Intern Violence, authoritarianism and transformation in the modern Middle East

The Netherlands Institute of International Affairs Clingendael is an independent think tank and academy for international relations, based in The Hague. We contribute to a secure, sustainable, and just world through our research, training programmes and by stimulating the public debate. We work with partners across public and private sectors, including policymakers, business executives, the Dutch armed forces, law enforcement agencies, diplomats, politicians and NGOs. Clingendael offers 40 years of top knowledge and training. The Clingendael Institute is an independent foundation, unaffiliated to any political, activist, commercial, or religious movement.

The Institute has three departments: Research, Academy and Corporate Staff. Within the Research department we are looking for:

Intern Violence, authoritarianism and transformation in the modern Middle East

36 hours per week (full time)

The Conflict Research Unit (CRU) is a specialised team within the Clingendael Institute, conducting applied, policy-oriented research and developing practical tools that assist national and multilateral governmental and non-governmental organisations in their efforts to develop and implement more effective policies and programming on stability, development and rule of law in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

The Clingendael Conflict Research Unit (CRU) has an opening for an Intern for the research program focused on ‘Violence, authoritarianism and transformation in the modern Middle East’, from 1 February 2026 – 1 August 2026 (a six-month period).

This internship will help examine what forms of political tension/crisis; types of violence; and types of modernization are likely and/or possible under conditions of authoritarian governance. This matters because the conditions that gave rise to the extended ‘Arab Uprisings’ (2011, 2019) are worsening across the region while improvements in the quality of governance remain modest in most places. Meanwhile, the threat of renewed regional conflict remains high while several local conflicts continue apace, such as the occupation of Palestine. In 2026, most of the program’s work will centre on the ongoing transition in Syria, regional tensions between Israel, the US, Iran and the GCC states, as well as the various modernization drives ongoing in the Arab countries on the Persian Gulf.

Job description

Relevant tasks are:

• Supporting research on the main points of focus of the Middle East program as indicated above.
• Assisting detailed data research on migration, substate governance, political violence and radicalization as alternatives to protests and their repression, by gathering quantitative and qualitative data, and by contributing to data analysis.
• Assisting research on national modernization and transformation efforts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
• Supporting the organization of (closed) events as part of research projects and for the dissemination of research findings, as necessary.
• Contributing to the visualisation of research findings in the form of infographics and data dashboards, as necessary.
• Supporting research on new project opportunities and openings pertaining the political, security and socio-economic aspects of the Middle East.

Apart from the internship supporting a variety of projects and research efforts already underway, the intern and his/her supervisor will identify one larger research task for the duration of the internship that can lead to an independent publication if so desired.

Qualifications and experience

We are interested if the following requirements are met:

• BA degree relevant for this internship and current enrolment for MA degree (e.g. Middle Eastern studies, political science/IR, conflict studies, anthropology, journalism, religion).
• Able to read Arabic and English for professional purposes, as well as good English writing skills. The ability to read Kurdish, Hebrew and/or Farsi is an asset.
• Affinity with politics and conflict dynamics in the Middle East.
• Decent command of qualitative research methods.
• Good proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Service-minded, social skills, capable of reaching deadlines.
• Capable of working independently based on instructions.
• Network-oriented, feeling at home in an international environment.

Technical requirements:

• Enrollment in an MA program
• EER/Switzerland nationality OR holder of a Dutch study visa

Clingendael offers:

• The opportunity to gain practical, policy-oriented research experience in one of Europe’s top ranked think tanks, in close cooperation with our researchers and stakeholders as policy makers, academics and (international) organizations. Ability to build up a network in the field.
• A stipend of € 550,- gross per month (in case of 36 hours per week) as well as a commuting compensation.

Interested?

You can apply via the ‘Apply-now button at the top of this vacancy. Deadline for response is 27 December 2025 at 23:59