Internship - 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 – ‘Conflict, governance 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 ‘Conflict, governance and transformation in the modern Middle East’, from 1 February 2027 – 31 July 2027 (a six-month period).

This internship will help examine relationships between types of political order, types of conflict and possibilities for development and modernization. Often, this will take the form of case studies and via a mix of political economic analysis and consideration of geopolitical context. The research program operates in a general background containing at least three core elements. First, the political and socio-economic development conditions that gave rise to the extended ‘Arab Uprisings’ (2011, 2019) are worsening while improvements in the quality of governance remain modest in most places. Second, regional conflict persists – mainly the Israel/US against Iran - while several more localized conflicts also remain active, such as the occupation of the Palestinian territories, the civil war in Yemen and risks of instability in countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. Third, there are major reconstruction challenges across the region (Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon) that intersect in part with the challenges of some GCC countries to recover from the economic damage wrought by the US/Israeli attack against Iran.

In 2027, most of the program’s work will centre on the transition in Syria; regional tensions between Israel, the US, Iran; the fallout of the conflict for the GCC states; the evolution of general socio-economic trends across the region; and the further transformation of Iran’s political order.

Job description

Relevant tasks are:

• Supporting research on key points of substantive focus of the Middle East program (as indicated above);
• Assisting with detailed research on political orders and political economies in particular countries and/or subregions;
• Assisting research on national modernization and transformation efforts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE;
• Supporting the organization of (closed door) events as part of research projects and to disseminate research findings;
• 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 to political, security and/or 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:

• In possession of a BA degree relevant for this internship and currently enrolled for a relevant 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 € 575,- gross per month (in case of 36 hours per week);
• Reimbursement of public transport cost (2nd class, within the Netherlands).

Interested?

You can apply via the ‘Apply-now button at the top of this vacancy. Deadline for response is 10 December 2026.