Nawaf Obaid

Nawaf Obaid
Native name نواف عبید‬
Born Nawaf Obaid
Known for Writer, Academician, Diplomat

Nawaf Essam Ahmad Obaid (Arabic: نواف عصام احمد عبید} is an author, academic, philanthropist and a former Saudi Arabian government advisor. He currently serves as the CEO of the Essam & Dalal OBAID Foundation (EDOF) in Geneva, Switzerland. Obaid is also a Commissioner at the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA).

Public Career

Obaid started his public career in February 2003 by being named as a Special Advisor for Strategic Communications to the Saudi Ambassador to the UK and then to the US. Based between London and Washington DC, he held the position until December 2006.[1] Then, in February 2007, he became a Special Advisor to the President of Citizens Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court, based between Riyadh and Jeddah. Leaving that position in January 2011, he shortly thereafter became the Counselor for Foreign Media Affairs to the Saudi Minister of Culture and Information in Riyadh. In May 2011 he became the Counselor to the Saudi Ambassador to the UK. He held this position until January 2016.

In 2006, Obaid was fired from the staff of Prince Turki Al Faisal, then Saudi Ambassador to the United States, for publishing an opinion piece[2] in the Washington Post "contending that 'one of the first consequences' of an American pullout of Iraq would 'be massive Saudi intervention to stop Iranian-backed Shiite militias from butchering Iraqi Sunnis.'"[3] The article also suggested that the Kingdom could cut oil prices in half, which "would be devastating to Iran."[4] While the Saudi government disavowed the piece and Prince Al Faisal cancelled his contract as a result, "Arab diplomats said...that Mr. Obaid’s column reflected the view of the Saudi government, which has made clear its opposition to an American pullout from Iraq."[5]

From September 2014 up to the present, Obaid has also served as CEO of the Essam and Dalal Obaid Foundation (EDOF), based in Geneva, Switzerland.[6] EDOF was founded by Obaid and his two brothers to honour the humanitarian legacy of their parents. EDOF supports organizations that are doing important work in the fields of medical research and social progress in order to help them fulfill their already proven track record of success. Some of the projects that EDOF has supported include initiatives with the Mayo Clinic, the CNN Freedom Project, and the International Committee of the Red Cross,[7] among others. EDOF also funded the creation of the Essam and Dalal Obaid Center for Reconstructive Transplant Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.[8]

Academic Career

  • April 2017 - August 2018 | Inaugural Visiting Fellow for Intelligence and Defense Projects at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.[9]
  • March 2017 | Co-founded the Saudi & GCC Security Project at The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.[10]
  • September 2012 - April 2017 | Visiting Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.[11]
  • January 2008 - January 2016 | Senior Fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh.[12]
  • May 2004 - January 2007 | Adjunct Fellow for the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC.[13]
  • January 1999 - January 2000 | Research Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) in Washington DC.[14]

Selected publications

References

  1. ↑ "Saudi Arabia's Emerging New Strategic Doctrine". Brandeis University.
  2. ↑ Obaid, Nawaf (2006-11-29). "Nawaf Obaid - Stepping Into Iraq". ISSN 0190-8286.
  3. ↑ Cooper, Helene. "Saudis Say They Might Back Sunnis if U.S. Leaves Iraq".
  4. ↑ Obaid, Nawaf (2006-11-29). "Nawaf Obaid - Stepping Into Iraq". ISSN 0190-8286.
  5. ↑ Cooper, Helene. "Saudis Say They Might Back Sunnis if U.S. Leaves Iraq".
  6. ↑ "Saudis, Russians and Italians: the murky world of Joseph Mifsud". Al-bab.com.
  7. ↑ Org, EDOF. "Essam and Dalal Obaid Foundation Partners with the International Committee of the Red Cross". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  8. ↑ "Dov'è Joseph Mifsud, il prof. del Russiagate?". Il Foglio (in Italian).
  9. ↑ "Nawaf Obaid". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
  10. ↑ "Saudi & GCC Security Project Series". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
  11. ↑ "Obaid joins Belfer Center as visiting fellow". Harvard Gazette. 29 June 2012.
  12. ↑ wgunning. "Nawaf Obaid". Al-Monitor.
  13. ↑ "National Security in Saudi Arabia". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
  14. ↑ "Nawaf Obaid". The Washington Institute.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.