Engin Yüksel is a Research Associate at the Clingendael Institute. His research focuses on the strategic development, nature and impact of Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East, in particular in relation to Syria, Iraq, Iran and the Gulf Countries. His work is part of Clingendael's Levant research program on the role of hybrid coercive organisations in processes of state development.
Prior to joining Clingendael, Engin worked as an intelligence analyst at NATO’s Operational Level Command in the Netherlands. In this capacity, he helped create greater situational awareness of the crises along NATO’s Eastern and Southern borders, for example through the application of advanced system analysis methods.
Engin holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Middle East Technical University. He is currently undertaking PhD research at the University of Leiden in the area of security studies.