Dr. Silvia Colombo

Dr. Silvia Colombo is a Researcher and Faculty Advisor at the NATO Defense College in Rome. She is also an Associate Fellow in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa program at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). Her research focuses on contemporary politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the EU and US foreign policy towards the Middle East and their role in conflicts in this region as well as the implications for NATO. Among her research interests are the relations between the EU and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). She has published various monographs, peer-reviewed articles, edited books, book chapters and numerous research papers and commentaries. She has given lectures and seminars in the fields of comparative politics and international relations of the MENA in several academic institutions as well as has organized and participated in policy workshops and conferences both in Europe and in the MENA countries. She has pursued extensive fieldwork in the MENA region and speaks Arabic fluently. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Politics from the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in London.