Research at the University of Trieste is entering the heart of the international debate on the new geographies of global security. Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political and Social Sciences – DiSPeS, has been appointed Research Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington for the 2026–2027 year.

The prestigious U.S. center, established by the United States Congress in 1968 as the national memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is today one of the leading places of exchange between research, geopolitical analysis and public policy. Its mission is to provide institutional decision-makers and the public with independent, nonpartisan insights on major issues in international relations, fostering dialogue between academia, institutions and policy-making.

The new class of Research Fellows, officially presented in Washington on June 9, brings together scholars, experts, journalists and public intellectuals selected through an international competitive process. The fellows will work on research projects designed to connect scientific production with the main challenges of contemporary foreign policy.

In this context, Donelli will develop the project “Great and Middle Power Competition in the Red Sea: Hybrid Security Orders and U.S. Strategic Interests”, dedicated to competition between great and middle powers in the Red Sea region and its implications for political, economic and security balances.

The Red Sea is currently one of the most sensitive passages in the global scenario: an essential maritime corridor between the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific, where strategic, commercial and military interests are increasingly intertwined. The research will analyze the role of actors such as the United States, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, examining how their presence interacts with fragmented local contexts and hybrid forms of security governance.

At the center of the project there will therefore be not only competition between powers, but also the ways in which local actors adapt to, respond to and at times exploit external involvement, helping to redefine regional orders. The research will be based on qualitative analysis, interviews, fieldwork and the study of available documentation.

The results will lead to an academic study and a Wilson Center monograph also addressed to policymakers, with the aim of offering evidence-based interpretations and recommendations.

The appointment represents an important international recognition of Donelli’s scientific work, particularly in the study of transformations in global balances. His research focuses on international politics and security in the Middle East and Africa, with particular attention to the strategies of regional and extra-regional actors.

Donelli is the author of articles published in international journals including International Affairs, Third World Quarterly, Small Wars & Insurgencies and The International Spectator. His publications also include the volumes Turkey in Africa: Turkey’s Strategic Involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa and Power Competition in the Red Sea: Testing the Post-Liberal International Order.