The Security Dimensions of the Syrian Civil War

Serhat Ahmet Erkmen was born in Istanbul in 1975. He completed his undergraduate studies at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of International Relations. He obtained his PhD from the same university in 2008. Between 2000 and 2017, he worked as a researcher and senior advisor in various think tanks, focusing particularly on the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iraq and Syria. From 2000 to 2008, he was associated with the Eurasian Strategic Studies Center, from 2009 to 2014 with ORSAM, and from 2014 to 2017, with the 21st Century Turkey Institute. These roles allowed him to delve deeply into the complexities of the region, conducting research and providing strategic insights on various issues, particularly those pertaining to Iraq and Syria. From 2009 to 2017, he served as a faculty member in the Department of International Relations at Ahi Evran University in Kirsehir. Later, from 2018 to 2021, he worked at the Security Sciences Institute, Department of International Security and Terrorism at the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy. After serving as the head of the Department of International Relations at Altinbas University from 2022 to 2023, he left the university. While working at universities and think tanks, he conducted research and managed projects on security, terrorism, and migration issues. He also provided training and seminars on terrorism, intelligence analysis, Middle East issues, and foreign policy at numerous institutions. In 2024, Dr. Erkmen founded the analysis company Pros&Cons Security and Risk Assessment, of which he is currently the president.

Serhat Erkmen's main areas of expertise are security, terrorism, and intelligence analysis. In addition to these main themes, he has been conducting fieldwork on the political situation, social structure, and security issues in Iraq and Syria for nearly 20 years. The dozens of reports, articles, and analyses resulting from these studies have been published in Turkish, English, and Arabic. In recent years, Serhat Erkmen has focused on border security, cross-border military operations, and terrorist organizations such as ISIS/PKK. He frequently visits Iraq and Syria and prepares analyses based on the research he conducts in these regions.

Mehmet Emin Erendor received his bachelor's degree in International Relations from Kirikkale University in 2008. He completed his master's degree in International Law: Rights and Responsibilities from the University of Sussex, Brighton in 2011 and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Southampton in 2017. He worked as a Research Assistant Dr. at Cukurova University between 2017-2018. Since 2018, he has been working as an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Adana Alparslan Tuerkes Science and Technology University. His research interests include cyber security, terrorism, the Turkic world, Turkish Foreign Policy, and international organizations.