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Institutional Profile
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) is an independent policy institute and think tank dedicated to advancing international cooperation, informed policymaking, and peaceful solutions to global challenges. Its work connects strategic analysis with international law, diplomacy, security, economics, and public policy.
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) was founded in Paris, France in 2009 by the International Lawyer Mahmoud Refaat with several former European and US officials under the name of The European Institute for International Law and International Relations, extended to Brussels, Belgium in 2013 and opened its gates in Stockholm, Sweden in 2025 where is its actual head-quarter when it adopted its official name The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) and at the same year was founded in Washington DC in the United States where its main head quarter.
Mission
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs seeks to strengthen relations among nations by producing forward-looking research, developing practical policy recommendations, and identifying alternatives to armed conflict. The Institute supports policymakers and institutions with analysis designed to promote international stability, effective governance, constructive diplomacy, and sustainable peace.
Areas of Expertise
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs activities cover:
- International relations and diplomacy
- Defence, security, and conflict analysis
- Peacekeeping and conflict resolution
- Terrorism and nuclear deterrence
- Cybersecurity, technology, and future conflict
- Energy, economic, and food security
- Migration and international development
- Climate change and environmental security
- Global trade, digital transformation, and sustainable development
- International law, International justice, and human rights
These fields reflect the research categories presented through the Institute’s official platform.
Core Activities
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) translates strategic insight into direct, practical action. Its core activities focus on interventions that respond to real-world challenges and deliver measurable results, including:
- Facilitating dialogue, mediation, and confidence-building between governments, institutions, and affected communities
- Deploying expert teams to assess emerging crises and recommend immediate courses of action
- Supporting peacebuilding, conflict prevention, stabilization, and post-conflict recovery initiatives
- Helping public institutions design and implement effective security, governance, and foreign-policy measures
- Delivering practical training, simulations, and capacity-building programs for diplomats, officials, civil-society leaders, and young professionals
- Establishing early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms for political, security, humanitarian, and environmental threats
- Convening decision-makers to negotiate solutions, coordinate responses, and turn commitments into action
- Developing and implementing pilot projects that address local and cross-border challenges
- Building operational partnerships among governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and the private sector
- Monitoring outcomes and evaluating the impact of interventions to ensure accountability and continuous improvement
Through these activities, IISA aims to move beyond analysis by serving as a platform for implementation—connecting expertise, institutions, and communities to achieve tangible progress in peace, security, governance, and international cooperation.
Global Engagement
With an international presence that includes Washington, D.C., Brussels, and Stockholm, IISA brings together legal, political, economic, and strategic perspectives. Its work is intended to serve policymakers, diplomats, researchers, academics, security professionals, journalists, businesses, and members of the informed public.
Institutional Approach
The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) emphasizes independence, objective analysis, intellectual rigor, and practical relevance. By examining the legal, political, economic, and social drivers of instability, the Institute aims to generate actionable ideas that strengthen cooperation, prevent conflict, and improve strategic decision-making.
Executive Body
In 2022, The International Institute for Strategic Affairs (IISA) launched the World Forum on Peace and Security as an executive body supporting dialogue and international engagement on peace and security issues.