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LEAD EDUCATOR | AVI MELAMED
Avi Melamed is a former Israeli Intelligence Official and Senior Official on Arab Affairs. In his public service, Avi has held high-risk Government, Senior Advisory, Intelligence, and Counter-Terrorist intelligence positions in Arab cities and communities throughout the region on behalf of Israeli Government agencies.
An Author, Intelligence Analyst, Educator, and Speaker, his expertise is Current Affairs in the Arab & Muslim World and their Impact on the Middle East and Israel’s Geopolitical Environment.
He is the Founder and Chief Education Officer of Inside The Middle East, a non-profit dedicated to providing an apolitical, non-partisan education about the Middle East.
Fluent in Arabic, English & Hebrew, Avi has a proven record of foreseeing the evolution of events in the Middle East & their impact on a local and regional level.
Session #2 | EDUCATOR
DALIA ZIADA
Dalia Ziada is an award-winning Egyptian writer and political analyst specializing in governance, geopolitics, and defense policy in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. With nearly two decades of experience, she has held leadership roles at prominent think tanks and civil society organizations, publishing extensively on political conflicts, power dynamics, and the region’s evolving geopolitical landscape. She has co-founded and directed multiple research institutions, including the Liberal Democracy Institute and the Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, and has served as the Executive Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies. Dalia is currently a Senior Fellow for Research and Diplomacy at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and collaborates with Hillel International to lecture on Middle East geopolitics across American university campuses. She is also engaged in research on radical Islamism in the U.S. and Europe with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy. Dalia has earned international recognition for her activism, particularly for her role in the Arab Spring and her outspoken stance against political Islamism, Hamas, and Iran-backed proxies. She has been an active voice in Muslim-Jewish and Arab-Israeli dialogue for over 16 years and has participated in numerous regional and global initiatives advocating for peace and freedom. As a best-selling author, she has written extensively on Egypt’s political landscape, military, and liberal democracy,
Session #3 | EDUCATOR
Suha Hassen
Dr. Suha Hassen received her PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Her research is grounded in extensive fieldwork, including face-to-face interviews with 80 former ISIS fighters detained in Iraqi prisons and primary research with survivors of ISIS enslavement in Iraq. Her work focuses on violent jihadist movements and has led to the development of multiple empirically grounded models of radicalization, including the True Muslim Identity Model, the Symbolic-Linguistic Model, the Body Trap Model, and the Blood Equation Model, which explain how identity, narrative, embodiment, and violence interact in pathways to extremism. Dr. Hassen was a fellow in the USIP–Minerva Peace and Security Program (2024–2025) and was recognized as one of Homeland Security Today’s 50 Trailblazers for 2025.
Session #4 | EDUCATOR
Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak
Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak is a Turkey expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC) at Tel Aviv University.
He received his Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University’s School of History and is a lecturer there, as well as at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Ariel University. Dr. Cohen Yanarocak is the editor of Turkeyscope: Insights on Turkish Affairs.
In May 2015, he was awarded the Dan David Prize Scholarship in the category of “Past: Retrieving the Past, Historians and Their Sources.” He is the author of The Evolution of the Turkish School Textbooks from Atatürk to Erdoğan, published by Lexington Books, Rowman & Littlefield, in September 2022.
Author of The Evolution of the Turkish School Textbooks from Ataturk to Erdogan
Session #5 | EDUCATOR
Negar Mojtahedi
Negar Mojtahedi is a multi-platform journalist working at Iran International English. She previously worked as a reporter and producer at Global News/Global National, CBC News and CTV in Canada. She is also an investigative reporter who broke the story on Iranian regime interference in Canada, exposing regime-linked affiliates operating in Canada and threatening the lives of Iranian-Canadians. She pushed for answers and accountability on the national security issue from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She is passionate about storytelling and uses her skills to raise awareness, help people and bring about positive representation to combat negative stereotypes. Negar is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her first documentary ‘My dream goes all the way to Iran’ is a powerful portrait of the Iranian expatriate, an immigrant population that is often misunderstood and misrepresented. Negar believes the heart of every story is emotion.
Session #5 | EDUCATOR
Alex Vatanka
Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He specializes in Middle Eastern regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran. He was formerly a Senior Analyst at Jane’s Information Group in London. Alex is also a Senior Fellow in Middle East Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at DISAS at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Born in Tehran, he holds a BA in Political Science (Sheffield University, UK), and an MA in International Relations (Essex University, UK), and is fluent in Persian and Danish. He is the author of two books: “The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry Since 1979” (2021) and “Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy, and American Influence” (2015).
He has also written chapters for a number of books, including “Authoritarianism Goes Global” (2016); “Handbook on Contemporary Pakistan” (2017); “Russia in the Middle East” (2018), “Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Addressing the Drivers Fueling Armed Non-state Actors and Extremist Groups (2020); “Global, Regional and Local Dynamics in the Yemen Crisis.” (2020); “Routledge Handbook of Counterterrorism and Irregular Warfare Operations” (2021); and “Understanding New Proxy Wars” (2022). He is presently working on his third book “Grand Contest: The Rivalry of Iran, America and Israel in the Arab World.”
SESSION #6 | EDUCATOR
Abdul Aziz Ajini
Co-founder and member of National Salvation Front in Syria
I am Abdul Aziz Ajini, from Syria- Edlib. Since 2019 I have been living in Germany. I was born in Edlib in 1969. In 1987 I started studying English Literature at Aleppo University.
Soon after graduation in 1994 I started teaching English at high schools in Aleppo and Edlib. In 2006 I started working as a lecturer of English at Aleppo University and at the Higher Institute for Languages.
In 2011, I joined the Syrian revolution and took part in peaceful demonstrations against Assad’s regime. But soon I was fired from my job for political reasons. Then I started working with international organizations which provided humanitarian aids for displaced Syrians in the north of Syria. I was involved in many activities in the Arab and foreign media advocating democracy and freedom for all Syrians.
In 2018, I was exposed to the first assassination attempt when two masked men opened fire to kill me in my car while I was driving to work in Edlib city. Despite their failure in killing me I insisted on staying in my area, but in 2019 either ISIS or Assad’s agent, or both put an explosive charge in my car during the night, and in the morning, I drove my car for few minutes then it exploded and I was seriously injured this time. Then my family and friends said I had to leave.
I started my political activities when I and some other colleges founded the National Salvation in Syria in 2016. Soon after the foundation of NSFS, we launched national project for new Syria.
Session #7 | EDUCATOR
Hussain Abdul Hussain
Born and raised in Beirut, Baghdad, and Baalbek, cities that have been the theater of major Middle Eastern events, Hussain earned a degree in History and Archeology from the American University of Beirut, after which he worked as a reporter, and later managing editor, at Beirut’s The Daily Star. He reported from war zones on the Lebanese border with Israel, and from Iraq. In Washington, Hussain helped set up and manage the Arabic satellite network *Alhurra Iraq, after which he headed the Washington Bureau of Kuwaiti daily *Alrai.
Hussain has worked as a Visiting Fellow with London’s *Chatham House, and has published in English in *The New York Times and The Washington Post and in Arabic in various publications. His analysis has been quoted by *Vox, *The Jerusalem Post, and Newsweek. Hussain has appeared on *CNN* and *MSNBC* and is a frequent commentator on major Arabic satellite networks.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at FDD.
Session #8 | EDUCATOR
Maged Al-Madhaji (TBD)
Session #9 | EDUCATOR
Abdulaziz AlKahmis
Abdulaziz AlKhamis is a seasoned Saudi journalist, media strategist, and political analyst with over four decades of experience in the Middle Eastern media landscape. His expertise spans print, digital, and broadcast journalism.
He has held key editorial positions at renowned publications such as Al-Jazirah, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Majalla, and Al-Arab Newspaper, London, shaping the discourse on regional and global affairs. His tenure as Editor-in-Chief at multiple leading Arabic newspapers and magazines solidified his reputation as a thought leader in political and economic analysis.
Beyond print media, AlKhamis has made a significant impact in television, hosting and producing political talk shows, including Hadith Al-Khaleej and Niran Sadiqa, where he engages with prominent political and intellectual figures to provide in-depth insights into pressing regional issues. His work in investigative journalism, strategic media planning, and editorial leadership has established him as a respected voice in Arab media.
Fluent in Arabic and English, AlKhamis continues to contribute to the evolving media landscape, offering nuanced perspectives on Middle Eastern geopolitics and economic trends. His dedication to authentic reporting, analytical depth, and journalistic integrity makes him a key figure in political journalism and media analysis.
SESSION #10 | EDUCATOR | Amer Al Sabaileh (TBD)
Session #11 | EDUCATOR
Mohammad Najib
Mohammed Najib is a Palestinian defence correspondent, security journalist, and analyst from Ramallah, in the West Bank. For 36 years, he has reported on developments in the Middle East, working for leading newspapers, including Janes Information Group. His writing credits include the book “Global Security and Intelligence”, published by Praeger Security International, as well as the mid-2007 publication “Entry-point to Palestinian Security Sector Reform” by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).
A speaker at numerous public diplomacy events and a participant in several security conferences.Since joining Janes Information Group in April 2001, contributed to several of Janes’ publications covering Defence, Intelligence, Strategic Affairs, Islamic Groups, Counterterrorism, Country Risk, and Organised Crime.
Holds a professional degree in Written Journalism from Bir Zeit University and a B.A. in English Literature from Al-Quds University.Proficient in four languages: Arabic, English, French, and Hebrew.Elected to the Foreign Press Association (FPA) board in 2014, and having been re-elected to that position for the past ten years.
SESSION #13 | EDUCATOR | Hayvi Bouzo
Hayvi Bouzo is the Founder & Executive Director of Yalla Productions and host of the Yalla show, a platform amplifying inspirational voices and promoting peace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A distinguished American journalist born in Damascus, Syria, Hayvi previously served as Washington Bureau Chief of Orient News, where she hosted The Axis, a highly-rated political show broadcast in over 60 countries and viewed by millions. Her work has been recognized for its insightful analysis and powerful storytelling, focusing on U.S. policy and regional issues with nuance and depth. Passionate about empowering marginalized communities, Hayvi is a sought-after expert on MENA affairs, leveraging her expertise to foster coexistence and positive change in the region.
