Professor of International Relations Theory and Academic Head of the MSc in International Studies, University of Macedonia. Founder of the Winter School of International Politics 'Vermio Forum' and Editor in Chief of the Routledge's Book Series 'International Relations in the Gulf region and the Eastern Mediterranean'. His most recent monograph is 'Smart instead of Small in International Relations Theory: The case of the United Arab Emirates', Springer, 2024 (translated into German by Springer too). He has held various Visiting Professor positions in the UK, France, and the Middle East. His research interests include: IR Theory, the competition of the Great Powers, Security in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, Smart States Theory. At the moment he is preparing his next monograph, whether Greece can be defined as a Greek state in the contemporary systemic bipolarity