The Stimson Center has launched a North Africa Program aimed at enhancing understanding of the Maghreb region’s political economies, internal dynamics, and its significance in global affairs. The program will be led by Hafed Al Ghwell as Senior Fellow and Director, with support from Lana Bleik as Fellow and Deputy Director.
Previously known as the North Africa Initiative (NAI) and based at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the initiative has focused on policy research related to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. With its move to the Stimson Center, this work will continue under a new institutional framework.
Brian Finlay, President and CEO of the Stimson Center, stated: “The launch of the North Africa program reflects Stimson’s commitment to advancing research on regions that are important to global security and prosperity, but often underrepresented. Hafed and Lana bring deep regional expertise and a proven track record of producing impactful analysis that will complement our programmatic work and expand our capacity to inform global policy conversations with fresh, grounded insight.”
Hafed Al Ghwell commented: “We are excited to join the Stimson Center and continue building a platform that shines a light on North Africa. This region holds enormous potential and growing geostrategic importance, and we look forward to contributing to Stimson’s mission through accessible, actionable research.”
The Stimson Center is recognized for promoting international security through applied research, independent analysis, global engagement initiatives, and policy innovation. Over its three-decade history since being founded near the end of the Cold War period, it has contributed solutions addressing changes in power dynamics and technology within international relations.
