NESA Center Alumni
MARSEC Digital Series: Tensions in the Indo-Pacific
On Thursday, 6 April 2023, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a digital chat with 25 NESA Center alumni on “Tensions in the Indo-Pacific.” Assistant Professor Jeffrey Payne led the conversation that marks the first of what will be an ongoing set of digital...
Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs PME Engagement
The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs is undergoing a significant reorganization aimed at enhancing its logistics, organization, and processes. A dedicated team of senior leaders has been appointed to focus on these improvements while prioritizing the professional development of the entire force....
NESA Center Hosts Roundtable Discussion with Omani Ambassador to the United States Moosa Hamdan al Tai
On 18 August 2022, Professor Dr. Gawdat Bahgat coordinated a meeting with a Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies leadership and faculty team. Academic Dean Dr. Roger Kangas headed the meeting at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., with Omani Ambassador to the United States...
The NESA Center Hosts His Excellency Yemeni Ambassador Mohammad Al-Hadhrami for a Roundtable
NESA Center Executive Officer Sam Marrero moderated a roundtable with His Excellency Yemeni Ambassador Mohammad Al-Hadhrami and NESA Center Faculty on Thursday, 28 July 2022, at 1330–1500 in Washington, DC. Ambassador Al-Hadhrami began his tenure as Ambassador in March 2022, having served...
The NESA Center Launches Online, On-Demand Courses for Alumni
On 23 May 2023, the NESA Center announced the launch of its online, on-demand courses for alumni through the GlobalNET Learning Management System (LMS). There are currently 26 courses available. The courses are self-paced and cover a wide range of security topics including Great Power...
Uzbekistan Group Meetings
From 12–16 December 2022, the NESA Center team of Dean Dr. Roger Kangas, Distinguished Professor Dr. Hassan Abbas, and Research Assistant Michelle Hanssen visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan to hold a series of meetings and visits that focused on reconnecting with Uzbek partners after the Covid-19...
March 2025 NESA Center Update
Read our latest report that highlights recent NESA Region Central & South Asia trends, programs & events, faculty & staff engagements, alumni contributions, and upcoming events. Click the link below to view the report. Read the Latest Report [PDF] Read other NESA Center...
Alumni Survey Report: Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has dealt yet another challenge with global economic and humanitarian repercussions. In April 2022, the NESA Center surveyed its global alumni network of almost 12,000 security professionals from more than 150 countries to assess the global impact of the invasion, as...
Alumni Publication: Ayman al-Zawahiri's Death and Political-Economic Fragility in South Asia
Political and economic dysfunction is an invitation for terrorism to flourish in the least integrated region in the world, South Asia. P.R Chari, director at IPCS India, captured this a year after the 9/11 attack in a paper called “Combating Terrorism: Devising cooperative countermeasures,”...
Mantraya Annual Report 2022-23
The Mantraya Annual Report 2022-23 was released on 09 January 2023. The report is an annual compilation of Mantraya’s policy briefs, analyses, occasional papers, and voices from the South Asia region. Mantraya is an independent research forum that seeks to make constructive...
Alumni Publication: Pressure the Taliban to protect women’s rights by Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
NESA Center Alumna Shanthie Mariet D'Souza authored an opinion piece published by the Hindustan Times on 19 January 2023 titled “Pressure the Taliban to protect women’s rights.” Read the piece here The views presented in this article are...
Alumni Publication: Turkey’s Upcoming General Election and LGBTQ+ Issues by Simone Bekker and NESA Center Alum Hussein Solomon
NESA Center Alum Hussein Solomon and Simone Bekker authored an article published by Middle East Tracker on 4 February 2023 titled "Turkey’s Upcoming General Election and LGBTQ+ Issues." Read the article here The views presented in this article...
Alumni Publication: China’s Challenges in Afghanistan Are Just Beginning by Shanthie Mariet D'Souza
NESA Center Alumna Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza authored an article published by The National Interest on 6 February 2023 titled “China’s Challenges in Afghanistan Are Just Beginning." Read the article here The views presented in...
Alumni Publication: Pakistan Must Course-Correct - Playing politics will not save the Indus Waters Treaty by Uttam Sinha
On 10 February 2023, Open Magazine published NESA Center alumnus Uttam Sinha's latest op-ed titled "Pakistan Must Course-Correct - Playing politics will not save the Indus Waters Treaty." Read the article here The views presented in this...
Alumni Publication: Moscow Multilateral Security Dialogue: Regional Consensus Elusive on Afghanistan by Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
On 22 February 2023, The Diplomat published NESA Center alumna Shanthie Mariet D’Souza's latest op-ed titled "Moscow Multilateral Security Dialogue: Regional Consensus Elusive on Afghanistan." Read the article here The views presented in this...
Alumni Publication: Israel and the African Union: A South African Perspective by Hussein Solomon
On 21 February 2023, think tank Research on Islam and Muslims in Africa (RIMA) published NESA Center alumnus Hussein Solomon's latest article titled "Israel and the African Union: A South African Perspective." Read the article here The views...
Alumni Publication: Food Insecurity: The Current Crisis by Charani Patabendige
On 23 January 2023, Modern Diplomacy published NESA Center alumna Charani Patabendige's article titled "Food Insecurity: The Current Crisis." Charani LCM Patabendige is a Research Assistant and an Acting Research Analyst at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier...
Alumni Publication: Cyberwar, Netwar: The Untouchable and Unpredictable by Charani Patabendige
On 31 January 2023, Modern Diplomacy published NESA Center alumna Charani Patabendige's article titled "Cyberwar, Netwar: The Untouchable and Unpredictable." Charani LCM Patabendige is a Research Assistant and an Acting Research Analyst at the Institute of National Security...
Alumni Publication: Human Security Implications of Online Hate Speech against Women: The Barrier to Women’s Political Participation by Charani Patabendige
On International Women's Day, 08 March 2023, Modern Diplomacy published NESA Center alumna Charani Patabendige's Op-Ed on the implications of online hate speech against women, titled "Human Security Implications of Online Hate Speech against Women: The Barrier to Women’s Political...
Alumni Publication: Turning a New Page in India-Germany Relations by Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza
On 08 March 2023, The Diplomat published NESA Center alumna Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza's article titled "Turning a New Page in India-Germany Relations." Dr. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza is founder & president, Mantraya; visiting faculty at the Naval War College, Goa; and non-...
Alumni Publication: South Africa’s Greylisting and Terrorist Financing by Hussein Solomon
On 8 March 2023, think tank Research on Islam and Muslims in Africa (RIMA) published NESA Center alumnus Hussein Solomon's latest article titled "South Africa’s Greylisting and Terrorist Financing." Read the article here The views...
Alumni Publication: Taliban Incapacity and the growing threat of Islamic State-Khorasan Province by Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza and Bibhu Prasad Routray
On 10 March 2023, Mantraya published the analysis "Taliban Incapacity and the growing threat of Islamic State-Khorasan Province" co-authored by NESA Center alumna Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza and Bibhu Prasad Routray. The article discusses the potential threat posed by...
Alumni Publication: "Algeria’s 2023 budget: President Tebboune’s make-or-break first-term project" by Zine Labidine Ghebouli
On 08 March 2023, The Middle East Institute (MEI) published NESA Center alumnus Zine Labidine Ghebouli's latest piece on Algeria's military and economic dynamics, titled "Algeria’s 2023 budget: President Tebboune’s make-or-break first-term project." "This year could make or break...
Alumni Publication: "Krisen in Afghanistan - Grenzen externer Intervention" by Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
NESA Center Alumna Shanthie Mariet D’Souza writes about the crisis in Afghanistan in her latest piece titled "Krisen in Afghanistan - Grenzen externer Intervention (Crises in Afghanistan - Limits of External Intervention)”, which was published in Volume 196 of the German ...
Alumni Publication: "After the Saudi-Iranian agreement" by Eman Ragab
On 28 March 2023, Ahram Online published NESA Center alumna Eman Ragab's article titled "After the Saudi-Iranian agreement." "The recent Saudi-Iranian agreement normalising relations between the two countries will bolster Saudi Arabia’s regional role and could lead to other...
Alumni Publication: "Lessons from the Protestant Reformation for Today’s Islamic World" by Hussein Solomon and Rene de Klerk
On 13 May 2023, the International Journal of Islamic Khazanah (IJIK) published NESA Center alumnus Hussein Solomon's article "Lessons from the Protestant Reformation for Today’s Islamic World", which was co-authored by Rene de Klerk. Abstract The Muslim world is in crisis –...
Alumni Publication: "The Prospect of US-Taliban Counterterrorism Cooperation: Is the Embrace Worth It?" by Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
On 15 May 2023, The Diplomat published NESA Center alumna Shanthie Mariet D’Souza's article "The Prospect of US-Taliban Counterterrorism Cooperation: Is the Embrace Worth It?" D'Souza argues that "suggested convergence on counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and the...
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NESA Center Alumna Shanthie D'Souza to teach at UMass Amherst as the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair in Public Policy
Congratulations to Shanthie D'Souza, a NESA Center alumna from India, who will be the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair in Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for the Spring 2024 semester. D'Souza will be teaching and conducting research on Global Climate Change and...
WATCH: Alum Asanga Abeyagoonasekera discusses China’s stranglehold on Sri Lanka and what it means for India
On 13 January 2024, NESA Center alum from Sri Lanka Asanga Abeyagoonasekera was interviewed by The New Indian Express (TNIE), a daily newspaper in India, on what China's "stranglehold" on Sri Lanka means for India. Watch: The views presented in this post are those of the...
NESA Center alumna Dr. Eman Ragab presents at 67th Annual UN Commission on Narcotics and Drugs Conference
Dr. Eman Ragab, a long-standing NESA Center alumna from Egypt and the Director of the Regional Expertise Centre for Combating Drugs and Crime at Naif Arab University for Security Science (NAUSS), attended the 67th Annual UN Commission on Narcotics and Drugs Conference in Vienna on 22...
UPCOMING WEBINAR: "India's Energy Policy and Practice"
On Friday, April 12, 2024 at 9:30am EST, Mr. Narendra Taneja will deliver a lecture titled "India's Energy Policy and Practice" via Zoom. The talk is the final iteration of the India Lab Webinar Series on India's Climate, Energy, and Geopolitics, hosted by the ...
LISTEN: Terrorist Financing in South Africa
On 5 July 2024, NESA Center alum Dr. Hussein Solomon was interviewed regarding the recent South African Finance Intel National Centre's "Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment." The interview was broadcast and available for listening on ChaiFM (based in Johannesburg, South Africa). Listen here...
NESA Center alumna delivers briefing to UN Security Council
On October 09, NESA Center alumna Hala Bugaighis gave a briefing to the UN Security Council on women's issues in Libya. Read the statement here. The views presented in this post are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.