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Experts on countries of origin by country

Faruqi, Daanish

Dr. Daanish Faruqi is a Visiting Researcher at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.  A scholar of migration and mobility in the Middle East and North Africa, he has leveraged his expertise both in academia and in international development. At Georgetown he researches democracy promotion and conflict resolution through transnational religious humanitarianism. Relying on fieldwork with transnational humanitarian NGOS immediately following the 2023 Syrian/Turkish earthquake, his latest writing deals with the viability of religious humanitarianism in effectively managing refugee crises. He has a forthcoming interview with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on this project and its potential for peace building.

He completed his Ph.D. from Duke University, where he wrote his dissertation on the role of Syrian Sufi religious scholars in joining the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Through several years of ethnographic and historical fieldwork in Morocco, Turkey, and Jordan, conducting hundreds of Arabic-language interviews, his work revealed the role of 19th century migration from North Africa to Damascus in informing contemporary… Read more

Occupation:
Countries of expertise: Algeria, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, West Bank

Gabbay, Shaul

Dr. Shaul Gabbay completed a BA at Bar Ilan University and an MA at Tel-Aviv University. In 1991 he received a Presidential Fellowship from the U.S. to continue his studies. In 1995 he completed the PhD program at Columbia University in New York and received an invitation from the University of Chicago for a Post Doctoral program. In 1998 Dr. Gabbay returned to Israel to join the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Professor Gabbay joined the University of Denver as the Director of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2001- 2010.  He continued his research at DU as a Senior Scholar until 2015 when he was appointed Director of the Global Research Institute.

His areas of expertise include Middle East cultures and societal norms,   Middle East conflicts, and human rights issues existing in Muslim societies.  He is regularly cited and acts as a commentator in national and international media such as the Associated Press, CBS, NBC, FOX and MSNBC.

Occupation: Muslim World Expert
Countries of expertise: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Yemen

George, Alan

Academic with expertise on many countries in the Middle East

Occupation: Consultant, writer, journalist. Senior Associate Member, St Antony’s College, Oxford University.
Countries of expertise: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen

Hafidh, Dr Hasan

The Expert is a Lecturer in Comparative Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. 

Occupation: Lecturer in Comparative Politics of the Middle East (Gulf Specialism), Expert of Islamic Countries
Countries of expertise: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Laizer, Sheri J

Extensive experience in expert reports on all the countries listed, and also in particular, Kurds in country of origin and diaspora

Occupation: Freelance writer & broadcast journalist since 1985 specializing in the Near East; photographer; political commentator, Middle East country of origin specialist
Countries of expertise: Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, Turkey

Malkawi, Bashar H.

The Expert is Global Professor of Practice in Law at University of Arizona, where he currently teaches international commercial transactions, immigration law, intellectual property, procedure, and international trade. He received his S.J.D from American University, Washington College of Law, and LLM from University of Arizona.

The Expert previously taught at universities in Jordan, UAE, Italy, and United States. Prof. The Expert is a prolific scholar, whose work covers a variety of subjects. He has written over 70 articles for law reviews and professional publications, which have appeared in such top-tier journals. The Expert is also the author of numerous books and book chapters. In addition to law articles and academic books, his op-eds and other writings have appeared in the popular press in the U.S. and the Middle East. Many of his research papers and publications have been cited extensively.

In recognition of his outstanding scholarly achievements to date, The Expert received several research awards. In addition to his scholarship, The Expert regularly provides consulting service to international organizations, governments, and multinational law firms on matters.

Countries of Expertise -  Jordan, Italy, UAE, U.S., Middle East, North Africa… Read more

Occupation: Dean and Professor of Law
Countries of expertise: Jordan, United Arab Emirates

Phelps, Dr. Sandra

The Expert is a Gender & Social Inclusion International Development specialist across multiple global south countries - She holds a Ph.D. in Gender & Postcolonial Studies, University of Sydney, Australia, 2005.

The Expert is an experienced senior consultant and academic with 15+ years in educational program design and management across humanitarian and development sectors, including democracy, education, civil society, and government collaboration in diverse global regions. Her expertise in creating effective development programs with a focus on inclusion and sustainable livelihoods.

Occupation: The Expert is a Gender & Social Inclusion International Development specialist across multiple global south countries - She holds a Ph.D. in Gender & Postcolonial Studies, University of Sydney, Australia, 2005.
Countries of expertise: Afghanistan, Australia, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia

Tabishat, Professor Mohammed

The Expert earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University and currently holds the position of Visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Social Science at Qatar University. Prior to this, he has undertaken a series of significant roles, including:

Head of Research Unit and Associate Professor of Social Sciences at CAS, Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman, from 2019 to 2022. Director of the Language Centre & International Relations at Madaba University from 2018 to 2019. Visiting Faculty and Head of Future Forum at Ajman University, UAE, during 2017-2018. Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at AUC, Cairo, Egypt, from 2010 to 2017. Assistant Professor at United Arab Emirates University, UAE, spanning from 2004 to 2010. Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Dickinson College, PA, during 2003-2004. Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Arabic at NYU, NYC, from 2002 to 2003. Adjunct Professor of Arabic at Columbia University in NYC in 1999-2000.
Occupation: Consultant, anthropologist, professor
Countries of expertise: Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Syria, Yemen

Trang, Kathy

The Expert acquired her doctoral training in biological anthropology from Emory University and is an Associate Research Scientist at NYU and incoming Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dept. of Psychology at Yale University. Her research focuses on characterizing heterogeneity in post-traumatic stress and treatment outcome among high-risk populations in Vietnam, Jordan, and Bangladesh.

Occupation: Research Fellow (Cambridge, MA, USA), Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Countries of expertise: Bangladesh, Jordan, Vietnam