Center for International and Regional Studies
We are a premier research institute devoted to the academic study of regional and international issues through dialogue and exchange of ideas, research and scholarship, and engagement with national and international scholars, opinion makers, practitioners, and activists.
Analyzing Arab-Israeli Tensions at the Qatar World Cup 2022
What is Distinctively Qatari about the World Cup 2022? An Expat Perspective
Qatar’s World Cup Goals: Moving from the Periphery to the Center
CIRS-POMEPS Workshop on Politics of Sports in the Middle East
Migrant Voices in Qatar – A CIRS Podcast Series
Football and Technology: The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be Qatar’s Chance to Show its “Cool” Stadiums
Research Projects
Narratives of Language Landscapes in Qatar
The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University Qatar has launched a new research initiative titled Narratives of Language Landscapes in Qatar. Under the intellectual guidance of GUQ faculty member Professor Yehia A. Mohamed, this project employs a multi-disciplinary approach to examine the lived realities of language use, language identity formation, and intercultural communication in Qatar.
The Evolution of African Regional Organizations
Building on previous work done by CIRS, this project will not only provide a comprehensive study of African IOs but will also expand on present theoretical analyses in the field. The focus of the initiative will be to cover the economic communities across the continent, including North Africa, and falls under CIRS’s regional studies research cluster.
Qatar’s World Cup Goals: Moving from the Periphery to the Center
This next iteration of the Building a Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 project aims to examine the role the FIFA World Cup 2022 plays in enabling the small yet affluent Arabian Peninsula state of Qatar to move from the periphery of global sports and politics to the center.
Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia
The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University Qatar has launched a new research initiative titled Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia. Led by Georgetown University Qatar Professors Abdullah Al-Arian and Karine Walther, this project aims to contribute to important scholarly conversations on Islamophobia by examining its historical roots in diverse global contexts.
Research Clusters
Regional Studies
Since its establishment in 2005, CIRS has sought to enhance knowledge production and to provide original, interdisciplinary analyses of the Gulf and the Middle East. This region’s geopolitics continue to unfold at remarkable speed, with ruptures in traditional regional and international alliances and the emergence of new political arrangements, and this remains a focal point of interest for CIRS research. Through this thematic focus, CIRS also considers a range of research efforts that provide deeper insights on historical, social, economic, and cultural developments in the region.
Environmental Studies
Building on CIRS’s previous record of research and scholarship on the topic, the thematic focus on Environmental Studies continues to address central questions related to climate change, the politics of natural resources, food security, water conflict, and other issues of environmental concern. Through this thematic focus, CIRS considers projects that examine the Middle East in comparison to other regions, or that pursue cross-national understandings of environmental issues. CIRS seeks to translate this knowledge into practice through targeted outreach to entities that support a safer and sustainable future for all.
Race & Society
Critically important for geopolitics, there is a range of social undercurrents and phenomena that require in-depth examination. Additionally, CIRS aims to enhance our understanding of race, ethnicity, religion, and cultural and national identity and belonging in multiple global contexts and geographies, including the Middle East. Through this thematic focus on Race and Society, CIRS supports original research production on diverse topics such as citizenship, migration, labor and employment, the family, education, technology and communication, as well as arts and cultural production.
