Luigi Narbone is a Professor of Practice at Luiss Guido Carli University, School of Government (SoG). At SoG he also Director of the newly established Mediterranean Platform, a programme for policy-relevant research and dialogues on the security, political economy and socio-political transformations affecting the MENA region and the broader Mediterranean.
From 2015 to 2021 he was co-founder and Director of the Middle East Directions Programme at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies as well as professor and coordinator of the Peace and Security cluster at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute
Before moving to academia, Luigi had a long diplomatic career at the European Union and the United Nations. From 2008 to 2012 he was Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, as well as non-resident EU Ambassador to Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Previously he held positions in Brussels, New York, Moscow, Santiago, Ankara and Khartoum.
His main research interests are MENA geopolitics, security and political economy, Gulf studies, conflict dynamics and peace-building. He is author of numerous academic publications and policy papers.
Among his recent ebooks:
- Stepping Away from the Abyss. A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf MEDirections ebook, (ed. with A. Divsallar) European University Institute, 2021.
- Revisiting Natural Resources in the Middle East and North Africa (ed.), MEDirections ebook, European University Institute, 2020.
- Fractured Stability: War Economies and Reconstruction in the MENA (ed.), MEDirections ebook, European University Institute, 2019.
- Inside Wars: Local Dynamics of Conflicts in Syria and Libya (ed. with A. Favier & V. Collombier), MEDirections ebook, European University Institute, 2016.
- The Gulf Monarchies beyond the Arab spring: Changes and Challenges (ed. with M. Lestra), MEDirections ebook, European University Institute, 2015.