Foreign Policy Blogs is the largest network of global affairs blogs. Staffed by professional contributors from the worlds of journalism, academia, business, non-profits and think tanks, the FPB network tracks global developments from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between, daily. The FPB network is a production of the Foreign Policy Association.
Bloggers
Alejandro Quiroz Flores
Alejandro Quiroz Flores is a PhD candidate at the Department of Politics at New York University. He studied for a MPhil in Latin American Studies at the University of Oxford and holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from CIDE in Mexico City. He is a specialist in international relations and methodology. His doctoral research focuses on political survival and econometrics. He maintains a strong interest in Latin America and Mexico. Areas of Focus: Americas; Methodology; Economy; Contact
Contributor to:
Mexico
Andreas Seitz
Andreas Seitz holds a MS with Highest Honors in International Management for China from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. During his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Cologne (Germany), Dalian (China) and London (UK) he focussed on macro- and microeconomic issues in China. He has worked as a China consultant in Germany, China and the United States with a special concentration on market entry strategies, small- and medium-sized enterprises and human resource management. Areas of Focus: Economy; Trade; Diplomacy Contact
Contributor to:
China
andrewswift
Andrew Swift is a graduate of the University of Iowa, with a degree in History and Political Science. Long a student of international affairs, he is on an unending quest to understand the world better.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Transitional States
Arthur Traldi
Arthur Traldi is an attorney in Pennsylvania. Before the Pennsylvania courts, Arthur worked for the Bosnian State Court's Chamber for War Crimes and Organized Crime. His law degree is from Georgetown University, and his undergraduate from the College of William and Mary. Area of Focus International Law; Human Rights; Bosnia Contact
Contributor to:
War Crimes
Ben Moscovitch
Ben Moscovitch is currently in a Master's in Middle Eastern History program at Tel Aviv University. Previously, he worked in Washington, D.C. covering Congress and Homeland Security. Ben graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English Literature. He currenlty resides in Tel Aviv. Areas of Focus: Middle East; Israel-Palestine; Politics Contact
Contributor to:
Israel
Barbara Gonzalez
Barbara Gonzalez is currently reading for a postgraduate degree in Politics. Among her interests are Latin America's history and politics, foreign policy and women's issues. Area of Focus Politics; Democracy; Women's issues Contact
Contributor to:
Women and Foreign Policy
Brandon Henander
Brandon lives in Chicago and works as a Project Coordinator for Illinois Legal Aid Online. He has a LL.M. in International Law and International Relations from Flinders University in Adelaide. Brandon has worked as a lobbyist for Amnesty International Australia and as an intern for U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science, Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Iowa. His interests include American and Asian politics, human rights, war crimes and the International Criminal Court.
Contributor to:
War Crimes
Foreign Policy Blogs
Bill Hewitt
Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has a class on climate change in the Global Affairs MS program at NYU. Areas of Focus: the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change Contact
Contributor to:
Climate Change
America in Transition
Bilal Qureshi
Bilal Qureshi is a resident of Washington, DC, so it is only natural that he is tremendously interested in politics. He is also fascinated by the relationship between Pakistan, the country of his birth, and the United States of America, his adopted homeland. Therefore, he makes every effort to read major newspapers in Pakistan and what is being said about Washington, while staying fully alert to the analysis and the news being reported in the American press about Pakistan. After finishing graduate school, he started using his free time to write to various papers in Pakistan in an effort to clarify whatever misconceptions he noticed in the press, especially about the United States. This pastime became a passion after his letters were published in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his writing became more frequent and longer. Now, he is here, writing a blog about Pakistan managed by Foreign Policy Association. Areas of Focus: Taliban; US-Pakistan Relations; Culture and Society Contact
Contributor to:
Pakistan
Brian O'Neill
Brian O'Neill is a freelance writer currently based out of Chicago. He has lived in Egypt and in Yemen, and worked as a writer and editor for the Yemen Observer publishing company. He currently is an analyst with the Jamestown Foundation.
Contributor to:
Middle East
Collin A. Spears
Collin A. Spears completed a Master of Liberal Arts in International Studies at the University of St. Thomas (Houston, TX) in 2006. He completed a Bachelors’ of Science in International Business and Information Technology at Old Dominion University. Mr. Spears lived and worked in Tokyo, Japan from 2001-2002. Additionally, he spent a semester studying Mandarin Chinese at the Shanghai International Studies University in the spring of 1999. On a lighter note, he credits Mando-pop, the actress Gong Li, and old Kung Fu movies for sparking his initial interest in East and Southeast Asia. Areas of Focus: ASEAN, Greater China, Japan, Vietnam.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Southeast Asia
Cassandra Clifford
Cassandra Clifford is the Founder and Executive Director of Bridge to Freedom Foundation, which works to enhance and improve the services and opportunities available to survivors of modern slavery. She holds an M.A., International Relations from Dublin City University in Ireland, as well as a B.A., Marketing and A.S., Fashion Merchandise/Marketing from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Cassandra has previously worked in both the corporate and charity sector for various industries and causes, including; Child Trafficking, Learning Disabilities, Publishing, Marketing, Public Relations and Fashion. Currently Cassandra is conducting independent research on the use of rape as a weapon of war, as well as America’s Pimp Culture and its Impact on Modern Slavery. In addition to her many purists Cassandra is also working to develop a series of children’s books. Cassandra currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, where she also writes for the Examiner, as the DC Human Rights Examiner, and serves as an active leadership member of DC Stop Modern Slavery. Areas of Focus: Children's Rights; Human Rights; Conflict
Contributor to:
Children
Caucasus
Cathryn Cluver
Cathryn Cluver is a journalist and EU analyst. Now based in Hamburg, Germany, she previously worked at the European Policy Centre in Brussels, Belgium, where she was Deputy Editor of the EU policy journal, Challenge Europe. Prior to that, she was a producer with CNN-International in Atlanta and London. Cathryn graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master's Degree in European Studies and holds a BA with honors from Brown University in International Relations. Areas of Focus: Refugees; Immigration; Europe Contact
Contributor to:
Migration
America in Transition
European Union
Christopher Herbert
Christopher Herbert is an analyst of foreign affairs with specific expertise in US foreign policy, the Middle East and Asia. He is Director of Research for the Denver Research Group, has written for the Washington Post’s PostGlobal and Global Power Barometer and has served on projects for the United States Pacific Command and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has degrees from Yale University and Harvard University in Middle Eastern history and politics and speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian. Area of Focus US Foreign Policy; Middle East; Asia. Contact
Contributor to:
Rising Powers
David Abraham
David S Abraham has expertise in the analysis of geopolitical and economic risk as well in energy issues. At the White House Office of Management and Budget, his work included overseeing natural resource and foreign assistance programs, and serving on the interagency trade policy committee. In his previous role as a sovereign risk analyst with Lehman Brothers, subsequently, Barclays Capital, he advised the firm on geopolitical and economic risks in developing countries. He has also consulted for a variety of organizations including the United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery, RBS Sempra Commodities, ClearWater Initiative and a small German consultancy. David earned degrees from Boston College and The Fletcher School at Tufts University and proudly served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His written work has appeared in a variety of publications, most recently in The New York Times, The Providence Journal, and CFR.org. He speaks Lithuanian and is a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Area of Focus Geopolitics; Economic Risk; Energy Issues Contact
Contributor to:
Energy
David Garrahy
David Garrahy works in Brussels monitoring European Union activites. He is originally from Ireland and studied a Degree in Law & European Studies at the University of Limerick before earning a Masters in Globalisation at Dublin City Universty. Previously he has worked in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission and as a Legislative Aide for an Irish Senator. His involvement in the EU has included working for the Irish Forum on Europe and campaigning in Referenda in favour of the Nice & Lisbon Treaties. Area of Focus Europe; Globalisation; European Comission. Contact
Contributor to:
European Union
David Kampf
David Kampf is a writer and researcher based in Washington, DC. He is also a columnist for Asia Chronicle. He analyzes international politics, foreign policy and economic development, and his pieces have appeared in various publications, including China Rights Forum, African Security Review and World Politics Review. Recently, he directed communications for the U.S. Agency for International Development and President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Rwanda. Prior to living in East Africa, he worked in China and studied in Brazil, India and South Africa. Area of Focus International Politics; Foreign Affairs; Economic Development Contact
Contributor to:
Rising Powers
David D. Sussman
David D. Sussman is currently a PhD Candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University), in Boston, Massachusetts. Serving as a fellow at the Feinstein International Center, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study the lives of Colombian refugees and economic migrants in Caracas, Venezuela. David has worked on a variety of migrant issues that include the health of displaced persons, domestic resettlement of refugees, and structured labor-migration programs. He holds a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School, where he studied the integration of Somali and Salvadoran immigrants. David has a B.A. from Dartmouth College and is fluent in Spanish. He has lived in Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Venezuela, and also traveled throughout Latin America. In his free time David enjoys reading up on international news, playing soccer, cooking arepas, and dancing salsa casino. Areas of Focus: Latin America; Migration; Venezuela.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Venezuela
Migration
Derek Catsam
Derek Catsam is an associate professor of history at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Derek writes about race and politics in the United States and Africa, sports, and terrorism. He is currently working on books on bus boycotts in the United States and South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s, the Freedom Rides, and South African resistance politics in the 1980s. He has lived, worked, and travelled extensively throughout southern Africa. He is also a lifelong sports fan, with the Boston Red Sox as his first true love. He was one of about three dozen people to write books about the 2004 World Champion Red Sox, and the result is Bleeding Red: A Red Sox Fan's Diary of the 2004 Season. He writes about politics, sports, travel, pop culture, and just about anything else that comes to mind. Areas of Focus: Africa; Zimbabwe; South Africa; Apartheid Contact
Contributor to:
America in Transition
Africa
Daniel Graeber
Daniel Graeber is a writer for United Press International covering Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader Levant. He has published works on international and constitutional law pertaining to US terrorism cases and on child soldiers. His first major work, entitled The United States and Israel: The Implications of Alignment, is featured in the text, Strategic Interests in the Middle East: Opposition or Support for US Foreign Policy. He holds a MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Management from Norwich University, where his focus was international relations theory, international law, and the role of non-state actors. Areas of Focus:International law; Middle East; Government and Politics; non-state actors Contact
Contributor to:
War Crimes
America in Transition
Lebanon
Caucasus
Elina Galperin
Elina Galperin is a first year MA student in the department of history at the University of Washington at Seattle. She is interested in 19th century Central Asia and Russian/Ottoman relations. Elina was born in Belarus and raised in Brooklyn. Areas of Focus: Eurasia; Caspian Sea Basin; Economy Contact
Contributor to:
Central Asia
Elison Elliott
Elison Elliott , a native of Belize, is a professional investment advisor for the Global Wealth and Invesment Management division of a major worldwide financial services firm. His experience in the global financial markets span over 18 years in both the public and private sectors. Elison is a graduate, cum laude, of the City College of New York (CUNY), and completed his Masters-level course requirements in the International Finance & Banking (IFB) program at Columbia University (SIPA). Elison lives in the northern suburbs of New York City. He is an avid student of sovereign risk, global economics and market trends, and enjoys writing, aviation, outdoor adventure, International travel, cultural exploration and world affairs. Areas of Focus: Market Trends; International Finance; Global Trade; Economics Contact
Contributor to:
Global Markets
Elizabeth Balkan
Elizabeth Balkan is a China-focused consultant who has studied, worked and lived in the region for twelve years. Now based in New York, Balkan advises private and public stakeholders on energy and climate policy, and cleantech investment strategies in China. She is the founder of New Energy and Environment Digest (needigest.com). Balkan earned a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (SFS) and an M.A. in International Economic Policy from Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin. Areas of Focus: Trade Policy; Environment; Energy Contact
Erin Dian
Erin Dian Dumbacher is a research and media analyst in Washington, DC. She holds a degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School at The George Washington University, where she focused on international politics and history in Central and Eastern Europe. She has studied at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) in Warsaw, Poland, and the Free University of Berlin, Germany, and has worked with the institute for cultural diplomacy and for US Congressman Bud Cramer. Her research interests include international technology policy, post-communist political structures, non-proliferation, and digital media. She enjoys traveling, volunteering, and debating political theory over lattes. Areas of Focus: Technology; Digital Media; Europe Contact
Contributor to:
America in Transition
Genevieve Long
Genevieve Long is a freelance journalist and contributing editor with The Epoch Times newspaper based in New York City. She also contributes to Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. Genevieve has traveled throughout the U.S., Asia, and Central America for reporting assignments, including major investigative reports on the recovery of New Orleans, the encroaching presence of China in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and the dangerous import of melamine-contaminated milk into the U.S. She regularly reports on issues related to journalism, and the work of journalists. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California, and an active member of several prominent national and international professional media organizations, including the Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the International Women’s Media Foundation, the New York Press Club, and the Newswomen’s Club of New York. Areas of Focus: New Media; Journalism; Culture and Society Contact
Contributor to:
Media and Foreign Policy
James Ketterer
James Ketterer is the Deputy Provost at the State University of New York (SUNY). In that capacity he serves as Chief of Staff of the Office of Academic Affairs and University Wide Programs, and recently completed service on the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education. He previously served as Director of the SUNY Center for International Development. Ketterer has extensive experience in technical assistance for democratization projects, legislative development, elections, and policy analysis – with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. He served on the National Security Council staff at the White House, as a policy analyst at the New York State Senate, a project officer with the Center for Legislative Development at the University at Albany, and as an international election specialist for the United Nations, the African-American Institute and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has also held teaching positions in international politics at the New School for Social Research, Bard College, the State University of New York at New Paltz, the University at Albany, Russell Sage College, and the College of Saint Rose. Ketterer has lectured and written extensively on various issues for publications including the Washington Post, Middle East Report, the Washington Times, the Albany Times Union, and the Journal of Legislative Studies. He was a Boren National Security Education Program Fellow at Johns Hopkins and in Morocco, an International Graduate Rotary Scholar at the Bourguiba School of Languages in Tunisia, and studied Arabic at the King Fahd Advanced School of Translation in Tangier, Morocco. He received his education at Johns Hopkins, New York University, and Fordham University. Areas of focus: Public Diplomacy; Middle East; Africa; US Foreign Policy Contributor to: Global Engagement
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Global Engagement
Jennifer Bushaw
Jennifer Bushaw holds an MA from the University of Chicago in Middle Eastern Studies with an emphasis on policy. She focused her research, including her Thesis, on modern Iraq and the Iraq war. She also has a Bachelor's in History from the University of Michigan. Jennifer is currently working as an Investigative Research Associate for a security advisory and management firm in Chicago, Illinois. Areas of Focus: Iraq-US Policy; Security; Coalition Operations; Contact
Contributor to:
Iraq
Jessica Corsi
Jessica Corsi has expertise in international law, international politics, and civil society organizing. She is in the final semester of her J.D. at Harvard Law School and will begin her PhD in Law at Cambridge University in 2010. She holds an LL.M. (International Law) from Cambridge and a B.S. (International Politics) from Georgetown University. She has worked for the United Nations and NGOs in the fields of international human rights law, international public health, women's human rights, transitional justice, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law. She has lived in Mexico, Cambodia, India, Switzerland, England, and Belgium, and is originally from the United States. Jessica contributes to the human rights blog.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Human Rights
Jessica Hun
Jessica Hun is a graduate of University of Oxford and University of Pennsylvania who is trained in law and politics. Her special interests are contemporary Chinese politics, developments in intellectual property law and property rights and international relations, especially in regard to China. Area of Focus Womens Issues; Gender Relations; China Contact
Contributor to:
Women and Foreign Policy
Jodi Liss
Jodi Liss is a former consultant for the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, and UNICEF. She has worked on the “Lessons From Rwanda” outreach project and the Post-Conflict Economic Recovery report. She has written about natural resources for the World Policy Institute's blog and for Punch (Nigeria).
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Energy
Joel Davis
Joel Davis is the Director of Online Services at the International Studies Association in Tucson, Arizona. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he received his B.A. in Political Science and Master's degree in International Relations. He has lived in the UK, Italy and Eritrea, and his travels have taken him to Canada, Brazil, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Greece. Areas of Focus: State Department; Diplomacy; US Aid; and Alliances. Contact Joel by e-mail at usrole@gmail.com.
Contributor to:
U.S. Role in the World
Caucasus
Josh Hammer
Josh Hammer is an International Relations theorist, with expertise in terrorist ideology, American foreign policy, and war / conflict resolution. He currently holds a Master's of Science degree in International Politics from the University of Edinburgh, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the George Washington University. Josh's most recent work, his M.Sc. thesis, is a comparative analysis between Marxist / Leninist ideology and Osama bin Laden's global jihadi movement. He currently resides in New York. Areas of Focus: Terrorist Idealogy; American Foreign Policy; Conflict Resolution; Contact
Contributor to:
Terrorism
Josh Hopkins
Josh Hopkins , is a political consultant with specific interest in international political economy and fiscal policy. Concentrating on global economic and leadership studies while an undergraduate, he authored an independent study on Chinese and Turkish economic reform and co-authored multiple North Carolinian industry competitiveness reports used in state policy recommendations. Josh has also done work with numerous non profits and campaigns to increase efficacy in community building and public interest efforts throughout the country. Josh holds a B.A. in International Comparative Studies from Duke University. Area of Focus International Political Economy; International Relations; Politics Contact
Contributor to:
Global Markets
Global Food Crisis
Joseph Simons
Joseph Simons is a fellow at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) at the American University in Cairo. He received his Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and Middle East Studies from McGill University in 2006 and has worked as a policy analyst in Washington, DC. Areas of Focus: Media; Security Issues; Egyptian Culture Contact
Contributor to:
Karin Esposito
Karin Esposito is blogging on religion and politics from her base in Central Asia. Currently, she is the Project Manager for the Tajikistan Dialogue Project in Dushanbe. The Project is run through the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies with the support of PDIV of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the project is to establish practical mechanisms for co-existence and peaceful conflict resolution between Islamic and secular representatives in Tajikistan. After receiving a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law in 2007, she worked in Tajikistan for the Bureau of Human Rights and later as a Visting Professor of Politics and Law at the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP). Ms. Esposito also holds a Master's in Contemporary Iranian Politics (2007) from the School of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iran and a Master's in International Relations (2003) from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (GIIDS) in Switzerland. Areas of Focus: Islam; Christianity; Secularism; Contact
Contributor to:
Religion and Politics
Caucasus
Katya Fisher Yoffe
Katya Fisher Yoffe is recipient of the Howard M. Squadron Fellowship in Law, Media, and Society at the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, University of Oxford and a law student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She is editor of www.globalmedialaw.com which is being developed in conjunction with the National Endowment for Democracy's Center for International Media Assistance and The Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication. Katya has worked as a legal intern at the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Art Loss Register, and the Art Law Department of Herrick, Feinstein LLP. Prior to attending law school Katya worked in communications in Moscow, Russia. On a lighter note, she is also the editor/writer of BlackBook Media's Guide to Moscow. Katya is a graduate of New York University.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Russia
Caucasus
Central Asia
Kevin Dean
Kevin Dean is a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in international conflict management and humanitarian emergencies at Georgetown University. Before returning to school in Fall 2006, he spent six years working in the former Soviet Union - most of that time spent in Central Asia. He has managed a diverse range of international development programs for the US State Department and USAID. He has also consulted for several UN agencies and international NGOs, and is fluent in Russian. Kevin is originally from Des Moines, Iowa and studied Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Iowa.
Contributor to:
Philanthropy
Kimberly Curtis
Kimberly Curtis has a Master's degree in International Affairs and a Juris Doctor from American University in Washington, DC. She is a co-founder of The Women's Empowerment Institute of Cameroon and has worked for human rights organizations in Rwanda and the United States. Areas of Focus: Transitional justice; Women's rights; Africa
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Human Rights
Larissa Douglass
Larissa Douglass is an academic and writer from Montreal and Ottawa, who is studying history at Oxford. Area of Focus Womens Issues; Gender Relations; History Contact
Contributor to:
Women and Foreign Policy
Lisa Gambone
Lisa Gambone is a NY attorney who has provided pro bono work for Human Rights Watch, the ICTR Prosecution and Lawyers Without Borders, first while practicing at a large law firm in London, now independently. She has also spent time at the Caprivi high treason trials in Namibia and at human rights organizations in Belfast, London and New York. She has helped edit and provided research for several publications, including case books on the law of the ad hoc tribunals and a critique of the Iraqi Anfal Trial. She holds a JD specializing in International Law from Columbia University, an MA in International Economics and European Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a BA in International Relations - Security & Diplomacy from Brown University. Here, she covers war crimes and international justice.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
War Crimes
Manuela Paraipan
Manuela Paraipan is an independent analyst and researcher focusing on the Middle East.
Contributor to:
Lebanon
Mark Dillen
Mark Dillen heads Dillen Communications LLC, an international public affairs consultancy based in San Francisco and Croatia. A former Senior Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department, Mark managed political, media and cultural relations for US embassies in Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Sofia and Belgrade, then moved to the private sector. He has degrees from Columbia and Michigan and was a Diplomat-in-Residence at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins. Mark has also worked for USAID as a media and political advisor and twice served as election observer and organizer for OSCE in Eastern Europe. Areas of Focus: US Government; Europe; Diplomacy Contact
Contributor to:
America in Transition
Public Diplomacy
Iran
Afghanistan
Caucasus
Russia
Middle East
Matthew Axelrod
Mr. Axelrod most recently researched the US-Egypt defense relationship in Cairo on a Fulbright grant, after serving as the Country Director for Egypt and North Africa in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2005-2007. He entered the government as a Presidential Management Fellow, rotating through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, and the Pentagon. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2003 with a BS in Foreign Service and an MA in Arab Studies.
Contributor to:
Melinda Brouwer
Melinda Brower holds a Masters degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She received her bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received a graduate diploma in International Relations from the University of Chile during her tenure as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She has worked on Capitol Hill, at the State Department, for Foreign Policy magazine and the American Academy of Diplomacy. She presently works for an internationally focused non-profit research organization in Washington, DC.
Contributor to:
Melissa Lockhart
Melissa Lockhart, a graduate of Pomona College, conducts research on Latin American trends for the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). Her recent projects have covered topics as diverse as: the rise and relative successes of Latin American multinationals (multilatinas); economic, social and political changes in Central America since the civil wars in the region; Wal-Mart’s role in Latin America; and developments in Mexico and in Cuba through current events analysis. She is currently enrolled in relevant graduate courses at USC on migration and on U.S.-Latin American relations. Areas of Focus: Embargo; Cuban Society; Human Rights Contact
Contributor to:
Cuba
Mia Bennett
Mia Bennett is a third-year undergraduate student in Political Science and European Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her senior thesis will focus on the politics of Arctic resource management. She studied Swedish language and culture at Lund University in Sweden, and is currently studying political science and the European Union at Sciences Po Paris. She has interned for the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway with the State Department. Area of Focus Environment; Artic Council; Politics Contact
Contributor to:
The Arctic
Michele Fugiel
Michele Fugiel Gartner is an independent researcher studying the role of philanthropy and civil society in Canada. Michele holds B.A. in Communications and a minor in Spanish from the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University and is an alumna of the Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, HI. She received her M.A. degree in International Studies and Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Most recently, Michele was employed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA. During that time, she participated in Rotary International's Group Study Exchange to Saitama, Japan where she studied the role of philanthropy and Japanese civil society. Active in a number of community organizations, she was Vice President of the Young Professionals International Network with the World Affairs Council and a grant writer for the Saul & Dayee G. Haas Foundation in Seattle. She has also worked with the Next Century Foundation in London, Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, and with the Himeji City Board of Education in Japan. Areas of Focus: Civil Society; Charity; Private Philanthropy; Contact
Contributor to:
Philanthropy
Michael Coe
Mike is pursuing his MA in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC. Prior to his graduate studies, Mike completed his BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has traveled throughout Latin America, and researched NAFTA's effects on Mexican agriculture and migration. When not reading the news Mike enjoys travelling, skiing, mountain biking, and drinking yerba maté.
Contributor to:
Mexico
Nonna Gorilovskaya
Nonna Gorilovskaya is the founder and editor of Women and Foreign Policy. She is a senior editor at Moment Magazine and a researcher for NiemanWatchdog.org, a project of Harvard University's Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Prior to her adventures in journalism, she studied the role of nationalism in the breakup of the Soviet Union as a U.S. Fulbright scholar to Armenia. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where she grew addicted to lattes, and St. Antony's College, Oxford, where she acquired a fondness for Guinness and the phrase "jolly good." Area of Focus Journalism; Gender Issues; Social Policy Contact
Contributor to:
Women and Foreign Policy
Nikolaj Nielsen
Nikolaj Nielsen has a Master's of Journalism and Media degree from a program partnership of three European universities - University of Arhus in Denmark, University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Swansea University in Wales. His work has been published at Reuters AlertNet, openDemocracy.net, the New Internationalist and others. Areas of Focus: Torture; Women and Children; Asylum; Contact
Contributor to:
Human Rights
Caucasus
Pete Ajemian
Pete Ajemian is a New York-based analyst who has written on topics of political violence, terrorism, and Arab media politics. He has conducted research for US law enforcement and recently completed graduate studies at the University of St. Andrews where his dissertation research examined issues dealing with new media, politics and security in the Arab world. His interest in Arab political media developed over the course of his Arabic language studies in Lebanon and the US. He has also written previously on the subject for issues of Arab Media & Society. Areas of Focus: New Media; Politics; Security; Contact
Contributor to:
Middle East Media
Patrick Frost
Patrick Frost recently graduated from New York University's Masters Program in Political Science - International Relations. His MA thesis analyzed the capabilities and objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Central Asia and beyond and explored how these affected U.S. interests and policy. Areas of Focus: Eurasia; NATO; Security Contact
Contributor to:
Afghanistan
Central Asia
Religion and Politics
Patrick Vibert
Patrick Vibert does independent research in geopolitics, focusing on the Middle East. He has a BA in Finance and an MA in International Relations. He is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House and he currently lives in Beirut. Area of Focus Geopolitics; International Relations; Middle East Contact
Contributor to:
Lebanon
Richard Basas
Richard Basas, a Canadian Masters Level Law student educated in Spain, England, and Canada (U of London MA 2003 LL.M., 2007), has worked researching for CSIS and as a Reporter for the Latin America Advisor. He went on to study his MA in Latin American Political Economy in London with the University of London and LSE. Subsequently, Rich followed his career into Law focusing mostly on International Commerce and EU-Americas issues. He has worked for many commercial and legal organisations as well as within the Refugee Protection Community in Toronto, Canada, representing detained non-status indivduals residing in Canada. Rich will go on to study his PhD in International Law in 2008. Areas of Focus: Refugees; Immigration; Americas Contact
Contributor to:
Migration
America in Transition
Mexico
Latin America
Roger Scher
Roger Scher is a political analyst and economist with eighteen years of experience as a country risk specialist. He headed Latin American and Asian Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings and Duff & Phelps, leading rating missions to Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Korea, Indonesia, Israel and Turkey, among other nations. He was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer based in Venezuela and an analyst at the Federal Reserve. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, an M.B.A. in International Finance from the Wharton School, and a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University. Areas of Focus: Foreign Service; International Finance; Economy Contact
Contributor to:
Rising Powers
Sahar Zubairy
Sahar Zubairy recently graduated from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas- Austin with Masters in Global Policy Studies. She graduated from Texas A&M University with Phi Beta Kappa honors in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. In Summer 2008, she was the Southwest Asia/Gulf Intern at the Henry L. Stimson Center, where she researched Iran and the Persian Gulf. She was also a member of a research team that helped develop a website investigating the possible effects of closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf by Iran.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Iran
Reginald Dale
Reginald Dale is a senior fellow in the CSIS Europe Program and Director of the CSIS Transatlantic Media Network, which aims to promote excellence in transatlantic reporting by encouraging closer relationships between U.S. and European journalists. Before joining CSIS in January 2006, he spent most of his career as a foreign correspondent, commentator, and senior editor for the Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune, specializing in European affairs, U.S. foreign policy, international politics and economics, globalization and transatlantic relations. He has been based in London, Brussels, Washington, and Paris and reported from many other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as from Canada and Mexico. He was also founding editor-in-chief of European Affairs, a quarterly policy journal published in Washington by the European Institute. Dale spent six months as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2003. From 1993 through 2002, he was a syndicated columnist in Washington for the International Herald Tribune, and from 1987 to 1993, he was based at its head office in Paris, first as international economics correspondent and then as economics and financial editor. Earlier, he was a senior editor, foreign correspondent, and editorialist for the Financial Times. Dale was educated at Oxford University in England and the University of Grenoble in France. He has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University and a media fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He established a journalism program for the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where he was also director of the Peter Weitz annual European journalism award.
Contributor to:
Foreign Policy Blogs
Transatlantic Media
Sean Patrick Murphy
Sean Patrick Murphy is a graduate of Bennington College, where he majored in politics and Latin American literature. He lives outside Philadelphia. Areas of Focus: Cinematography; Independent Films; Documentary; Contact
Contributor to:
Global Film Review
Sean Goforth
Sean H. Goforth teaches world politics and international political economy at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2005), where he received the Julia Crane Award for most promising undergraduate research on Latin America and was elected a Junior Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. In 2007, he completed his master’s degree at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he was awarded a Frank Fund Award for the study of democracy. Sean’s research focuses primarily on US-Latin American relations, Latin American political economy and international trade.
Contributor to:
Mexico
Susan MacDougall
Susan MacDougall is a M.A. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona. She received her B.A. from Northwestern University in Social Policy, and spent the past year working at New York University's Center on Law and Security. She has also lived in Jordan and Yemen. Area of Focus Arab World; Governance; Economy Contact
Contributor to:
Middle East
Vadim Nikitin
Vadim Nikitin was born in Murmansk, Russia and grew up there and in Britain. He is a recent graduate of Harvard University where he studied Government and wrote his thesis on American democracy promotion in Russia. Vadim currently lives in Washington DC and works at the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.Pete Ajemian is a New York-based analyst who has written on topics of political violence, terrorism, and Arab media politics. He has conducted research for US law enforcement and recently completed graduate studies at the University of St. Andrews where his dissertation research examined issues dealing with new media, politics and security in the Arab world. His interest in Arab political media developed over the course of his Arabic language studies in Lebanon and the US. He has also written previously on the subject for issues of Arab Media & Society. Areas of Focus: USSR; US-Russia Relations; Culture and Society; Contact