Center for Strategic Studies

The Center for Strategic Studies (Arabic: مركز الدراسات الاستراتيجية) is an independent Lebanese research institution and publishing house based in Beirut. It was founded in 1990, at a time of profound geopolitical upheaval following the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Its stated mission is to contribute to the development of a new strategic awareness, with a particular focus on the transformations reshaping the Arab and Islamic worlds. The Center's research and publishing activities revolve around several core spheres: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arab regional order and its sub-orders, the Islamic neighborhood (especially Turkey and Iran), and international strategies and policies affecting the Middle East. It pursues these interests through seminars, research workshops, research programs, and a substantial publishing output. As a publishing house, the Center issues books, research papers, and a periodical, the journal Shu'un al-Awsat (Middle East Affairs). Its publications serve as a platform for analysis of security, political, economic, cultural, and military developments in the region. The Center operates as a private, independent institution and is not affiliated with any government or commercial parent company. While its primary audience is the Arabic-speaking research and policy community, its work addresses issues of broad international concern, including the structural relations between the Arab, Iranian, and Turkish spheres. The Center remains active in Beirut, continuing its dual role as a research institution and a publisher of specialized literature on Middle Eastern strategic affairs.

The Center for Strategic Studies was established in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1990. Its founding occurred in the context of the momentous geopolitical transformations that followed the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. According to the Center's own account, it was created to contribute to the development of a new strategic awareness, particularly regarding the repercussions of these global changes on the Arab and Islamic worlds. From its inception, the Center concentrated on the geopolitical and strategic shifts sweeping the international system and their impact on the region. It developed a research agenda centered on several core spheres: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arab regional order and its various sub-orders, the Islamic neighborhood (with special attention to Turkey and Iran), and international strategies and policies influencing the Middle East. A distinctive focus of its work has been the structural relations between what it describes as the three spheres: the Arab, the Iranian, and the Turkish. Over the years, the Center has pursued its mission through a combination of seminars, research workshops, research programs, and an active publishing arm. It publishes books and research papers and issues a journal, Shu'un al-Awsat (Middle East Affairs), which serves as a key outlet for its analyses. Its publications address the security, political, economic, cultural, and military dimensions of regional developments. The Center operates as an independent Lebanese institution, without government or corporate affiliation. It has maintained its base in Beirut and continues to function as both a research center and a publishing house, contributing to the Arabic-language discourse on strategic affairs. Its work is aimed at researchers, policymakers, and the broader public interested in the strategic dynamics of the Middle East.

• 1990

  Center for Strategic Studies founded in Beirut, Lebanon.

Independent, non-governmental research center and publisher focused on strategic and geopolitical analysis of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

• Shu'un al-Awsat (Middle East Affairs) journal

  Periodical published by the Center.

• Books and research papers

  Publications on strategic and geopolitical topics.

1. 1مركز الدراسات الاستراتيجية - Aboutcssrd.org.lb
2. 2Center for Strategic Studies - Wikidatawikidata.org