Julien Barnes-Dacey

Julien Barnes-Dacey is the director of the Middle East & North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He works on European policy towards the wider region, with a particular focus on Syria and regional geopolitics. Barnes-Dacey’s recent publications include “Principled pragmatism: Europe’s place in a multipolar Middle East.” His work has been widely published in the likes of Foreign Policy, Politico and the New York Times. Prior to joining ECFR Barnes-Dacey headed the MENA practice at Control Risks, a private sector consultancy. Before this he worked as a journalist across the Middle East, based in Syria, Iraq and Egypt, writing for publications including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor. Barnes-Dacey holds a BA in history from the London School of Economics and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He studied Arabic at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient.