International Security Expert - Islamic Studies & BND Intelligence Service

Gerhard Conrad – Ignorance is fatal.

Dr. Gerhard Conrad (*1954) received his doctorate in Islamic Studies, International Politics and International Law from the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Bonn in 1987 after studies in Mainz, Freiburg and Damascus.

As a reserve officer in the German Armed Forces, he completed numerous military exercises from 1981 to 2006 (last rank Lieutenant Colonel) as an expert for the Near/Middle East in the former Armed Forces Command Staff of the German Ministry of Defense.

Lecture topics Dr. Gerhard Conrad

  • Why still have intelligence services? A critical look at the German security architecture and “Intelligence Culture”.
  • Global risks and their consequences for Germany and Europe – Where will we be in ten years?
  • Intelligence mediation between adversaries and enemies – why and how?
  • International cooperation of intelligence services – sense, possibilities and limits
  • “Why do they hate us?” On the origins, forms of appearance and action, objectives and transformations of terrorist perpetrators and groups.
  • No License to Kill: What distinguishes the Federal Intelligence Service from James Bond

“Someone is out there – espionage in cyberspace”

From 1990 to 2019, Gerhard Conrad was a civil servant in the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), where he performed a variety of tasks in analysis and operations in the Near/Middle East, including as a mediator in humanitarian affairs between Israel, Hizballah, and also Hamas, and from 2006 to 2008 also on personal assignment for UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban-ki Moon. As head of the BND management staff for Presidents Ernst Uhrlau and Gerhard Schindler, as well as the Service’s representative in Damascus as well as in London, Gerhard Conrad was involved in numerous intelligence issues of political importance. Finally, from 2016 to 2019, Gerhard Conrad became the first German to head the multinational EU Intelligence Analysis and Situation Center (EU INTCEN) in Brussels.

Gerhard Conrad – The man who negotiated with Hamas and Hizballah.

The Israeli secret services are among the best in the world. And yet Hamas managed to take Israel completely by surprise with its deadly terror on October 7, 2023. But did the brutal attack really come out of nowhere? Hardly anyone can answer that better than Gerhard Conrad. The doctor of Islamic Studies was an intelligence officer in the region for many years and knows Hamas and Hizballah from negotiations on behalf of the UN and personal conversations.

In his breathtaking lectures, Gerhard Conrad describes who must have known what and how intelligence services must work in order to provide political leaders with the necessary knowledge and reliable decision-making aids.

October 7, 2023 will forever be inscribed in the history of the Middle East: Hamas took Israel by surprise with an unprecedented attack, killing well over a thousand people within 48 hours and abducting hundreds of hostages to Gaza. Did the intelligence services fail to recognize the impending catastrophe, at what level did they or the political decision-makers fail?

In times of fake news and hybrid warfare, it is more difficult than ever to obtain reliable information and brief decision-makers well so that they can react appropriately. Hardly anyone knows this better than intelligence expert Dr. Gerhard Conrad. The Islamic scholar, who was also Chief of Staff at the BND and Head of the Intelligence Analysis Center (EU INTCEN) in Brussels, has discreetly mediated “face to face” between Hamas, Hizballah, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Iran on humanitarian issues.

In his lectures, he meticulously demonstrates the methods used by intelligence services to gain a picture of the situation, what information they provide to the military and politicians – and what decisions can be derived from this.

Gerhard Conrad shows how urgently information gathering by intelligence services is needed in these times. Not knowing can have deadly consequences.

In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Conrad received the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon in 2008.

Dr. Conrad is currently Visiting Professor for Intelligence Studies at King’s College London and also teaches at the Hochschule des Bundes für Verwaltung, Berlin, in the master’s program “Intelligence and Security Studies (MISS)” as well as at the Paris University Sciences Po. In national and international publications, he deals primarily with questions of European intelligence cooperation and the German security architecture.

Accordingly, Dr. Gerhard Conrad is also involved as a member of the board of the Gesprächskreis Nachrichtendienste in Deutschland e.V. (Discussion Group Intelligence Services in Germany). (www.gknd.org) in political consulting on security policy and intelligence issues.

Oliver Stoldt' opinion on Gerhard Conrad
Gerhard Conrad is one of the world's leading experts on the Middle East, global security and cultures. In times of fake news and cyber-attacks around the globe, the international security situation is becoming increasingly challenging. Gerhard Conrad talks about his experiences negotiating between governments and cultures. Book Gerhard Conrad for speeches at The Premium Speakers Agency.