Cornelius Adebahr

Co-Executive Director, ISD Germany

Cornelius Adebahr is one of the Co-Executive Directors at ISD Germany. He is an independent political analyst and entrepreneur based in Berlin, focusing on European foreign and security policy, global affairs and citizens’ engagement. Starting in July 2024, Cornelius supports and develops the organisation’s efforts in the German and European contexts.

His role focuses on defending democracy against digital and hybrid threats, including increasing societal polarisation. He also is a non-resident fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, an associate fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin, an associated researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in Rome, and a member of Team Europe Direct, the European Commission’s expert network. He is also an adjunct faculty at the Hertie School in Berlin and has taught at international universities, including the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the Faculty of World Studies at Tehran University.

Cornelius studied Political Science (International Relations), Philosophy, Public Law, and International Economics in Tübingen, Paris, and at the Free University of Berlin, graduating in 2001. He earned his PhD (Dr. rer. pol.) in 2008 and is the author of Europe and Iran: The Nuclear Deal and Beyond (Routledge, 2017).