Dr. Mustafa Caner is an Assistant Professor at the Middle East Institute (ORMER) of Sakarya University, where he specializes in Iranian politics, Turkey–Iran relations, and Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East. He is also Editor in Chief of Kriter Magazine and a researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA). He holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies from Sakarya University and has fifteen years of experience in Iranian studies, with a particular focus on factional dynamics, Iran’s regional strategy, and the Gulf’s evolving security architecture. He teaches courses on Turkey–Middle East relations, Turkish foreign policy, and political science at Sakarya University, and has participated in numerous international congresses, conferences, and symposiums on Middle East politics.
Dr. Caner is a regular commentator on Middle East affairs for international television channels including CNN International, BBC, TRT World, Al Jazeera, Astro Awani, Asia One, and Pakistan TV, and his analysis has been quoted in outlets such as Middle East Eye, Nikkei, The New Statesman, UnHerd, Responsible Statecraft, The New Arab, and Frontline. He is the author of Politics of Change in Iran: The Struggle for Reform in the Khatami Era (SETA, 2023) and has published extensively on Iran–Gulf relations, Turkish foreign policy, and regional power competition.
Mustafa Caner, PhD 