Recent Programming on Israel and Gaza

About the Middle East Initiative

Established in 1998, the Middle East Initiative (MEI) is Harvard University’s principal forum for policy-relevant research and teaching on the contemporary Middle East and North Africa. 

Chaired by Tarek Masoud, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Governance at Harvard Kennedy School, MEI convenes policymakers, scholars, and intellectuals from the region and beyond to expand our understanding of this complex part of the world and to contribute to the search for solutions to its most pressing policy challenges. Through the integration of scholarly research, policy analysis, executive and graduate education, and community engagement, MEI aims to advance public policy and build capacity in the Middle East to enhance the lives of all the region’s peoples. 

“The Middle East Initiative is one of the most important ways in which the Kennedy School and Harvard engage with the contemporary Arab world and its neighbors. Our programs and events give our students a front-row seat to the most exciting developments in the region; and they provide scholars and practitioners from the region access to the cutting-edge policy solutions being generated at this University.” 

Tarek Masoud, MEI Faculty Chair and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Governance

 

Contact the Middle East Initiative

  • For questions about MEI Events, Communications, and Outreach, please contact Sam Himmelman, Program and Communications Coordinator
  • For questions about MEI Fellowship Programs, Research Output, and Student Opportunities, please contact Marina Lorenzini, Research Program Coordinator 

Mailing Address

Middle East Initiative
Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK Street
Mailbox 131
Cambridge, MA 02138

Fall 2023 MEI Study Groups

  • Policy vs. Politics: Insights from the Field with H.E. Dr. Omar Razzaz

    MEI Senior Fellow H.E. Dr. Omar Razzaz, former Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will lead this three-part study group (October - November).

    Drawing on Dr. Razzaz's decades of public service, this study group will explore the processes and pitfalls of achieving political and economic reform. Through exploring reform attempts in social protection, education, taxation, and public sector accountability, the group will identify essential building blocks in the reform process and potential pitfalls along the way.  Specifically, while “realism” has taught us that “politics is the art of the possible,” how can we manage short term political interests without losing sight of longer-term policy objectives which render development results in the long term? Dr. Razzaz will share his extensive experience as a leading policymaker in Jordan and the Middle East to highlight real-world examples of “policy vs. politics."

    READ MORE HEREAPPLY HERE

     

  • From Wealth to Power: the Arabian Gulf Rising Amidst Great Power Competition

    MEI Senior Fellow Mohammed Alyahyapolitical analyst and former Editor in Chief of Al Arabiya English, will lead this study group on great power competition in the Arabian Gulf. The study group will meet from September to November. 

    Amid tectonic shifts in great power competition, and after the failure of the Arab spring in remaking Arab Societies, a power vacuum has been left in one of the world’s most strategically valuable — and volatile — regions. Will the United States or China emerge as the great power in the region for the decade to come, or will leadership come from within — Iran or Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf states?

    READ MORE HERE | APPLY HERE


Faculty Chair

Tarek Masoud

  • Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Governance, Harvard Kennedy School

Staff

Julia Martin

  • Associate Director

Sam Himmelman

  • Program and Communications Coordinator

Marina Lorenzini

  • Research Program Coordinator

Paige Ferreira

  • Executive Assistant to the Faculty Chair

Senior Fellows and Visiting Scholars

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Sultan Al Qassemi

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Rabah Arezki

  • Senior Fellow, Emirates Leadership Initiative

Yael Berda

  • Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative

Youssef Chahed

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Edward P. Djerejian

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Salam Fayyad

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Karim Haggag

  • Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative

Nadya Hajj

  • Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative

David Patel

  • Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative

Omar Razzaz

  • Senior Fellow, Emirates Leadership Initiative

James Snyder

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Amos Yadlin

  • Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Research Fellows

Layane Alhorr

  • Research Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Nasir Almasri

  • Research Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Peyman Asadzade

  • Joint Research Fellow, Managing the Atom/Middle East Initiative

Sharan Grewal

  • Research Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Adel Hamaizia

  • Research Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Ameni Mehrez

  • Research Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Mohammed Tabaar

  • Joint Research Fellow, Managing the Atom/Middle East Initiative

Fellows

Yasmeen Abu Fraiha

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Abdullah I. Alibrahim

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Lotem Bassan-Nygate

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Adrienne Fricke

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Avner Halperin

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Rima Majed

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Yuree Noh

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Özgür Özkan

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Aaron Rock-Singer

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Lana Salman

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Sarah Smierciak

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Daniel Sobelman

  • Fellow, Middle East Initiative

Faculty Affiliates

Fatih Serkant Adiguzel

  • Assistant Professor of Political Science, Sabancı University 

Pouya Alimagham

  • Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eisa Al Nashmi

  • Associate Professor of Digital Media, Kuwait University

Marsin Alshamary

  • Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boston College

Melani Cammett

  • Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University

Gareth Doherty

  • Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Kristin E. Fabbe

  • Jakurski Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Marshall Ganz

  • Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society, Harvard Kennedy School

Jamal Ibrahim Haidar

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics, Lebanese American University

Rema Hanna

  • Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies, Harvard Kennedy School

Juliette Kayyem

  • Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School

Salmaan Keshavjee

  • Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Asim Khwaja

  • Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development, Harvard Kennedy School

Henry Lee

  • Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Ammar Malik

  • Senior Research Scientist at AidData, College of William & Mary

Andrew F. March

  • Visiting Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Diane L. Moore

  • Lecturer in Religion, Conflict, and Peace, Harvard Divinity School

Meghan L. O'Sullivan

  • Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Soroush Saghafian

  • Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani

  • Professor of Economics, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg

James K. Sebenius

  • Gordon Donaldson Professors of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Arthur Segel

  • Baker Foundation Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School

Moshik Temkin

  • Johnson and Johnson Chair in Leadership and History at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University

Salma Waheedi

  • Lecturer on Law and Executive Director, Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World, Harvard Law School

Stephen M. Walt

  • Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Research Fellowship Program

For: Untenured faculty members, recent recipients of a Ph.D. (or equivalent), and advanced doctoral candidates whose research relates to governance and public policy in the Arab world and broader Middle East.

Duration: Academic Year (September - June)

Application and Deadline: The application period to apply for a 2024-2025 fellowship will open at 10:00am EDT on October 2, 2023. The deadline to apply is December 1, 2023. Recommendation letters are due by December 15, 2023. Decisions will be announced on or before February 15, 2024.

Fellowship Description: The Middle East Initiative offers one-year Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellowships for research related to governance and public policy in the Arab world and broader Middle East. These fellowships, all of which carry a stipend, are intended to support the next generation of policy-oriented scholars on the challenges and opportunities facing and emanating from the region.

Eligible candidates include untenured faculty members, recent recipients of a Ph.D. (or equivalent), and advanced doctoral candidates. We welcome applications from political scientists, historians, economists, sociologists, and other social scientists. We encourage applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries.

  • Applicants for pre-doctoral fellowships: Applicants must have passed general examinations, advanced to candidacy, received dissertation prospectus approval, and concluded all necessary fieldwork for the dissertation by the time of application. Applicants who have more than one year remaining in their doctoral programs are unlikely to be selected.

  • Applicants who expect to complete their Ph.D. program after submitting their application but prior to the fellowship start date can apply for a postdoctoral appointment. Postdoctoral fellowship offers are contingent upon submitting proof of Ph.D. completion prior to the September 1st fellowship start date.

Priority will be given to applicants who combine rigorous social scientific methods, real-world, policy relevance, and the ability to communicate clear and compelling perspectives to non-specialist audiences. We are particularly interested in scholars who study economic diversification, the economic and social impacts of developments in technology, regional security, and energy and the environment. We are especially interested in scholars who study these themes in the Arabian Gulf region.

This program is made possible through funding from the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. 

For more information regarding the program and application process, please visit: www.belfercenter.org/fellowship/middle-east-initiative.


Kuwait Program Research Fellowship

For: Scholars from Kuwait, ranging from recent recipients of a PhD (or equivalent) to the senior level.

Duration: One semester (about four months)

Application and Deadline: The deadline to apply for the Spring 2023 Kuwait Visiting Research Fellowship has passed. Applications for this position are no longer being accepted at this time. 

Fellowship Description: The Middle East Initiative hosts a scholar each spring to conduct a research project on a topic relevant to policy and development in the Middle East and North Africa. Eligible candidates include scholars from Kuwait, ranging from the postdoctoral to the senior level. We are interested in research that focuses on the Arabian Gulf (preferably with specific attention to the State of Kuwait) and one of the following five policy areas:

  1. Science and Technology: Deployment and impacts of new information technologies, automation processes, and artificial intelligence: new frontiers in urban design and sustainability; anticipating and managing global health challenges.
  2. Energy and the Environment: Externality impacts of energy development; renewable options; impacts of and measures to deal with the impact of climate change in the region.
  3. Education Reform: Higher education management; curricular reform; workforce development and training; equipping the region's youth to be globally competitive.
  4. Economic Development: Economic development and structural diversification; building a stronger private sector; attracting foreign investment.
  5. Governance: Regulatory and legal reform; strategic planning and crisis management; public policy analysis, design and delivery; institutional reform. 

The Kuwait Visiting Research Fellow is expected to be in residence at Harvard for the duration of their appointment and to participate actively in MEI and Belfer Center activities as appropriate. The fellowship includes a $7,500 monthly stipend.

Application Requirements:

The deadline to apply for the Spring 2023 Kuwait Visiting Research Fellowship has passed. Applications for this position are no longer being accepted at this time. 

  • CV
  • Three recommenders (name, contact details, in what capacity they worked with you) who will submit letters of recommendation on your behalf.*
  • Research proposal (3-5 pages)
  • Writing sample with an abstract of 300 words or less. The writing sample should not exceed 50 pages. It can be a journal article, book or dissertation chapter, a white paper, policy brief, etc.

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure these letters are received by the recommender deadline. Emails with a link to upload the letters of recommendation will be sent to all listed recommenders once the applicant submits their application.

Please submit inquires to Marina Lorenzini at: mlorenzini@hks.harvard.edu

The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.


The Kuwait Program Senior Fellowship

For: Senior Practitioners and Academics

Duration: One Semester (about four months)

Application Deadline: The deadline to apply for the fall 2022 position has passed. Applications for this position are no longer being accepted at this time. 

The Middle East Initiative hosts senior policymakers and academics to engage with students and faculty as a visiting scholar for one semester as part of the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School. The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through the generous support of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

Applications from scholars working on contemporary issues of policy relevance to the Middle East, and the Arabian Gulf in particular, in the disciplines of political science, economics, history, and sociology are especially welcome. All visiting scholars are expected to either:

  • Conduct a research project preferably with a Harvard Kennedy School faculty member; or
  • Lead a not-for credit eight week study group on a topic relevant to policy and development in the Middle East and North Africa.

The visiting scholar is required to be in residence for the semester and is expected to participate in Middle East Initiative activities and must be available to students throughout their time on campus. In some cases, visiting scholars may be asked to teach a course on campus. The program will provide the visiting scholar $5,000 a month and a housing allowance.

Contact: For more information, contact Marina Lorenzini by email at: mlorenzini@hks.harvard.edu


Faculty Research Grants

The Middle East Initiative accepts research proposals for projects that target major policy issues affecting the Middle East and North Africa. Funding is made possible by the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School and the Kuwait Program at Harvard University. Details regarding priority topic areas for each program can be found below. 

The deadline to apply for the AY2023 cycle has passed. Applications for this funding opportunity are no longer being accepted at this time.

For each program there are two categories of research proposals:

  • Major Research Projects - Proposals may be for one- or two-year grants to support research by Harvard faculty members and can be applied toward research assistance, travel, summer salary, workshops, and course buy-out. 
  • Exploratory Research Projects – Exploratory grants are intended to support travel to Kuwait or to the UAE to participate in academic seminars and conferences, develop research projects with local scholars and institutions, and share the results of Harvard faculty research with local audiences.

Fund Details and Priority Topics

  • Emirates Leadership Initiative

    The Emirates Leadership Initiative will consider proposals on issues of critical importance to the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab World with priority given to those focused on the following topics:

    Improving Governance

    • Promoting the inclusivity, accountability, responsiveness, and efficiency of governing institutions and empowering the region's citizens.

    Building Peace

    • Addressing the sources of domestic and interstate conflict and generating durable political settlements.

    Revitalizing the State

    • Reforming the Middle East's social service delivery systems with a special emphasis on health, education, and social protection.

    Broadening Financial and Labor Markets

    • Working to ensure that the financial and labor markets in the Middle East are open, competitive, and beneficial to the entire population.

    Governing Technology

    • Assessing how governments in the Middle East adapt to and integrate technological changes such as the growth of cyberspace, automation, and artificial intelligence, as well as how these advances in technology have shaped governance.

    Adapting to the Environment

    • Exploring how the governments of the region can cope and are coping with the challenges of water scarcity and climate change.
  • Kuwait Program

    The Kuwait Program will consider proposals primarily on Kuwait and GCC countries with priority given to those focused on the following topics:

    Education Reform

    • Management of higher education in Kuwait
    • The role of youth in the future of the Arab World

    Economic Development in the Gulf

    • Economic development and structural diversification
    • Building a stronger private sector
    • Attracting foreign investment and managing civil risks

    Governance

    • Regulatory and legal reform
    • Strategic planning and crisis management
    • Institutional reform

    Energy Policy

    • Externalities of energy development
    • Renewable energy options

    Science, Technology, and Innovation

    • Coping with environmental change
    • Urban sustainability
    • Information technology and security
    • Anticipating and managing global health challenges

Application Requirements

Proposals must be led or co-led by a faculty member with PI status at Harvard University. Submissions must include the following:  

  • Research proposal (5 pages max)
  • Budget 
  • Other sources of funding (if applicable)
  • Curriculum vitae for senior researchers 

Please submit all application materials, and any inquiries, to Marina Lorenzini at mlorenzini@hks.harvard.edu.  

Current Students

The Middle East Initiative (MEI) is Harvard's principal forum for policy-relevant research and teaching on the contemporary Middle East and North Africa. MEI provides a variety of opportunities and support to enhance students' academic training and help prepare them to meet the policy challenges of today.

January Term Field Study Course

  • Leadership and Social Transformation in the Arab World

    Led by MEI Faculty Chair Professor Tarek Masoud and MEI Senior Fellow Sultan Al Qassemi, DPI-442M: Leadership and Social Transformation in the Arab World will take place in the U.A.E. with potential visits to other Gulf countries. The module will enable students to explore reform efforts firsthand, to place them into their broader global and historical context, and to asses their futures. Through a combination of site visits, lectures by local scholars, and opportunities for engagement with policymakers and practitioners, participants in the course will emerge with a deeper understanding of the forces shaping the Arab region, and of opportunities for, and obstacles to, modernization in the developing world more broadly.

    Register to attend the Info Session at 12:00pm on 9/22/2023.

    Apply using this link.

    Read more on the HKS course page.

Study Groups

  • From Wealth to Power: the Arabian Gulf Rising amidst Great Power Competition

    MEI Senior Fellow Mohammed Alyahyapolitical analyst and former Editor in Chief of Al Arabiya English, will lead this study group on great power competition in the Arabian Gulf. The study group will meet from September to November. 

    Amid tectonic shifts in great power competition, and after the failure of the Arab spring in remaking Arab Societies, a power vacuum has been left in one of the world’s most strategically valuable — and volatile — regions. Will the United States or China emerge as the great power in the region for the decade to come, or will leadership come from within — Iran or Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf states?

    READ MORE HERE | APPLY HERE

  • Policy vs. Politics & the Path to Reform: Insights from the Field

    MEI Senior Fellow H.E. Dr. Omar Razzaz, former Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will lead this three-part study group (October - November).

    Drawing on Dr. Razzaz's decades of public service, this study group will explore the processes and pitfalls of achieving political and economic reform. Through exploring reform attempts in social protection, education, taxation, and public sector accountability, the group will identify essential building blocks in the reform process and potential pitfalls along the way.  Specifically, while “realism” has taught us that “politics is the art of the possible,” how can we manage short term political interests without losing sight of longer-term policy objectives which render development results in the long term? Dr. Razzaz will share his extensive experience as a leading policymaker in Jordan and the Middle East to highlight real-world examples of “policy vs. politics."

    READ MORE HEREAPPLY HERE

Research and Internship Funding

  • Info

    Research and Internship Funding

    MEI offers funding to HKS students to support PAE and SYPA research and summer internships located in or for work regarding the Middle East and North Africa.

    Applications will be due on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Please refer to the Winter Funding Common Application page on KNet for more information.

    Please refer back here at a later date for more information onSummer Funding Applications. 

    Past MEI-Funded Student Internships:

  • World Bank

    Chihiro Tanigawa received summer internship funding to join the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) team of the Poverty and Equity Global Practice in Washington, D.C.

    "The internship taught me valuable lessons in how organizations navigate the challenges of evaluating situations in developing worlds with limited information. This experience has also motivated me to further explore how research and policy recommendations can be effectively translated into actionable measures that truly make a positive impact on vulnerable populations. The grant allowed me to immerse myself in my internship experience, where I had the opportunity to learn the potential of data-driven solutions in shaping a sustainable and equitable future for the MENA countries."

  • U.A.E. Ministry of Economy

    David Dam received Summer Internship Funding to work with the Growth Lab at Harvard's Center for International Development and the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of the Economy.

    "The Middle East Initiative’s award allowed me to cover costs during my internship in Dubai with the Growth Lab at Harvard’s Center for International Development and the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Economy. I never imagined myself working in Dubai—let alone the Middle East—for a summer, and I gained both an admiration for and new perspectives on the region. I view this past summer—made possible by the Middle East Initiative’s generous grant—as the capstone to an amazing first year at HKS where I was able to develop new skills and strengthen existing ones. With this experience, I come into the upcoming academic year with a clearer idea of the types of work I would like to do and a more confident vision of who I am."

  • Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen

    Maria Cantele received summer internship funding to travel to Yemen to work with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen (OSESGY).

    "The internship at the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen OSESGY was a unique and unexpected experience that exceeded my expectations. [It] gave me the opportunity to deep dive into a completely different and complex context. As an economist, it was fascinating to learn more about the warfare like policies in place in such a context and more surprisingly to realize that in practice life continues despite the challenges and people are incredibly resilient. On a similar note, participating in internal and external meetings gave me an initial understanding of the ecosystem in place when being part of a UN political mission. Engaging with the incredibly welcoming colleagues in the office and meeting people from the region outside of work broadened my understanding of regional dynamics and the prevalent developmental challenges."

RA Positions

MEI is accepting applications from Harvard students for research assistant positions with our Senior Fellows and with our program generally. Applications must be submitted through the Harvard Student Employment Office website.

Student-Led Activities

MEI welcomes ideas for student-led initiatives related to public policy in the Middle East. Offering guidance and support, MEI aids HKS students in achieving their extra-curricular objectives.


Prospective Students

Are you thinking about applying to HKS? Learn more about the various degrees offered through HKS and how to apply from the Office of Admissions. There are ample fellowship opportunities for prospective students from the Middle East. We encourage you to explore the various fellowships listed below, and contact us or visit the HKS Financial Aid Office to find out more.

Representatives from the Office of Admissions travel to the Middle East frequently to host information sessions on degree programs and fellowships. Follow the HKS Admissions Blog to find out about opportunities near you.

 

Selection of Past Study Groups

  • Fall 2021 | Investigating The Politics of Modern Middle Eastern Art with Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar Sultan Al Qassemi

    This weekly study group will look at art production in North Africa and West Asia through the prism of important historical moments and socio-political events throughout the region. The participants will survey the political underpinnings of Arab art in the 20th century and the socio-political conditions that shaped cultural production in the region. Whether it is under the Ba’athist regimes of Syria and Iraq or under Egypt’s pan-Arabism championed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, painting and sculpture, in addition to film and performance, have been employed by various governments as a tool of soft power to propagate their policies in their respective states and beyond. Despite widespread government patronage of the arts, many artists have chosen to challenge their authorities through subversive movements and practices, which we will address at different moments in the semester. This study group, through its focus on the strategic use of the arts, will grapple with an often-neglected dimension of the modern history of the Arab World and other parts of the Middle East.

  • Spring 2021 | James Snyder in Conversation: A series of dialogues on art, culture, politics, and the possibilities for transcending conflict in the modern Middle East

    MEI Senior Fellow Study Group | Spring 2021

    James Snyder in Conversation: A series of dialogues on art, culture, politics, and the possibilities for transcending conflict in the modern Middle East

    with James Snyder, MEI Senior Fellow and Executive Chairman, Jerusalem Foundation, Inc.;  Director Emeritus, Israel Museum.


    Dance in Israel
    Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 12:00pm

    James S. Snyder in conversation with Ohad Naharin, Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Batsheva Dance Company, Israel’s premiere contemporary dance ensemble, and a seminal personality worldwide, talking about interpreting the challenges of the region through dance.   

    The Universal Museum through a Middle Eastern Lens
    Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 12:00pm

    James Snyder in conversation with Manuel Rabate, Director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, talking about the special meaning of a universal museum in the Middle East today, as distinct from the founding mandate and mission of “universal” museums in the western world. 

    Jewish Arabs | Arab Jews
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 12:00pm

    James Snyder in conversation James Snyder,  HKS/MEI Senior Fellow, in conversation with Sasson Gabay, award-winning Israeli stage, film, and television actor, notably for his performance in the acclaimed The Band’s Visit. Born in Iraq of Sephardi Jewish heritage, Gabay's history will inform this conversation on the merging sensibilities of the Arab Jew and the Jewish Arab across the Middle Eastern landscape and their depictions on stage and screen.

    Another Kind of Other in Israel and Palestine 
    Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 12:00pm 

    James Snyder in conversation with the contemporary Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky, who arrived as a child from the Soviet Union, talking about other kinds of outsiders who are also an integral part of the landscape of Israel and Palestine and about how art makes the complexity of their experiences comprehensible for others.


    James S. Snyder is the Executive Chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation, Inc. and Director Emeritus of the Israel Museum. He served as the Israel Museum’s Anne and Jerome Fisher Director from 1997-2016 and then its International President through 2018.

    As Director, Snyder led the Museum through the most dramatic period of growth since its founding and secured its stature as one of the world’s foremost museums. During his tenure, the Museum more than doubled its annual attendance to nearly one million visitors and increased its endowment more than fivefold to $200 million. Snyder also conceived and realized a series of successful initiatives to upgrade and enhance the experience of art and architecture across the Museum’s 20-acre campus, culminating in a comprehensive $100-million, 300,000-square-foot expansion and renewal designed to resonate with the Museum’s original architectural plan and a dynamic reinstallation of its wide-ranging collections. During his subsequent term in the newly created role of International President, Snyder continued to spearhead the development of the Museum’s extensive international network of Friends organizations; to build the Museum’s relationships with sister institutions and collectors worldwide; and to support the Museum’s leadership in strategic planning, professional staff development, and program planning.

    Israel’s largest cultural institution, the Museum is universal in scope, comprising over 500,000 objects under the jurisdiction of curatorial wings for archeology, Jewish world culture, and the fine arts extending to contemporary art worldwide. Snyder led a staff of over 350 complemented by a volunteer force equal in size. He also fostered substantial growth of the Museum’s International Friends network, expanding it across 16 countries on four continents and strengthening the Museum’s global foundation for operating, exhibition and programming, and capital support. Given its cross-communal reach in Jerusalem – serving local visitors, tourists, and over 100,000 students each year from all of its diverse communities – and its global profile, the Museum has become an important center for cultural diplomacy in Israel and internationally from the Middle East to North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

    Under Snyder’s leadership, the Museum also greatly expanded its encyclopedic holdings across all collecting areas, with the addition of more than 55,000 individual objects and works of art, including a collection-building campaign during the Museum’s 50th Anniversary in 2015, which attracted gifts of more than 20 collections numbering several thousand objects and nearly 500 individual works of art. Among the notable works acquired during Snyder’s tenure include: in Archaeology, the Renée and Robert Belfer Collection of Ancient Glass and Greek and Roman Antiquity and the Demirjian Family European Bronze Age Collection; in Jewish Art and Life, an illuminated Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (ca. 1457), acquired jointly with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the restored 18th-century Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue from Paramaribo, Suriname; and, in the Fine Arts, Nicolas Poussin’s Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem (1625), Rembrandt van Rijn’s St. Peter in Prison (1631), the Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art, Jackson Pollock’s Horizontal Composition (1949), the Noel and Harriette Levine Collection of Photography, Yayoi Kusama’s Ironing Board (1963), Alina Szapocznikow’s Cleaning Woman (1965), and Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1997); together with acquisitions of emerging contemporary art and site-specific commissions by such artists as Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor, and Doug and Mike Starn.

    Snyder strengthened the Museum’s regional and international presence with an ambitious series of collection and loan exhibitions in Jerusalem and traveling exhibitions worldwide, extending to North and South America, Europe, and Asia. These included: Ai Weiwei: Maybe, Maybe Not (2017); the Museum’s 50th Anniversary exhibitions, among them A Brief History of Humankind (2015), featuring 14 pivotal objects from across the Museum’s collections from prehistoric times through the present day, complemented by signature works from the Museum’s contemporary holdings, and Twilight over Berlin: Masterworks from the Nationalgalerie, 1905-1945 (2015); James Turrell: Light Spaces (2014); Dress Codes: Revealing the Jewish Wardrobe (2014); Herod the Great: The King’s Final Journey (2013); A World Apart: Glimpses into the Lives of Hasidic Jews (2012); William Kentridge: Five Themes (2011); Looking for Owners and Orphaned Art (2008), two ground-breaking exhibitions on art looted during World War II; and Surrealism and Beyond (2007), which completed major international tours in 2009 and then again in 2014-15.

    Snyder’s publications include: Museum Design: Planning and Building for Art (Oxford University Press) in 1993; and RENEWED: The Israel Museum Campus Renewal Project (Israel Museum) in 2011 and 2015 (revised).

    Prior to his appointment at the Israel Museum, Snyder held a number of positions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, culminating as Deputy Director from 1986 to 1996. During his tenure at MoMA, he oversaw the $60-million, 350,000-square-foot expansion of the Museum in 1984 and had significant organizational responsibility for major international loan exhibitions, including Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective (1980) and Henri Matisse: A Retrospective (1992).

    In recognition of his leadership in the arts, Snyder has been awarded the Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity) by the Republic of Italy and the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) of the French Republic. In 2011, he was awarded the Jerusalem Foundation’s Teddy Kollek Award for Significant Contribution to Jerusalem, and, in 2012, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat conferred on him the title of Honorary Citizen of Jerusalem.

    Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Snyder is a graduate of Harvard University and a Loeb Fellow of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and he holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hebrew Union College. He is married to Tina Davis, a graphic artist and designer, and they have two children.

  • Fall 2020 | James Snyder in Conversation: A series of dialogues on art, culture, politics, and the possibilities for transcending conflict in the modern Middle East

    MEI Senior Fellow Study Group | Fall 2020

    James Snyder in Conversation: A series of dialogues on art, culture, politics, and the possibilities for transcending conflict in the modern Middle East

    with James Snyder, MEI Senior Fellow and Executive Chairman, Jerusalem Foundation, Inc.;  Director Emeritus, Israel Museum.


    The Power of Place
    Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 5:00pm

    James S. Snyder, HKS/MEI Senior Fellow, in conversation with MEI Faculty Director Tarek Masoud, speaks personally about his experience living and working among Jerusalem’s Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities, reflecting on the meaning of place and identity and the role of culture and the cultural landscape as sources of unity and division. 

    Making Monotheism: Scholarly and Artistic Interpretations
    Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 5:00pm (date and time TBC)

    James Snyder in conversation with Moshe Halbertal, Biblical scholar specializing in the legacy of Maimonides, and Anthony Roth Costanzo, American countertenor who portrayed Akhenaten in the Philip Glass opera “Akhenaten” in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-2020 season, discussing creative interpretations of the emergence of the Middle East’s most significant contribution to the history of world religion—the belief in a single, all-powerful God.

    Antique Inspirations, Fresh Creations
    Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 5:00pm (date and time TBC)

    James Snyder in conversation with award-winning Palestinian Israeli architect Senan Abdelqader on the influences of Arab culture across time on art, architecture, and design in Israel, Palestine, and the world today.

    Israel and Palestine on Screen 
    Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 5:00pm (date and time TBC)

    James Snyder and Tarek Masoud in conversation with Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers Joseph Cedar and Tawfik Abu Wael, collaborating writers and directors for the HBO series Our Boys, discussing serial television as a medium for exploring cross-cultural narratives in Israel and Palestine and strategies for doing so with accuracy and sensitivity.


    James S. Snyder is the Executive Chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation, Inc. and Director Emeritus of the Israel Museum. He served as the Israel Museum’s Anne and Jerome Fisher Director from 1997-2016 and then its International President through 2018.

    As Director, Snyder led the Museum through the most dramatic period of growth since its founding and secured its stature as one of the world’s foremost museums. During his tenure, the Museum more than doubled its annual attendance to nearly one million visitors and increased its endowment more than fivefold to $200 million. Snyder also conceived and realized a series of successful initiatives to upgrade and enhance the experience of art and architecture across the Museum’s 20-acre campus, culminating in a comprehensive $100-million, 300,000-square-foot expansion and renewal designed to resonate with the Museum’s original architectural plan and a dynamic reinstallation of its wide-ranging collections. During his subsequent term in the newly created role of International President, Snyder continued to spearhead the development of the Museum’s extensive international network of Friends organizations; to build the Museum’s relationships with sister institutions and collectors worldwide; and to support the Museum’s leadership in strategic planning, professional staff development, and program planning.

    Israel’s largest cultural institution, the Museum is universal in scope, comprising over 500,000 objects under the jurisdiction of curatorial wings for archeology, Jewish world culture, and the fine arts extending to contemporary art worldwide. Snyder led a staff of over 350 complemented by a volunteer force equal in size. He also fostered substantial growth of the Museum’s International Friends network, expanding it across 16 countries on four continents and strengthening the Museum’s global foundation for operating, exhibition and programming, and capital support. Given its cross-communal reach in Jerusalem – serving local visitors, tourists, and over 100,000 students each year from all of its diverse communities – and its global profile, the Museum has become an important center for cultural diplomacy in Israel and internationally from the Middle East to North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

    Under Snyder’s leadership, the Museum also greatly expanded its encyclopedic holdings across all collecting areas, with the addition of more than 55,000 individual objects and works of art, including a collection-building campaign during the Museum’s 50th Anniversary in 2015, which attracted gifts of more than 20 collections numbering several thousand objects and nearly 500 individual works of art. Among the notable works acquired during Snyder’s tenure include: in Archaeology, the Renée and Robert Belfer Collection of Ancient Glass and Greek and Roman Antiquity and the Demirjian Family European Bronze Age Collection; in Jewish Art and Life, an illuminated Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (ca. 1457), acquired jointly with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the restored 18th-century Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue from Paramaribo, Suriname; and, in the Fine Arts, Nicolas Poussin’s Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem (1625), Rembrandt van Rijn’s St. Peter in Prison (1631), the Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art, Jackson Pollock’s Horizontal Composition (1949), the Noel and Harriette Levine Collection of Photography, Yayoi Kusama’s Ironing Board (1963), Alina Szapocznikow’s Cleaning Woman (1965), and Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1997); together with acquisitions of emerging contemporary art and site-specific commissions by such artists as Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor, and Doug and Mike Starn.

    Snyder strengthened the Museum’s regional and international presence with an ambitious series of collection and loan exhibitions in Jerusalem and traveling exhibitions worldwide, extending to North and South America, Europe, and Asia. These included: Ai Weiwei: Maybe, Maybe Not (2017); the Museum’s 50th Anniversary exhibitions, among them A Brief History of Humankind (2015), featuring 14 pivotal objects from across the Museum’s collections from prehistoric times through the present day, complemented by signature works from the Museum’s contemporary holdings, and Twilight over Berlin: Masterworks from the Nationalgalerie, 1905-1945 (2015); James Turrell: Light Spaces (2014); Dress Codes: Revealing the Jewish Wardrobe (2014); Herod the Great: The King’s Final Journey (2013); A World Apart: Glimpses into the Lives of Hasidic Jews (2012); William Kentridge: Five Themes (2011); Looking for Owners and Orphaned Art (2008), two ground-breaking exhibitions on art looted during World War II; and Surrealism and Beyond (2007), which completed major international tours in 2009 and then again in 2014-15.

    Snyder’s publications include: Museum Design: Planning and Building for Art (Oxford University Press) in 1993; and RENEWED: The Israel Museum Campus Renewal Project (Israel Museum) in 2011 and 2015 (revised).

    Prior to his appointment at the Israel Museum, Snyder held a number of positions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, culminating as Deputy Director from 1986 to 1996. During his tenure at MoMA, he oversaw the $60-million, 350,000-square-foot expansion of the Museum in 1984 and had significant organizational responsibility for major international loan exhibitions, including Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective (1980) and Henri Matisse: A Retrospective (1992).

    In recognition of his leadership in the arts, Snyder has been awarded the Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity) by the Republic of Italy and the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) of the French Republic. In 2011, he was awarded the Jerusalem Foundation’s Teddy Kollek Award for Significant Contribution to Jerusalem, and, in 2012, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat conferred on him the title of Honorary Citizen of Jerusalem.

    Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Snyder is a graduate of Harvard University and a Loeb Fellow of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and he holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hebrew Union College. He is married to Tina Davis, a graphic artist and designer, and they have two children.

  • Fall 2019 | Reporting From and To the Heart: The Craft of Anthony Shadid's Journalism and Why it Matters More Than Ever Today

    With Rami Khouri, MEI Senior Fellow and Senior Fellow, Issam Fares Institute; Visiting Adjunct Professor of Journalism; and Journalist-in-Residence, American University of Beirut.

    Open to Harvard ID holders and invited Boston-area writers and journalists only. Learn more and apply: www.belfercenter.org/ShadidJournalism. Questions? Email chris_mawhorter@hks.harvard.edu.

    Overview

    The late Anthony Shadid was one of the most honored foreign correspondents in modern U.S. journalism. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of the U.S. presence in Iraq, in 2004 while Baghdad bureau chief for The Washington Post and in 2010 while Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times, where he worked until his untimely death in 2012, while on assignment in Syria. He was also a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer and received numerous other awards for his reporting. This study group will be a hands-on, workshop-style approach to learning from veteran Middle East journalist Rami Khouri’s archival research in Shadid’s personal papers now deposited at the American University of Beirut and interviews with over 50 of Shadid’s colleagues. Participants will learn about key elements in Shadid’s “narrative reporting” style – employing techniques of narrative non-fiction writing to cover foreign affairs. Through discussion of narrative reporting craft, analysis of texts by Shadid and other outstanding writers, and producing and reviewing each other’s reporting, participants will learn why and how narrative reporting works, and how to benefit from the legacy of Shadid’s craft. The group will also discuss the implications of Shadid’s style for other sectors of society today beyond journalism, including diplomacy, education, commerce, religion, and civil society engagement.

  • Fall 2019 | Social and Economic Policy in MENA

    led by and for HKS students, this working group aims to critically engage on current topics to promote and generate iterative discussion.

    Open to Harvard students with the priority given to HKS students. Learn more and apply: https://forms.gle/dXXxWCmc59oR6rek6. Applications are due Tuesday, September 24 at 12:00pm (noon) Questions? Email maura_james@hks.harvard.edu.

    Overview

    This study group aims to generate engagement on economic and social policy issues in the Middle East and North Africa region and to create opportunities for Harvard students and fellows to delve into evidence-based strategies using case studies. The first session will explore the political context of governance by discussing the social contract, the form of governance that it generates, and how it has shaped the social and economic issues the region currently faces. 

    The following two sessions will more deeply explore a policy area selected by study group participants. Possible topics include: social welfare, labor markets, and forced migration/refugees.

    The study group will conclude by analyzing gaps in governance in the region. The discussion will explore the ways in which these gaps have caused civil society to organize alternative methods for public service provision. The first session will be led by HKS students. Ideally, subsequent sessions will be led by guest speakers with expertise in the topic area.

    The sessions will be held on Tuesdays, October 1, 15, 29 and November 5 at 4:15pm.

  • Fall 2018 | Is there a Pathway to Democracy in the Arab World? with Salam Fayyad

    Is there a Pathway to Democracy in the Arab World? with Salam Fayyad

  • Spring 2016 | How Should the Next President of the United States Handle the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

    MEI Senior Fellow Study Group | Spring 2016

    How Should the Next President of the United States Handle the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

    with Dr. Robert M. Danin

    In November 2015, President Obama acknowledged publicly that there will not be a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestine during the lifespan of his administration. The Israeli-Palestinian situation is stalemated. There are no diplomatic contacts between the two parties, and virtually all international attention towards the Middle East is focused on hot wars and conflicts raging in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen. When President Obama’s successor takes office in January 2017, he or she will confront a myriad of foreign policy challenges in the Middle East, including an Israeli-Palestinian conflict that continues to seethe and simmer on the ground. What should he or she do, if anything?

    Over the course of three sessions, the study group examined the realities and challenges that the next American president will face when trying to craft a coherent Israel-Palestine policy. The purpose of the course is to look at a major American foreign policy challenge the way that senior U.S. government officials, from the President down, are forced to confront them. The seminar examined the geo-strategic, diplomatic, and political contexts and the policy options that the next U.S. administration will face.


    Calendar and Resources

    Session 1: How did we get here?
    Tuesday, February 9, 4:00-6:00pm
    Kalb Seminar Room, Taubman Building, Room 275, HKS

    Session 2: Today's picture.
    Tuesday, March 1, 4:00-6:00pm
    Allison Dining Room, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, HKS

    Session 3: What can be done, what should be done?
    Tuesday, March 29, 4:00-6:00pm
    Allison Dining Room, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, HKS

    Readings: Click to Download Reading List


    Robert M. Danin is a non-resident senior fellow at the Belfer Center's Middle East Initiative. He is also a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining CFR, he headed the Jerusalem mission of the Quartet representative, Tony Blair, from April 2008 until August 2010. A former career State Department official with over twenty years of Middle East experience, Dr. Danin previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs with responsibilities for Israeli-Palestinian issues and Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. He also served at the National Security Council for over three years, first as Director for Israeli-Palestinian affairs and the Levant and then as acting Senior Director for Near East and North African affairs. A recipient of the State Department's Superior Honor Award, Dr. Danin served as a Middle East and Gulf specialist on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, and as a State Department senior Middle East political and military analyst. Prior to joining the State Department, he worked as a Jerusalem-based journalist covering Israeli and Palestinian politics. He has served as a thought leader for the World Economic Forum since 2012.

    Dr. Danin has published widely, including in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Financial Times, CNN, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic; and he has been a frequent guest on a wide range of U.S. and international television and broadcast media.. He is a contributing author of Pathways to Peace: America and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Palgrave Macmillan 2012), and Iran: The Nuclear Challenge (CFR, 2012).

    Dr. Danin holds a BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, an MSFS degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and a doctorate in the international relations of the Middle East from St. Antony's College, Oxford University.

  • Fall 2015 | Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World

    MEI Visiting Scholar Study Group | Fall 2015

    Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World

    with Minister Hedi Larbi

    The Middle East Initiative hosted a series at Harvard Kennedy School, led by Minister Hedi Larbi. Mr. Larbi is the Fall 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and former Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development and Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Tunisia. The series ran for seven sessions during the Fall 2015 semester at Harvard Kennedy School. Please see the calendar below, and click on each of the titles for more information about individual sessions.


    Resources

    LISTEN: Podcasts of all sessions are available online. Access the playlist by clicking here.

    READ: The full report on the study group from Minister Larbi, including his notes from each presentation, conclusions from the semester, and avenues for further research, is available to read and download here.

    PHOTOS: Check out highlights of pictures from the sessions on the Belfer Center Flickr page.

  • Spring 2015 | Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics

    MEI Visiting Scholar Study Group | Spring 2015

    Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics

    with Professor Michael C. Hudson

    This series was led by professor Michael C. Hudson, Spring 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and Seif Ghobash Professor of Arab Studies and International Affairs, Emeritus at Georgetown University. Please see the calendar below, and click on each of the titles for more information about the talks.


    Resources

    LISTEN: Podcasts of all sessions - except Lisa Wedeen's - are available online. Check out the entire playlist by clicking here. In addition, listen to short interviews with study group speakers: Samer ShehataMadawi Al-Rasheed, and Bassam Haddad.

    READ: The full report on the study group from Professor Hudson, including his notes from each presentation, conclusions from the semester, and avenues for further research, is available to read and download here.

    PHOTOS: Check out highlights of pictures from the sessions on the Belfer Center Flickr page.


    About the Series

    The Arab uprisings that began in 2011 and the ensuing turbulence have forced scholars to re-examine previously accepted propositions about legitimacy, the state, civil society, religion, and regional stability. New information technologies and social media have galvanized civil society and provide platforms for public expression. Radical Islamist ideology is challenging nationalism as a basic legitimizing principle. Transnational Islamist networks and ISIS have shaken states and the regional state system. And foreign interventions have contributed to the destablization of a region already wracked by internal conflicts. No longer, it seems, is the United States able to guarantee regional stability.

    The following book served as an overview for the series:

    Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democracy in the Arab World. Brynen, Rex, Moore, Pete W., Salloukh, Bassel F., Zahar, Marie-Joelle, Lynne Reinner Publishing, November 2012.


    Calendar

    The Arab States in Crisis: The Collapse of Old Legitimacy Formulas and the Search for New Ones

    Tuesday, February 17, 4:00-5:30pm
    Michael C. Hudson, Seif Ghobash Professor of International Relations and Arab Studies, Emeritus, Georgetown University and Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

    Islamist Politics in the Age of ISIS
    Wednesday, February 25, 4:00-5:30pm
    Jillian Schwedler, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York

    The Resurgence of Egypt's 'Deep State'?
    Tuesday, March 3, 4:00-5:30pm
    Samer Shehata, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma

    Not So Good to be King: the Saudi Monarchy at Crossroads
    Tuesday, March 10, 4:00-5:30pm
    Madawi Al-Rasheed, Visiting Professor, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics

    ISIS: a ‘State in Waiting’
    Tuesday, March 31, 4:00-5:30pm
    Yezid Sayigh, Senior Associate and Professor, Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut

    The Syrian State: A Stateless Regime or State with Many Regimes?
    Thursday, April 2, 4:00-5:30pm
    Bassam Haddad, Associate Professor, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, and Director, Middle East and Islamic Studies Program, George Mason University
    *Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies

    United States Military Deployments and the Status of Women in the Arab World
    Tuesday, April 7, 4:00-5:30pm
    Amaney Jamal, Edward S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University

    Abandoning 'Legitimacy': Reflections on Syria and Yemen
    Tuesday, April 14, 4:00-5:30pm
    Lisa Wedeen, Mary R. Morton Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

    Can the United States 'Manage' the Middle East? Should It Try?
    Wednesday, April 29, 4:00-5:30pm
    Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School

  • Fall 2014 - Spring 2015 | The Syrian Refugee Crisis

    The Syrian Refugee Crisis

    This study group aimed to generate engagement around the Syrian refugee crisis, contribute to the identification of long-term strategies to address the rehabilitation challenges facing refugees and refugee host nations, and create opportunities for Harvard students and fellows to contribute to an evidence-based dialogue about strategic approaches to respond to this crisis. The one-year initiative used an evidence-based approach to understand refugee needs and to support a dialogue on refugee rehabilitation among professionals and policymakers with impact on the refugee situation in the Middle East. This required gathering information about rehabilitation needs; discussion of regional engagement on policy options; and networking between key stakeholders at the technical, professional, and political levels. Through experiential learning, students and fellows from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies developed research and policy expertise, and contributed directly to this transformational policy process. Among their achievements: Presented on partnerships at UNHCR's Sharjah Conference on MENA refugees (October 2014) Prepared the ICRC for the Berlin Ministerial Meeting on the Syrian Refugee Rehabilitation Needs (October 2014) Co-hosted and presented at the IPI Roundtable on Innovative Approaches to the Needs of those Affected by the Syrian Refugee Crisis (December 2014) Presented at a roundtable event in Jordan on Business-Humanitarian co-operation in the Syrian Refugee Crisis (January 2015) Completed field assessment missions in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon (January 2015); Published an article on social tensions in the Syrian Refugee Crisis through Spanish think tank, IEMed (June 2015) Presented the IEMed article at the Migration Policy Center's Annual Conference on seeking sustainable solutions to vulnerability and instability in the Syrian Refugee Crisis to migration policy experts (July 2015).

  • Fall 2013 | The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East

    The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East

    This series was led by Professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Fall 2013 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech. It focused on the serious economic challenges facing countries in the Middle East, both old ones inherited from the past and new ones created by uprisings and revolutions. The seminars aimed to illuminate the politics and economics of the choices countries in the region were grappling with: how to stabilize their economies at a time when revolutions have raised expectations for redistribution and jobs, while also dealing with the almost contradictory demands for radical change to economic structures that had given rise to inequality, unemployment and poverty, the very circumstances that had brought the revolutions in the first place.

    Please see the calendar below and click on each of the titles for more information about the talks.



    About the Series:

    Countries in the Middle East that have experienced uprisings and revolutions confront serious economic challenges, old ones inherited from the past and new ones created by the uprising itself. They face the need to stabilize their economies at a time when revolutions have raised expectations for redistribution and jobs. At the same time they have to deal with the almost contradictory demands for radical change to economic structures that had given rise to inequality, unemployment and poverty, the very circumstances that had brought the revolutions in the first place. The seminars aimed to illuminate the politics and economics of these choices, as well as the experience of actual transitions in Egypt and Tunisia.

    The following paper served as an overview for the series:

    After the Spring: Economic Transitions in the Arab World
    Magdi, A., R. Assaad, et al. Oxford University Press, 2012.


    Calendar

    The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East: An Introduction
    Wednesday, September 11, 4:00-5:30pm
    Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Professor of Economics, Virginia Tech, and Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

    Making Sense of Arab Labor Markets: The Enduring Legacy of Dualism
    Wednesday, September 18, 4:00-5:30pm
    Ragui Assaad, Professor of Planning and Public Affairs, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

    Obstacles to Egypt's Economic Development
    Wednesday, October 9, 4:00-5:30pm
    Robert Springborg, Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School

    Business Elites and Institutional Change in Turkey
    Wednesday, October 16, 4:00-5:30pm
    Sevket Pamuk, Professor of Economics and Economic History, Bosphorus University, Turkey

    Documenting Crony Capitalism in Egypt
    Wednesday, October 23, 4:00-5:30pm

    Ishac Diwan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School


    Community and Economic Development in Egypt
    Wednesday, October 30, 4:00-5:30pm
    Heba Handoussa, Founder, Egypt Network for Integrated Development (ENID)

    Iran’s Political Economy in Flux: The Shifting Terrain in the Islamic Republic
    Wednesday, November 13, 4:30-6:00pm
    Kevan Harris, 
    Sociologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University

    The Dynamics of Regime Transitions: Insights from Theory and Historical Experiences for the Arab Transitioning Countries
    Wednesday, November 20, 4:00-5:30pm
    Melani Cammett, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brown University

  • Degree Fellowships for HKS Students from the Middle East

    • Aida Kayali International Public Service Fellowship - For students, preferably women, who are committed to public service in Africa, the Middle East, or Latin America. A three-year commitment to public service in their home country is required after graduation. 

    • Bashir Al-Haffar Public Service Fellowship - For students from the Arab League who are committed to public service. A three-year commitment to public service in their home country is required after graduation. 

    • Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellowship - Established by the government of the United Arab Emirates to support students from the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries to receive advanced training in public management and leadership development.

    • Hazem Ben-Gacem Postdoctoral Fellowship for Tunisian Scholars - The call for applications is open to Tunisian scholars in the humanities or social sciences who have received their PhD within the past seven years. The fellowship extends for 10 months, from September 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024

    • Kuwait Program - In January 2001, the Kennedy School and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences launched the Kuwait Program at Harvard, a program of engagement, partnership, and intellectual exchange aimed at building bridges, opening and furthering dialogue, advancing scholarship and informed research, training leaders, and developing relationships between Harvard University and Kuwait. 

    • Mary and David Boies Fellowship - For students from Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, and the former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia who demonstrate a capacity to lead, with a vision for their countries or region, and potential to make a significant, positive difference when they return to their home country.

    • Middle East-North Africa Graduate Fellowship Fund -For MC/MPA Mason Fellows from Iraq's Kurdistan region, Somaliland, Tunisia, and Yemen. 

    • Princess Banderi Al-Faisal Public Service Fellowship - Established to support students from the Arab League, women preferred. As a demonstration of their commitment to public service, the successful applicant must be professionally employed in the public sector in their home country, broadly defined, for three years upon graduation. If the three-year commitment is not met, recipients must repay the fellowship.

    • The Sammy Ofer Fellowship for Emerging Leaders from Israel and Palestine - For students from Israel and Palestine. Established in memory of Israeli businessman Sammy Ofer to pay tribute to his desire to make the world a better place.

    • Sheikh Abdulaziz A. Al-Tuwaijiri Public Service - Established in honor of Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri for students from the Middle East who show commitment to global peace and conflict resolution. A three-year commitment to public service in their home country is required after graduation.

    • Sheikh Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani Fellowship - Established to commemorate H.E. Sheikh Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani, one of the founders and visionaries who shaped modern day Qatar. It supports MC/MPA Mason Fellows from Egypt, Iraq, Liberia, PAlestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Vietnam, and Yemen.

    • Rawabi Fellowship for Leaders from Palestine - Established to support promising students from Palestine, with a preference for those students with demonstrated financial need. Ideally, fellowship recipients will use their knowledge, networks and expertise to improve opportunities for the people of Palestine.

    • Tamer Fellowship - Established to support students from Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia and Tanzania.

    • Turkish Secretariat General for European Union Affairs Graduate Fellowship - Established in honor of the Secretariat General's dedication to further the education of Turkish government officials. It supports Mason program students with at least five years of service at the Turkish Secretariat General.

    • Wexner Israel Fellowship - Established to support  outstanding Israeli government and public service professionals as they pursue a mid-career Master's Degree in Public Administration at HKS.

Emirates Leadership Initiative Logo

A collaboration between Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership and the Belfer Center’s Middle East Initiative, the Emirates Leadership Initiative (ELI) provides the critical opportunities needed for emerging leaders from the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East to confront the region’s public policy issues in question through a multi-pronged approach.

The complexities of modern leadership require more than traditional academic coursework. Effective leaders utilize tools of strategic and financial analysis balanced with self-understanding and the ability to work across cultures and sectors. Now, more than ever, leaders need to be equipped with the tools to think globally and act locally.

Funded by the government of the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Leadership Initiative features several components, including: a research fund supporting pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, and faculty research; student degree fellowships; an on-site learning experience in the UAE; and Executive Education programs. Please click the links below to learn more about ELI’s various elements.

I. Research

II. Student Degree Fellowships

III. Executive Education

IV. On-Site Learning in the UAE

 

About the Kuwait Program

The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is generously supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The Kuwait Program, housed at the Middle East Initiative, serves current and emerging leaders and decision-makers of various institutions in Kuwait, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the wider Arab world through unique opportunities for cooperation on advanced research, teaching, training and outreach on critical issues of importance to Kuwait and the region. Please click the links below to learn more about the various components of the Kuwait Program:

Celebrating 15 Years in 2017

Read the feature spread on 15 years of the Kuwait Program at HKS from the 2017 Mosaic below.


The Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholars Program

The Middle East Initiative hosts senior policymakers and academics to engage with students and faculty as a visiting scholar for one semester as part of the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Applications from scholars working on contemporary issues of policy relevance to the Middle East, and the Arabian Gulf in particular, in the disciplines of political science, economics, history, and sociology are especially welcome. All visiting scholars are expected to either:

  • Conduct a research project preferably with a Harvard Kennedy School faculty member; or
  • Lead a not-for credit eight week study group on a topic relevant to policy and development in the Middle East and North Africa.

Click here to learn more.

Former Visiting Scholars

  • Mr. Hedi Larbi (2015-2016)

    Former Minister Hedi Larbi was the 2015-2016 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar. Prior to his appointment at Harvard Kennedy School, he served as Advisor to the MENA Vice President at the World Bank, and from January 2014 to February 2015 served as both the Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development and the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister in Tunisia. Mr. Larbi has over 35 years of professional experience in economic and social development as both a policy advisor and policy maker, with more than two decades of high level work in the World Bank Group, the private sector (in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa), and the Tunisian transition government.

    At MEI, Mr. Larbi led a study group, Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World, that aimed to address the economic and social issues at the root of the Arab uprisings.


    Study Group: Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World with Minister Hedi Larbi

    The Middle East Initiative hosted a series at Harvard Kennedy School, led by Minister Hedi Larbi. Mr. Larbi is the Fall 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and former Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development and Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Tunisia. The series ran for seven sessions during the Fall 2015 semester at Harvard Kennedy School. Please see the calendar below, and click on each of the titles for more information about individual sessions.

    Resources

    LISTEN: Podcasts of all sessions are available online. Access the playlist by clicking here.

    READ: The full report on the study group from Minister Larbi, including his notes from each presentation, conclusions from the semester, and avenues for further research, is available to read and download here.

    About the Series

    As the Arab uprisings have unfolded over the past four years, the economic and social issues at their roots have received little attention and in some cases have been entirely overlooked by the transitioning countries themselves and the international community. Compounded by four years of turbulent, often failed transitions, polarized politics, and deteriorating state institutions and capacity, these fundamental challenges have only grown more daunting while economic conditions have further declined. This study group will attempt to address these issues, demonstrating the need for a new social contract able to confront political and economic challenges together, to promote shared prosperity, to hold governments accountable, to uphold freedom and human rights standards, and to empower people to participate in public affairs. To the extent possible, the study group will move beyond identifying the need, and explore possible processes for developing such a new social contract, drawing on the insights of distinguished experts with direct operational and research experience in Arab countries and relevant global contexts.

    Calendar
    All sessions meet Tuesdays, 4:15-5:45pm in Weil Town Hall, Belfer Building, Ground Floor, HKS, unless otherwise noted.

    Download the Study Group Calendar [PDF]

    RSVP is required for each session. To RSVP for a session, click on the session title below. Please note that an RSVP does not guarantee a seat at the session.

    The Arab Spring's Uneven Harvest: Successes, Setbacks, and Failed States
    Tuesday, September 15, 4:15-6:00pm
    Hedi Larbi, former Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Tunisia and Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
    Paul Salem, Vice President for Policy and Research, Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C.

    Lessons from the Tunisian Transition: Challenges and Imperatives
    Tuesday, September 29, 4:15-5:45pm
    Ghazi Gherairi, Secretary General of the International Academy of Constitutional Law

    Limitations and Political Economy of Past Development Policies in the Arab World: The Challenge of Achieving Stability and Inclusive Growth in a Complex Environment
    Tuesday, October 6, 4:15-5:45pm
    Björn Rother, Advisor and Chief of Strategy and Partnership Unit, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund

    The Economic and Social Impact of Arab Political Transitions
    Tuesday, October 20, 4:15-5:45pm
    Mustapha Kamel Nabli, former Chief Economist and Director, World Bank Middle East and North Africa Region; former Governor, Central Bank of Tunisia

    Making the Case for a New Social Contract in the Middle East and North Africa
    Tuesday, October 27, 4:15-5:45pm
    Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist, Middle East and North Africa Region, World Bank

    Writing a New Arab Social Contract: the Need for Work and Dignity
    Tuesday, November 3, 4:15-5:45pm
    Zafiris Tzannatos, former Senior Advisor on Social Policy for the World Bank, International Labor Organization, and Government of the United Arab Emirates

    Roadmap to a New Arab Future: Negotiating and Managing a New Social Contract and Development Model
    Tuesday, November 10, 4:15-6:00pm
    Panel Discussion, featuring:
    Hedi Larbi, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
    Hafez Ghanem, Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa
    Melani Cammett, Professor of Government, Harvard University and MEI Faculty Affiliate

  • Prof. Michael C. Hudson

    Professor Michael C. Hudson was the spring 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar and is the is the Seif Ghobash Professor of Arab Studies and International Affairs, Emeritus at Georgetown University. During his semester at MEI, he led a study group, Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics, that featured Middle East experts from a variety of disciplines in an effort to re-examine the foundational concepts of legitimacy, the state, civil society, religion, and regional stability in the wake of the Arab uprisings.

    Study Group: Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics with Professor Michael C. Hudson

    This series was led by professor Michael C. Hudson, Spring 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and Seif Ghobash Professor of Arab Studies and International Affairs, Emeritus at Georgetown University. Please see the calendar below, and click on each of the titles for more information about the talks.

    Resources

    LISTEN: Podcasts of all sessions - except Lisa Wedeen's - are available online. Check out the entire playlist by clicking here. In addition, listen to short interviews with study group speakers: Samer Shehata, Madawi Al-Rasheed, and Bassam Haddad.

    READ: The full report on the study group from Professor Hudson, including his notes from each presentation, conclusions from the semester, and avenues for further research, is available to read and download here.

    PHOTOS: Check out highlights of pictures from the sessions on the Belfer Center Flickr page.

    About the Series

    The Arab uprisings that began in 2011 and the ensuing turbulence have forced scholars to re-examine previously accepted propositions about legitimacy, the state, civil society, religion, and regional stability. New information technologies and social media have galvanized civil society and provide platforms for public expression. Radical Islamist ideology is challenging nationalism as a basic legitimizing principle. Transnational Islamist networks and ISIS have shaken states and the regional state system. And foreign interventions have contributed to the destablization of a region already wracked by internal conflicts. No longer, it seems, is the United States able to guarantee regional stability.

    The following book served as an overview for the series:

    Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democracy in the Arab World. Brynen, Rex, Moore, Pete W., Salloukh, Bassel F., Zahar, Marie-Joelle, Lynne Reinner Publishing, November 2012.

    Calendar

    The Arab States in Crisis: The Collapse of Old Legitimacy Formulas and the Search for New Ones

    Tuesday, February 17, 4:00-5:30pm
    Michael C. Hudson, Seif Ghobash Professor of International Relations and Arab Studies, Emeritus, Georgetown University and Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

    Islamist Politics in the Age of ISIS
    Wednesday, February 25, 4:00-5:30pm
    Jillian Schwedler, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York

    The Resurgence of Egypt's 'Deep State'?
    Tuesday, March 3, 4:00-5:30pm
    Samer Shehata, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma

    Not So Good to be King: the Saudi Monarchy at Crossroads
    Tuesday, March 10, 4:00-5:30pm
    Madawi Al-Rasheed, Visiting Professor, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics

    ISIS: a ‘State in Waiting’
    Tuesday, March 31, 4:00-5:30pm
    Yezid Sayigh, Senior Associate and Professor, Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut

    The Syrian State: A Stateless Regime or State with Many Regimes?
    Thursday, April 2, 4:00-5:30pm
    Bassam Haddad, Associate Professor, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, and Director, Middle East and Islamic Studies Program, George Mason University
    *Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies

    United States Military Deployments and the Status of Women in the Arab World
    Tuesday, April 7, 4:00-5:30pm
    Amaney Jamal, Edward S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University

    Abandoning 'Legitimacy': Reflections on Syria and Yemen
    Tuesday, April 14, 4:00-5:30pm
    Lisa Wedeen, Mary R. Morton Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

    Can the United States 'Manage' the Middle East? Should It Try?
    Wednesday, April 29, 4:00-5:30pm
    Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School

  • Dr. Abbas Al-Mejren

    Dr. Abbas Al-Mejren was the fall 2014 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar and is a professor of economics at the College of Business Administration at Kuwait University. He is also an expert consultant to Kuwait's Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Kuwait Industrial Bank. During his semester at MEI, he conducted research on assessing the development policies of oil rich, rentier states in the Gulf, as well as the application of the global standard indictors and criteria used to evaluate development policy success of these states.

  • Prof. Mohamad Al-Ississ

    Professor Mohamad Al-Ississ was the spring 2014 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar and is currently the Associate Dean of Administration, Undergraduate Studies, and Public Outreach at the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and Assistant Professor in the School of Business at the American University in Cairo. During his semester at MEI, he engaged in research on the determinants of democracy preferences of people in the Middle East, examining how these preferences evolved after the Arab Spring when security collapsed and uncertainty increased. He also recorded lectures for the first massive open online course (MOOC) to be conducted entirely in Arabic as part of Edraak, an initiative of Harvard and MIT’s EdX and the Queen Rania Foundation.

  • Prof. Djavad Salehi-Isfahani

    Professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani was the fall 2013 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar and is Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech and a non-resident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. During his semester at MEI, he led a study group on The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East that sought to illuminate the challenges governments face when trying to stabilize their economies at a time when revolutions have raised expectations for redistribution and jobs.

    Study Group: The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East

    This series was led by Professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Fall 2013 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative and Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech. It focused on the serious economic challenges facing countries in the Middle East, both old ones inherited from the past and new ones created by uprisings and revolutions. The seminars aimed to illuminate the politics and economics of the choices countries in the region were grappling with: how to stabilize their economies at a time when revolutions have raised expectations for redistribution and jobs, while also dealing with the almost contradictory demands for radical change to economic structures that had given rise to inequality, unemployment and poverty, the very circumstances that had brought the revolutions in the first place.

    Please see the calendar below and click on each of the titles for more information about the talks.

    About the Series:

    Countries in the Middle East that have experienced uprisings and revolutions confront serious economic challenges, old ones inherited from the past and new ones created by the uprising itself. They face the need to stabilize their economies at a time when revolutions have raised expectations for redistribution and jobs. At the same time they have to deal with the almost contradictory demands for radical change to economic structures that had given rise to inequality, unemployment and poverty, the very circumstances that had brought the revolutions in the first place. The seminars aimed to illuminate the politics and economics of these choices, as well as the experience of actual transitions in Egypt and Tunisia.

    The following paper served as an overview for the series:

    After the Spring: Economic Transitions in the Arab World
    Magdi, A., R. Assaad, et al. Oxford University Press, 2012.

    Calendar

    The Politics and Economics of Transitions in the Middle East: An Introduction
    Wednesday, September 11, 4:00-5:30pm
    Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Professor of Economics, Virginia Tech, and Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

    Making Sense of Arab Labor Markets: The Enduring Legacy of Dualism
    Wednesday, September 18, 4:00-5:30pm
    Ragui Assaad, Professor of Planning and Public Affairs, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

    Obstacles to Egypt's Economic Development
    Wednesday, October 9, 4:00-5:30pm
    Robert Springborg, Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School

    Business Elites and Institutional Change in Turkey
    Wednesday, October 16, 4:00-5:30pm
    Sevket Pamuk, Professor of Economics and Economic History, Bosphorus University, Turkey

    Documenting Crony Capitalism in Egypt
    Wednesday, October 23, 4:00-5:30pm

    Ishac Diwan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School


    Community and Economic Development in Egypt
    Wednesday, October 30, 4:00-5:30pm
    Heba Handoussa, Founder, Egypt Network for Integrated Development (ENID)

    Iran’s Political Economy in Flux: The Shifting Terrain in the Islamic Republic
    Wednesday, November 13, 4:30-6:00pm
    Kevan Harris,
    Sociologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University

    The Dynamics of Regime Transitions: Insights from Theory and Historical Experiences for the Arab Transitioning Countries
    Wednesday, November 20, 4:00-5:30pm
    Melani Cammett, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brown University

  • Prof. Ellis Goldberg

    Professor Ellis Goldberg was the spring 2013 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar and is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. He specializes in the study of Middle Eastern Politics and was a Guggenheim Fellow at Princeton University in 2012. During his semester at MEI, Professor Goldberg taught "Politics of the Arab Spring," a course in the Democracy, Politics and Institutions (DPI) concentration at HKS.

Kuwait Visiting Research Fellowship

As part of the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School, the Middle East Initiative hosts an academic from Kuwait each spring. The Kuwait Visiting Research Fellow is expected to either conduct a research project resulting in an article-length working paper,  preferably with a Harvard Kennedy School faculty member, or to lead a study group on a topic relevant to policy and development in the Middle East and North Africa. Research fellows are expected to attend the Middle East Initiative’s research seminars and to participate in other program activities as appropriate. 

Eligible candidates include researchers and faculty ranging from the postdoctoral to senior level. Applicants must be either a Kuwaiti national or current residents in Kuwait. 

Click here to learn more. 

Recordings of Recent MEI Events

Networked Refugees: Palestinian Reciprocity and Remittances in the Digital Age (3/2/2022)

Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads (2/24/2022)


Contact

For questions about MEI events, communications, and outreach, please contact Sam Himmelman, Program and Communications Coordinator.

For questions about MEI Fellowship programs, research output, and student opportunities, please contact Marina Lorenzini, Research Program Coordinator.

 

 

 

 

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