Author: Francesco Salesio Schiavi

Francesco Salesio Schiavi

Francesco Salesio Schiavi is an independent Middle East analyst and consultant specializing in the international relations and security architecture of the Levant and the Gulf. His expertise includes military and diplomatic interventions by international actors in the Middle East and North Africa and the military technologies of some of the leading Middle Eastern actors in this sector. He is a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute of Switzerland (MEIS), and advisor to the Rome Office of TRENDS, Research & Advisory, and a contributor to several international outlets, including Al- Monitor, Amwaj, The New Arab, and the NATO Defense College Foundation. Previously, he was a researcher at the Middle East and North Africa Centre of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies and a coordinator of the scientific team for “Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues” for five years. From 2023-24, he also served as an advisor to the Steering Committee for the Euromesco Annual Conference, organized by the European Institute of the Mediterranean in partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

KSA

Turkey’s F-35 Return and Saudi Arabia’s Fighter Ambitions

U.S. – Gulf Policy

Turkey’s renewed push to rejoin the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, from which it was...

Kuwait

The Iran War Is Rewriting Kuwait’s Defense Architecture

Defense & Security

Since the outbreak of the Iran war in February 2026, Kuwait has announced a series...

GCC

The Iran War Is Driving the Gulf Toward Turkish Air Defense

Defense & Security

The Iran war triggered one of the most significant reassessments of Gulf air-defense strategy in...

KSA

Not Just the F-35: Saudi Arabia, KAAN, and a New Phase in Gulf Airpower

Defense & Security

Saudi Arabia’s potential engagement with Turkey’s KAAN fighter jet program has gained renewed relevance in...

GCC

Europe Caught in the Shadow of War at Sea

Defense & Security

As tensions remain high across the Gulf and maritime routes come under renewed strain, Europe...

GCC

Ukraine’s Drone War is Reshaping Gulf Defense

Defense & Security

The war unfolding between Iran and its adversaries is exposing a reality Gulf states can...

UAE

UAE–South Korea Defense Cooperation: The KF-21 Factor

Defense & Security

This past summer, UAE Defense Undersecretary Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi climbed into the rear...

KSA

Redrawing the Monopoly in the Skies: How a Saudi F-35 Deal Redefines Power,...

Defense & Security

When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) left Washington on November 19 with a U.S.–Saudi...

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