Dr. Rana Deep Islam works as a Berlin-based Client Development Advisor for the Public Sector at McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey & Company he had been a Senior Manager at EY and a campaign manager for the SPD’s chancellor candidate Martin Schulz during his campaign in the run-up to the German federal elections in 2017. Prior to that, he was in charge of the management of the European project portfolio at Stiftung Mercator and gained further professional experience at the Bertelsmann Foundation, the European Parliament, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Rana holds an MA from the College of Europe in Bruges and a PhD from the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg. He was a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in May and June 2011. Rana publishes frequently in academic journals and media on European affairs and long-term economic development.
The Reinvention of State Services?
The Role of Organizational Purpose for Publicly Owned Companies in Germany Purpose is one of the key concepts of our time when it comes to a new entrepreneurial understanding. Companies …
Election Observations from Germany
An Election Day that leaves many of us perplexed. Four observations: First: There is a lot of talk again about European autonomy and strategic sovereignty of the Europeans. Only, I …
Enhanced Cooperation for Europe: Is there a Way out of the Impasse of Integration Politics?
The Grand Coalition just cannot get rid of the hot potato called Europe. The governing parties are arguing with great persistence about the solutions and answers to the European crises …
It’s Not All About Refugees: Five Lessons from Germany’s Super Sunday
Last Sunday, three German Bundesländer—Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saxony-Anhalt—held their state elections. The federal states themselves are very diverse. The first is one of Germany’s most industrialized powerhouses and governed by …
EU Membership for Turkey: Endless Negotiations?
German-American Issues 16 More than ten years after the EU initiated negotiations for Turkey’s EU membership, the country remains locked in negotiations, with economic concerns, human rights, and the Cyprus …
New Ground for Cooperation: The Arab Spring as a Turning Point for EU-Turkey Relations
Though politicians use the word “historic” in a fairly inflationary way, there is no better terminology for describing what the international community is witnessing in the Middle East and North …
50 Years After: What Germany and Turkey Need is a State Treaty
In his essay 50 Years After: What Germany and Turkey Need is a State Treaty, Rana Deep Islam, Ph.D. student at Erlangen University and former DAAD/AICGS Fellow, reflects on the current state of German citizens with a Turkish background following the 50th anniversary of the guest workers agreement between Germany and Turkey. According to Mr. Islam, while German politics have been slow to fully welcome Turkish integration, Berlin must act quickly to forge stronger ties with Ankara.
Two Face Diplomacy – The Turkish-Israeli Clash Contradicts Ankara’s Foreign Policy Principles
Following Israel’s refusal to apologize for last year’s attack on a Gaza Aid Flotilla, Turkey has cut diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. According to former AICGS Fellow Rana Islam, Turkey’s decision goes completely against their “zero problems” agenda and further threatens an already unstable region. However, all hope may not yet be lost.
Turkey After the Elections – Where is it Heading?
While prevailing opinion delivered by most of Germany’s newspapers labeled the Turkish election results as a major setback for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party, looking at the numbers will quickly make it clear that the AKP is far from legitimately being considered the election’s loser writes DAAD/AICGS Fellow Rana Deep Islam. Mr. Islam examines the election results and argues that the outcome will have a significant impact on Turkey’s foreign policy strategies in dealing with the greater Middle East.
