The Stimson Center has announced the launch of its North Africa Program, which will focus on advancing understanding of the Maghreb region’s political economies, internal dynamics, and global relevance. The program is led by Hafed Al Ghwell as Senior Fellow and Director, with Lana Bleik serving as Fellow and Deputy Director.
Previously known as the North Africa Initiative (NAI) at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the program has been recognized for policy-relevant research and commentary covering Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. Its move to the Stimson Center is expected to maintain this work while broadening regional expertise within the institution.
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 an organization focused on promoting international security through applied research, independent analysis, global engagement, and policy innovation. Over its three decades in operation since being founded near the end of the Cold War period, it has worked on practical approaches toward stability in international affairs.
