Panelists
Obaida Abdullah El-Dandarawy: "Egypt's Revolution and the Challenges Ahead"
Dr. Obaida Abdullah El-Dandarawy currently serves as a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt covering the Arab East desk (Syria & Lebanon in particular) at the Ministry Headquarters in Cairo. He joined Egypt’s diplomatic corps in 1999 after completing his military service, where he has consistently worked on International security and arms control related subjects. Prior to his present position in Cairo he served at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva as Officer in Charge of Disarmament Affairs (2006-2010) and was a member of Egypt’s delegation to the NPT 2010 Review Conference.
Mr. El-Dandarawy received his B.A in 1997 from the American University in Cairo, majoring in International Relations and with a double minor in economics and psychology. He went on to receive his MALD from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in 2003, writing his thesis on UNCIVPOL operations, and later in 2011, his PhD with a dissertation on Civil-Military Relations, focusing on the particularities of Israel. Prior to joining the diplomatic corps and completing his military service Mr. El-Dandarawy worked at Al-Ahram Research Center for Strategic and Political Studies. He has published several articles on various political issues.
Mr. Ethan Corbin: “Syrian State Power and the Dilemma of Armed Group Allies”
Ethan Corbin is a PhD candidate in the International Security Studies Program at the Fletcher School. The working title of his dissertation is Balancing for Power: Syrian Alignment and the Dilemma of Armed Group Agents. Ethan Completed his MALD at The Fletcher School in 2007. He holds an MA in history from the Sorbonne in Paris, and a AB in history from Bowdoin College. He has published on state alignment with armed groups, Syrian political history, and peace operations. He is an International Security Program Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for the 2011-2012 academic year, as well as an Eisenhower/Roberts Fellow at the Eisenhower Institute in Washington.
Ms. Barbara Ramos, PhD Candidate