About

The Czech Slovak Institute of Oriental Studies

A data-driven research institute focused on migration, food security, and regional stability across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.

Mission

CSIORS exists to bridge the gap between ground-level reality and policy-level decision-making. We combine anonymous field surveys from conflict and crisis zones with expert academic analysis to produce research that is timely, verifiable, and operationally useful.

We believe early warning systems only work when they are fed by real voices. Our respondent network — currently active in Syria, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, with a 330-submission baseline survey conducted in northeast Syria (November 2025, analytic n=325) — provides that ground truth. Every data point comes from a person living the situation, not an algorithm guessing from satellite images.

Partnerships

CSIORS maintains an institutional partnership with BRIDGE Research & Innovation (Parliaments. Peace. Policy.) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This collaboration strengthens our analytical coverage of the Horn of Africa and supports our field data collection in the region.

BRIDGE Research & Innovation

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Parliaments · Peace · Policy

Methodology

Field Data Collection

Anonymous surveys deployed through KoboToolbox, covering displacement, food prices, community safety, healthcare access, and subjective well-being. Respondents self-select; no identifiable data is collected.

Early Warning Scoring

Field responses feed our Early Warning System (EWS), a composite score (0–100) per country. Thresholds: 0–25 Stable, 26–50 Watch, 51+ Alert. Updated with every new submission.

Research Synthesis

Field data is cross-referenced with open-source monitoring (OSINT), WFP price data, and UNHCR displacement data. Every publication is reviewed by a human analyst before release.

Expert Enrichment

Deep-dive analyses by regional experts are enriched with the latest field data, adding empirical weight to academic insight across all our focus regions.

Field Network

Our anonymous respondent network is the backbone of CSIORS research. We currently collect field data from informants in Syria, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. In November 2025, we conducted a 330-submission baseline survey in Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor governorates (analytic n=325), documenting conditions before the Sharaa/HTS takeover of those areas in January 2026.

Active regions

325

NE Syria respondents

Ongoing field entries

CSIORS

Nigeria, Energy Security, Oil Governance

View profile →

Expanding

Your Expertise

We are actively building our network of regional experts across MENA and the Horn of Africa. If your research intersects with our focus areas, get in touch.

Former Contributors

Research Analyst (former)

Issam Khoury

Syria, Political Economy, Sectarian Politics

Publications

2024

Ethiopia: Facing Multiple Crises

By Jan Záhořík

A comprehensive analysis of Ethiopia's intersecting economic, security, and social challenges — from BRICS membership and inflation to the Tigray aftermath, kidnapping epidemics, and the fragile social contract. Based on field research and regional expertise.

Printed Research Report CSIORS Press, Bratislava

What We Publish

Signal-based

Analysis

Expert analyses, country profiles, and situational reports — drawn from field data and open sources, published when evidence thresholds are met.

Open access

Accumulating

Watchtower Dashboard

Field data accumulation and early warning signals from active regions (Syria, Nigeria, Ethiopia). Respondent trust scoring, WFP cross-validation, and threshold alerts.

Gated — free during evaluation

Work with ground-level data?

Whether you're a researcher, policy analyst, or humanitarian operator — we'd like to hear from you.

Get in touch Submit a field report →