GU-Q Specialist on Conflict Resolution, Ibrahim Sharqieh, Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

A Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) faculty member has been tapped to receive the George Mason University (GMU) School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) Distinguished Alumni Award.

Ibrahim Sharqieh, who is an adjunct assistant professor at GU-Q, will receive the S-CAR Distinguished Alumni Award at the annual Celebration of Distinction banquet on April 9, 2014, in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Recipients of the prize must be nominated and the awardee is determined by strict criteria.

Candidates for the GMU Distinguished Alumni Award are assessed based on professional accomplishments, awards and recognition, service/contributions to the S-CAR community, level of engagement with GMU, and demonstrated excellence in conflict resolution theory/research/practice. Sharqieh earned his Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in 2006.

At GU-Q Sharqieh teaches Early Warning and Conflict Prevention; International Conflict Resolution; and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. In the fall he will introduce a new course called International Mediation.

Sharqieh specializes in Middle East politics with a focus on Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, and the Gulf region. His current research is on Conflict Resolution in the Arab world. In the past two years, Sharqieh has conducted over 200 interviews on National Reconciliation in Yemen, Libya, and Tunisia. This required meeting with senior government officials, representatives of political parties, revolutionaries, military councils, youth activists, women’s organizations, tribal leaders, and refugees.

“It is incredibly overwhelming for my accomplishments in the field to be recognized by the premier conflict resolution school in the world, The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University,” Sharqieh said. “I am wholeheartedly grateful for my professors who taught me conflict resolution and I do hope I have met their expectations.”

“On behalf of S-CAR I’d like to say how delighted we are that Ibrahim will receive this honor in recognition of his achievements and commitment to the growing field of conflict resolution. To say we are proud would be an understatement,” said Kevin Avruch, GMU Dean of the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Avruch added, “This is very well-deserved and we look forward to Ibrahim officially receiving the award at the Celebration of Distinction.”

GU-Q Dean Gerd Nonneman said: “At GU-Q we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have distinguished colleagues such as Ibrahim Sharqieh as part of our community. For Dr. Sharqieh to be honored in this way reflects the increasing international scope and impact of our research and programs at the Qatar campus. Our best wishes go to Dr. Sharqieh as he receives this significant award.”

In addition to his post at Georgetown in Qatar, Sharqieh is a Foreign Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Doha Center. Previously, he served as senior project director at The Academy for Educational Development (AED) where he managed international development projects in several Arab countries including Yemen and Qatar. He was also an academic adviser to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C.

Sharqieh is the author of “A Lasting Peace? Yemen’s Long Journey to National Reconciliation” and “Reconstructing Libya: Stability Through National Reconciliation.” He has published extensively about conflict resolution in the MENA region and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, the Financial Times, CNN, The Christian Science Monitor, The National Interest, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Al Arabiya.

Sharqieh’s views on Middle East politics are quoted regularly by Reuters and the Associated Press, and he is a frequent commentator on news channels such as NPR, CNN, Al Jazeera (English and Arabic), and the BBC.

In addition to Georgetown in Qatar, Sharqieh has taught International Conflict Resolution at George Washington University, George Mason University, and The Catholic University of America.