April 2018 with the goal of studying issues of national, regional, and international security. The unit explores a variety of topics, including: terrorism, armed non-state groups, regional conflicts and their implications, and radical ideologies and their evolutions.

The Security Studies Unit aims to attract distinguished researchers and cooperate with renowned academic institutions and international centers of expertise. Through procedures of rigorous analysis and scholarly research, it will be able to provide knowledge-based policy recommendations that contribute to the growth and development of the Kingdom and the region as a whole.

Head

Dr. Abdullah bin Khalid Al Saud

Director of Research, and Head of the Security Studies Unit

Team

• Yousef Zarea

Research Fellow

• Kameal al-Ahmad

Research Assistant

• Khalid Alshaikh

Associate Fellow 

Publications

• Change at the Top: The Reasons, and Consequences of, Hossein Salami’s Elevation to Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Masarat, May, 2019. 
• Hidden Rivalries behind Iranian Foreign-Policy Making: The Case of Zarif's Resignation. Masarat, Mar. 2019.
• Foreign Fighters in Leaked 'Daesh' Documents: Analysis of those coming from Saudi Arabia. Dirasat, Feb. 2019. 
• Iran’s Clandestine War on the Kingdom of Bahrain: Saraya al Ashtar and the Military Wing of Hezbollah Bahrain. Dirasat, Jan. 2019. 
• Recent Developments of US and Turkish Involvement in the Syrian Conflict. Special Report, Dec. 2018.
• What Future for the Kurdish Regions of Northern Syria? Masarat, Dec. 2018. 
• Security of the Red Sea Region, Masarat, Nov. 2018. 
• Hezbollah's African Venture: Realities and Limitations, Commentary, Aug. 2018.
• Troubled Waters, Uncertain Perimeters: The Aktau Agreement in Iran’s Ongoing Caspian Saga, Masarat, Aug. 2018. 
• What future for Iraq’s PMU? Dirasat, July, 2018. 
• Iran and Russia: Tactical Allies In Syria With Long Term Diverging Agendas, Commentary, June,2018. 
• A New US National Security Team Confronts Difficult Choices with Iran and North Korea, Dirasat, May, 2018. 
• Iran's Growing Strategic Foothold in the Golan Heights, Masarat, May, 2018. 
• Lebanese Elections: Gains for Hezbollah with the Emergence of New Kingmakers, Commentary, May, 2018. 

Activities

2019

Workshop:

The Red Sea Region: Security, Economy, and the Future of the Entity of Coastal States. Apr. 2019.

Cyber Security: Challenges and Opportunities. Apr. 2019.

Lecture:

Humanitarian Situation in Yemen, From Relief to Development and Reconstruction. In cooperation with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. Mar. 2019. 

Hundred Years Later: The Meaning of WW1 for the United States. Mar. 2019. 

Foreign Fighters in Leaked ‘Daesh’ Documents: Analysis of those coming from Saudi Arabia. Feb. 2019. 

2018

Workshop:

Nuclear Security: Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.In cooperation with King’s College London and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. Oct. 2018.

The Future of the Religious Establishment in Iraq. Aug. 2018. 

Conference:

The Humanitarian Situation in Yemen: Reality and Challenges. In cooperation with Saudi Humanitarian Assistance Center in Yemen (Isnad). Oct. 2018.

Lecture:

Salafi-Jihadism: History of an Idea, by Shiraz Maher. Nov. 2018.