Manuel Langendorf
Senior Analyst & Editor

Manuel Langendorf is Senior Analyst and Editor at Middle East Minds. He has been working as an independent researcher and analyst in the field of digitalization in the MENA region for several years. Between 2020 and 2021, he worked as an independent consultant at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Langendorf has participated as a speaker in numerous seminars and conferences on digitalization, including the United Nations, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Tunisian National Defense Institute. In 2020, he was selected for the Banco Santander-Barcelona Center for International Affairs (CIDOB) 35 under 35 list and the CIDOB Future Leaders Forum.

Previously, he was a Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and worked as a journalist and editor in London with a focus on the MENA region. He has also worked as a researcher with Apollo Strategic Communications since 2019. He studied at the University of Potsdam, the University of California (Berkeley) and the School of Oriental and African Studies.   


Contact: manuel.langendorf@middle-east-minds.com


Research focus:

 

· Digitalization in the MENA region, including digital infrastructure
  and digital economy

· European development policy in the field of digitalization

· Economic trends in the region


· Country profiles: Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Gulf States
 


Publications:

  • Essays and Articles

    • Langendorf, Manuel; Farley, Alex: Assessing the Status of Digital Integration of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa, Wilson Center, August 2024.

     

    • Langendorf, Manuel: Enhancing US-EU collaboration in MENA's digital development, Middle East Institute, 07.09.2023.

    • Langendorf, Manuel, Anwar, Zienab, Colin, Francesco, Marcinkowska, Izabela: The Digital Transition in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood: Progress, Obstacles and Opportunities, European Institute of the Mediterranean, June 2023.

    • Langendorf, Manuel; Farley, Alex: COVID-19 and Internet Accessibility in the MENA Region: Maximizing digital skills and connectivity for economic recovery, Wilson Center, December 2021.

    • Langendorf, Manuel; Farley, Alex: Digital Transformation and COVID-19 in MENA: Turning Challenge into Opportunity, Wilson Center, 10.05.2021.

    • Langendorf, Manuel: Applying Europe’s Digital Agenda in Mediterranean Partner Countries: Opportunities and Pitfalls, European Institute of the Mediterranean, 2021.

    • Langendorf, Manuel: Digital stability: How technology can empower future generations in the Middle East, European Council on Foreign Relations, 24.3.2020

  • Interviews and media contributions

    • Langendorf, Manuel: How the Middle East could maximise AI's potential, The New Arab, 04.07.2024.