What: 

 

American University experts are available for commentary and analysis of the war in the Middle East. 

When: 

 

Oct. 9 - ongoing

Experts available include: 

 

Mohammed Abu-Nimer is an expert in peacebuilding and conflict resolution — with a geographic focus in Middle-Eastern and European countries. His most recent areas of focus have included faith-based peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue in peacebuilding and building social cohesion, and pedagogical considerations on incorporating peace and forgiveness education in the Arab world and Muslim world. Dr. Abu-Nimer also serves as the Abdul Aziz Said Chair in International Peace and Conflict Resolution in the School of International Service. 

Dan Arbell, scholar-in-residence in the Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies, is a 25-year veteran of the Israeli Foreign Service who served in senior posts at the United Nations and in the United States and Japan and held senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters in Jerusalem.  

Boaz Atzili is an expert on international security, the politics of borders, deterrence of non-state actors and their host states, and the international aspects of state weakness with a focus on the Middle East. Atzili is the author of Triadic Deterrence: Israel, Arab States, and Non-State Actors and Good Fences Bad Neighbors: Border Fixity and International Conflict. 

Tricia Bacon teaches in the School of Public Affairs and directs the Policy Anti-Terrorism Hub. Before joining AU, for more than a decade, Bacon worked on counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department, including in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. She researches counterterrorism in South Asia, North and East Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia. She can discuss the impact of Hamas's attack on global terrorism.

Sara Harmouch is a Lebanese national and doctoral candidate the School of Public Affairs’ Department of Justice, Law and Criminology. Her expertise in counterterrorism is informed by extensive fieldwork in the MENA. She served as a consultant on counterterrorism for the U.S. government and private sector, and briefed NATO on religious terrorist groups. Harmouch can offer insights shaped by her firsthand experiences with the impact of Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon, and she can comment on the current attacks by Hamas, the underlying forces at play, the role of Hezbollah and Iran, and their connection to a wider network of threats from different groups and state actors in the region. She can also provide analysis on what this situation means for security in Israel, the broader Middle East, and U.S. interests in the region.

Pamela Nadell is a historian, director of AU’s Jewish Studies Program and author of the forthcoming Antisemitism, an America Tradition (W.W. Norton). Nadell testified before Congress in 2017 for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearings on “Examining Antisemitism on College Campuses.” She can discuss the explosion in antisemitism occurring in the U.S. before the war in the Middle East and after.

Aram Sinnreich is professor and chair of communications studies in the School of Communication. His work focuses on the intersection of culture, law, and technology, with an emphasis on subjects like surveillance and privacy, intellectual property, and data justice. He is author of the forthcoming The Secret Life of Data, coauthored with Jesse Gilbert. He can comment on how terrorist organizations use social media to disseminate misinformation and propaganda. 

Candace M. Strickland, a doctoral candidate at American University, specializes in criminal justice, law enforcement operations, intelligence and homeland security, with a focus on counterterrorism and security. Her research focuses on the security challenges faced by nations – including Israel -- dealing with militant extremist groups. Strickland can provide insights into the evolving situation in Israel post-Hamas attack, with a particular focus on law enforcement, intelligence gathering, and border security matters.

Jordan Tama is an associate professor in the School of International Service. He specializes in U.S. foreign and national security policy, foreign policy bipartisanship, presidential-congressional relations, national security strategic planning, the politics of economic sanctions, the foreign policy views of U.S. elites, and the value of independent commissions.

Guy Ziv, associate professor in the School of International Service and associate director of the Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies, is an expert on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, U.S.-Israel relations, and Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He is the author of Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel’s Future. His commentary has appeared in American and Israeli newspapers, and he appears as a commentator in media outlets such as Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN.