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5Th harvard arab alumni associaTion conference
february 10, 2007
The middle easT:
The paTh forward
perspectives on political and economic Trends
cenTer for GovernmenT and inTernaTional sTudies
harvard universiTy
conference overview
The haaa conference Team welcomes you To our
5Th middle easT conference.
recent and ongoing conflicts in the middle east—palestine, iraq, and lebanon—raise the
fundamental question: “in what direction is the middle east heading?”
To examine this question, the harvard arab alumni association’s 5th middle east
conference focuses on three trends sweeping through the region:
• the shifting political dynamics affected by iraqi politics, sectarian divisions and
the increasing role of islam in government;
• the revitalization of the region’s economies;
• the region’s social development agenda.
The conference explores the regional implications of these trends and highlights the
experiences of individuals and organizations who have positively affected the region’s course.
Table of conTenTs
conference overview
4 event schedule
4 conference sponsors
5 opening address: mohamed a. el-erian
6 Keynote address: ambassador aziz mekouar
7 panel i: after iraq: the shifting balance of powers
8 panel ii: The economic revitalization of the middle east
9 panel iii: social development momentum across the region
10 panel iv: case studies in change
11 about the haaa
disclaimer: The harvard arab alumni association is an independent, not-for-profit organization.
nothing that is published by the haaa should be taken to represent the opinions or endorsement of
harvard university, the president and fellows of harvard college, or the harvard alumni association.
The middle easT: T he paTh forward |
evenT schedule
Time evenT locaTion
8:0–9:0am breakfast and registration
9:0–10:15am opening address Tsai auditorium
10:15–11:45am panel i: after iraq: the shifting balance of powers Tsai auditorium
11:45am–1:15pm lunch
1:15–2:00pm Keynote address Tsai auditorium
2:00–:0pm panel ii: The economic revitalization of the middle east Tsai auditorium
:0–4:00pm coffee break
4:00–5:00pm panel iii: social development momentum across the region Tsai auditorium
5:00–5:45pm panel iv: case studies in change Tsai auditorium
5:45–6:00pm closing remarks
6:00pm post-conference reception Tbd
sponsors
a special ThanK you To our sponsors for maKinG
This year’s conference possible.
plaTinum
Gold
silver
4 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
opening address
mohamed a. el-erian
presidenT and ceo,
harvard manaGemenT company
mohamed a. el-erian serves as a member of the faculty of harvard
business school and as deputy treasurer of the university, pro-
viding advice to the president, cfo, and other administrators
on harvard’s management of its financial resources.
prior to joining hmc, mr. el-erian, was a managing director
at pacific investment management company (pimco), the
institutional money manager specializing in fixed income
management with over $600 billion in assets under management.
he is a former managing director of salomon smith barney/
citibank in london, where he oversaw the emerging markets
economic research team in london. he spent 15 years, from
198 to 1997, with the international monetary fund (imf),
leading policy work on debt and country issues. he has pub-
lished widely on international economic topics. mr. el-erian
has served on several boards, including the emerging markets
Traders association (emTa) and the international center for
research on women. he is also a member of the u.s. Treasury
borrowing advisory committee and the imf’s capital markets
consultative Group.
mr. el-erian earned a b.a. in economics from cambridge
university and doctoral and master’s degrees in economics
from oxford university.
The middle easT: T he paTh forward | 5
Keynote address
his excellency ambassador
aziz meKouar
ambassador of morocco
To The uniTed sTaTes
ambassador aziz mekouar became ambassador of morocco to
the united states on June 19, 2002.
before his current assignment, ambassador mekouar served
as ambassador to italy (1999-2002). he was elected independent
chairman of the council of the united nations food
and agriculture organization (fao) in november 2001
and re-elected in 200. he had previously been appointed
ambassador to portugal (199-1999) and to angola (1986-199).
ambassador mekouar has also served as minister plenipotentiary
at the ministry of foreign affairs and cooperation in morocco
(1985-1986), permanent representative of morocco to the
international bureau for information Technology (1978-1985),
and first counselor and deputy chief of mission at the embassy
of morocco in rome (1977-1985).
ambassador mekouar attended the french high school charles
lepierre in lisbon, portugal, and obtained a graduate degree from
the higher school of commerce (hec) in paris, france, in 1974.
he is fluent in arabic, english, french, italian, portuguese, and
spanish. he is married with one child.
6 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
panel i
afTer iraq:
The shifTinG balance of powers
panel overview
as the us reassesses its strategy in iraq, sweeping changes are occurring throughout the region.
The effects of civil strife are felt from lebanon and syria to saudi arabia and bahrain. The panel
will summarize the latest political developments in iraq and sketch the consequences of the iraq
invasion regarding:
• the shifting balance of power among the main factions in the region
• sectarian tensions and the changing sunni-shia relationship
• the rising role of islam in politics
speaKer bioGraphies
dr. Toby Jones
assistant professor, department of history, swarthmore college – swarthmore, pa
dr. Jones is mellon postdoctoral fellow and visiting assistant professor in the history department
at swarthmore college. Jones has lived and worked extensively in the middle east, including several
years in saudi arabia, egypt, Jordan and bahrain. his main research interests focus on the history of
state-building, politics, and shia-sunni relations in saudi arabia and the Gulf. Jones teaches courses
on the history of the modern middle east, iran and iraq in the 20th century, the history of oil, and
islam and politics.
before joining the history department at swarthmore, Jones worked as the persian Gulf analyst
for the international crisis Group from 2004-2006 where he wrote about reform and sectarianism
in saudi arabia and bahrain. he has published in the international Journal of middle east studies,
middle east report, foreign affairs, the arab reform bulletin, and elsewhere. he is currently
revising a book manuscript on state-building and sectarianism in saudi arabia.
The middle easT: T he paTh forward | 7
dr. mohsen milani
professor of politics and chair of the department of Government and international affairs
university of south florida – Tampa, fl
dr. milani is professor of politics and chair of the department of Government and international
affairs at the university of south florida in Tampa. professor milani has written extensively about
the persian Gulf, the iranian revolution, and iran’s foreign and security policies. he served as a
research fellow at harvard university, oxford university’s st. antony’s college in england, and
the foscari university in venice, italy. dr. milani is a frequent speaker at international and national
conferences on iran and the persian Gulf. he is currently working on a book project about iran’s
regional policies.
edward wonG
new york Times correspondent – baghdad, iraq
mr. wong has been a correspondent in the baghdad bureau of The new york Times since 200.
he joined The Times in 1999. mr. wong graduated from u.c. berkeley with dual master’s degrees in
Journalism and international studies, and from the university of virginia with a b.a. in english. he
won a livingston award for his coverage of the iraq war.
panel ii
The economic reviTalizaTion
of The middle easT
panel overview
despite political uncertainty, many middle eastern economies have experienced unprecedented
periods of economic growth, due largely to high oil prices, the repatriation of capital since september
11th, and incentives designed to attract greater foreign investment. This panel assesses the
intraregional nature of this growth, including the expansion of middle eastern companies, increased
trade and capital flows, and visionary economic development initiatives.
8 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
speaKer bioGraphies
saeed al munTafiq
chief executive officer, Tatweer and chairman, young arab leaders – dubai, uae
samir hanna
chief executive officer, bank audi-audi saradar Group – beirut, lebanon
samir n. hanna is the chief executive officer bank audi sal - audi saradar Group. he started his
banking career in bank audi sal in January 196 and moved across several departments of the bank
in lebanon before moving to the united arab emirates in 1975, where he was appointed General
manager of a joint venture bank in which bank audi participated. following the disinvestment of
bank audi from the said venture, he relocated to lebanon in 1982 and was appointed General
manager of the bank in february 1986. since the mid-1990s, he initiated and managed the
expansion and restructuring strategy of the bank, transforming it into a strong banking powerhouse
that offers universal banking products and services. after the diversification of the bank’s business
lines, he embarked on the cross border expansion of the Group. he is currently overlooking the
bank’s regional expansion policy targeting presence in key captive markets in the middle east and
north african region.
bank audi sal - audi saradar Group fully owns the following subsidiaries: audi-saradar investment
bank sal, audi-saradar private bank sal, bank audi saradar france sa, banque audi (suisse) sa, as
well as the insurance company libano-arabe sal.
dr. Jean-francois seznec
adjunct professor, center for contemporary arab studies, Georgetown university – washington, dc
dr. seznec has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown university for four years. he also teaches
at columbia university. his research centers on the influence of the arab-persian Gulf political and
social variables on the financial and oil markets in the region. he is senior advisor to pfc energy
in washington, dc. dr. seznec holds a mia from columbia university [196], a ma and his ph.d.
from yale university [1994]. he has published and lectured extensively and is interviewed regularly
on national Tv, radio and newspapers, as well as by the foreign media.
The middle easT: T he paTh forward | 9
panel iii
social developmenT momenTum
across The reGion
panel overview
against a backdrop of political and economic change, the region’s social development agenda has
become a central focus. as government leaders seek to reform the delivery of social services such
as education and health care, they are looking to quickly identify key issues and implement new
solutions. This panel seeks to understand the top priorities for the region’s policymakers and the
current reform efforts’ implications for the next generation.
speaKers
dr. azza Karam
senior policy research adviser, united nations development programme – regional bureau
for arab states – new york, ny
dr. mona mourshed
partner, mcKinsey & company’s middle east office – dubai, uae
dr. mourshed is a partner with mcKinsey & company, a leading management consultancy. she is
a founding member of mcKinsey’s middle east office, where she leads the public sector practice in the
arenas of education and healthcare. dr. mourshed initially joined mcKinsey’s new Jersey office and has
served clients in the middle east, europe, asia, and the united states. she has a b.a. in development
studies from stanford university and a ph.d. in economic development from the massachusetts institute
of Technology (miT). dr. mourshed holds egyptian and american citizenship.
10 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
panel iv
case sTudies in chanGe
panel overview
change does not happen by itself; it is often prompted by individual action. This panel highlights
some of the influential initiatives behind the rapidly changing middle east.
case sTudy one
presenTed by mariam al-foudery
corporate social responsibility manager, agility logistics, Kuwait city, Kuwait
agility, formerly pwc logistics, is a global provider of integrated supply chain solutions with
more than 20,000 employees, 450 offices in 100 countries around the world and over $4.5 billion
in annual revenue. with corporate headquarters in Kuwait , agility is also an example of rapid
private sector growth in the middle east region. in the last few years, agility has scaled-up its
community involvement commitments, using its expeditionary logistics capabilities to offer pro
bono support in humanitarian crisis situations worldwide. in 2006, agility responded to the
lebanon crisis, the indonesian earthquake, and the typhoon in the philippines. mariam al-foudery
discusses her role in spearheading agility’s corporate social responsibility program and the impact
such programs can have throughout the region.
abouT The speaKer
ms. al-foudery manages the corporate social responsibility program for agility, a global provider
of integrated supply chain solutions with more than 20,000 employees, 450 offices in 100 countries
around the world and over $4.5 billion in annual revenue. her work involves encouraging employees
to act as social as well as business leaders, managing humanitarian partnerships, and leading the
humanitarian and emergency logistics program (help), a pro bono initiative that brings agility’s
expeditionary logistics expertise to international disaster response operations around the world.
ms. al-foudery joined agility in 2005 after a career in international development. her professional
experience includes expanding and managing a microfinance program in low-income neighborhoods
in cairo, egypt for the association for the development and enhancement of women (adew);
The middle eas T: T he paTh forward | 11
acting as the lead united nations development program (undp) consultant in the reorganization
of an income-generating project targeting 15,000 women welfare recipients in Kuwait; and working
as a microfinance researcher in rural india for the self employed women’s association (sewa)
bank. mariam has also managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of iraqi political capacity-building
projects for the national democratic institute (ndi) in washington, dc, and worked as a consultant
for care international on post-conflict urban governance issues.
ms. al-foudery holds a m.sc. in development management from the faculty of economics at the
london school of economics, and a m.a. in communication and b.a. in international relations
from stanford university.
case sTudy Two
presenTed by michael haGer
president, The education for employment foundation, washington, dc
The education for employment foundation (efe), founded in december 2002, partners with
employers to create job opportunities for young people through career training in vocational,
technical and managerial skills, helping muslim countries address the growing problem of youth
unemployment. Today, efe has programs in place in Gaza, Jordan, egypt, morocco, and indonesia.
michael hager, president, shares his vision and aspirations for efe, its achievements to date, and
the challenges that it faces in implementing its vision.
abouT The speaKer
mr. hager is president of education for employment foundation (efe), which seeks to create job
opportunities for young people through career training in vocational, technical and managerial
skills, helping muslim countries address the growing problem of youth unemployment. prior to
joining efe, michael hager served for three years as executive director of conflict management
Group. in 198 he co-founded the international development law organization (idlo), based in
rome, italy, where he served as director General until stepping down in 2000. during his career
with the us agency for international development, mr. hager served as regional legal advisor
in pakistan, india and egypt.
12 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
w w w. m c k i n s e y. c o m
mission:
To help leaders make distinctive, lasting, and substantial improvements
in performance, and constantly build a great firm that attracts,
develops, excites, and retains exceptional people.
The haaa Today
The harvard arab alumni association (haaa) was founded in the year 2001 with two primary
objectives. first, the haaa has sought to promote arab interests at harvard. This objective was
developed in response to the historical under-representation of the arab world at harvard
university--be it within the student body, the curriculum, the faculty, or the research priorities.
and second, the haaa has sought to build a strong network among harvard alumni with an
interest in the arab world. This aspiration emerged out of a recognition that the harvard arab
alumni community could achieve profound impact when joining forces across diverse educational
and professional backgrounds as well as diverse geographies.
during the past four years, the haaa has achieved many important milestones towards these
objectives. in particular, the haaa has held four global conferences on topics of relevance to the arab
world, on topics including ‘promoting understanding between the arab world and the us,” and “The
current state and future of democracy in the arab world.” These conferences have drawn leaders
from around the world as panelists and speakers, including dr. Thomas bartlett--then acting president
of the american university of cairo-and he dr. mohammed Kharbash, minister of state for finance
and industry of the uae. The haaa has also built up a strong network of members and supporters.
Today, our membership spans nearly every country in the arab world. our advisory board consists of
several notable harvard alumni including ahmad zaki yamani, first secretary General of opec, and
richard murphy, former assistant secretary of state for near eastern and south asian affairs.
in addition, the haaa has worked for the past three years on increasing student admissions to harvard
from the arab world. we have worked alongside the harvard admissions office to identify the root
causes of low admissions rates from the arab world to harvard, and conducting recruiting programs in
several arab countries to encourage more local high school students to apply for admissions.
while we are proud of the progress the organization has made over the past five years, we are
equally excited about the opportunity to continue building the harvard arab alumni association
and achieve its objectives.
14 | T he middle eas T: T he paTh forward
haaa execuTive board
dunia abdul-aziz is director of the us conferences of the harvard arab alumni association. she is a second
year md student in health sciences and Technology (hsT), a joint program between harvard medical school and
miT. prior to starting medical school, she worked with caritas nGo in Jordan as a Third millennium fellow in
human rights. she graduated from harvard college in 2004 with a ba in biochemical sciences.
firas al KhaTib is director of membership of the harvard arab alumni association. he is currently pursuing
an mba from harvard business school. prior to returning to cambridge, he worked in dubai for istithmar pJsc,
a Government of dubai investment firm. he graduated from harvard college in 2004 with a ba in economics.
ashraf heGazy is director of external relations and a co-founder of the harvard arab alumni association.
he graduated from harvard college in 1996 with a ba in psychology focusing on organizations and leadership. since
then, he has worked at fidelity investments, leK, and sapient. for the past six years, he has been the president of
hegazy consulting, a full-service consulting firm with clients in the non-profit, government, financial services, and
pharmaceutical sectors.
Tariq Jawad is director of development of the harvard arab alumni association. he is currently a director of
investment banking for rodman & renshaw and a key member of the corporate finance team that has originated,
structured and placed over $ billion for growth companies. he oversees syndication and is spearheading rodman’s
emerging market strategy, focusing primarily on the mena region. he graduated from harvard college in 1997 with
a ba in history.
rania succar is president and a co-founder of the harvard arab alumni association. she is currently pursuing
an mpa in international development from the Kennedy school and an mba from harvard business school. prior
to returning to harvard, she worked with mcKinsey & co. in the middle east, where she advised clients in several
sectors, including the public sector, metals and mining, Telecommunications, and financial institutions. prior to
joining mcKinsey, she worked with merrill lynch’s investment banking division in new york. she graduated from
harvard college in 2001 with a ba in economics.
hala audi is currently pursuing an ma in in public administration at the Kennedy school of Government. prior
to coming to cambridge, she was a lawyer at the new york firm skadden, arps, slate, meagher & flom, llp,
focusing her practice on international arbitration and litigation. she holds degrees in law from the university of paris
ii assas and columbia university law school.
shad ahmed is currently pursuing an mba at the harvard business school and an mpa in international
development at the Kennedy school. shad spent the past two years at mcKinsey & co.’s middle east office,
where he focused on serving public sector clients. prior to consulting, he helped build a new microfinance
program in cairo and as a fulbright scholar, researched political and economic reform initiatives in the Gcc.
shad graduated from stanford university in 2002 with a ba in economics and history.
haaa proGram direcTor
deena shaKir is program director for the harvard arab alumni association. she is currently in her third year
at harvard college, studying social studies and near eastern languages and civilizations. she is a past president
of the society of arab students, chair of the harvard institute of politics iraq reconstruction policy Group, and
a term-time student intern for the dubai initiative
The middle eas T: T he paTh forward | 15
The haaa conference team welcomes you to our
5th middle east conference. a special thank you to
everyone who made this year’s conference possible.
conference orGanizers
dunia abdul-aziz—hms/miT
shad ahmed—hbs/KsG
hala audi—KsG
ashraf hegazy—fas
deena shakir—fas
rania succar—hbs/KsG
conference commiTTee
sa’ed atshan—KsG
Joanne Kubba—KsG
fahd elbouchikhi—hbs
Kyle haddad-fonda—fas
nadia Gaber—fas
sabeen virani—Gsas
harvard arab alumni associaTion
www.harvardarabalumni.org
