Dr Serhat Erkmen

Dr Serhat Erkmen has been studying security issues in Iraq and Syria, as well as radical Salafi groups, for over 20 years. He began his work in 2000 at the Eurasian Center for Strategic Studies, where he spent about eight years focusing on Iraq. After earning his Ph.D. in 2008, he taught at various universities. He became an associate professor in 2013 and was promoted to full professor in 2021.

Throughout this period, Dr Erkmen held academic positions at the Institute of Security Sciences – Department of International Security and Terrorism at the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, and at Altınbaş University. He also taught courses at the National Defense University and the NATO Centre of Excellence, where he served as an instructor in numerous training programmes.

From 2012 to 2024, Dr Erkmen closely followed the Syrian Civil War through fieldwork conducted on the ground in Syria. In Iraq, he has carried out dozens of field studies since 2008, with a particular focus on conflict dynamics and processes. His work on radical Salafi groups in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey has resulted in the publication of numerous articles and analytical pieces on the topic.