Experts Details

Adrian Calamel

A lifelong student of MENA but with no formal training Adrian left the business world and pursued a MA in Middle Eastern history after losing a close friend in the South Tower on 9/11 and recognizing a dangerous comprehension gap in the American populace. For over a decade he’s taught college students the history of the Middle East, modern terrorism, and contemporary topics such as the Arab/Israeli conflict. In January 2022 he left academia to focus on educating a wider audience, writing books for the average American reader that explain the evolution and dangers of terrorism. His first book will examine the Lockerbie disaster and the geopolitical cover-up to exonerate Hafez Assad, Ayatollah Khomeini and pin the 1988 terrorist attack on Qaddafi’s Libya. Additionally, Adrian has written articles covering a range of topics for various outlets including MEF’s Focus on Western Islamism, The Levant News, The Washington Outsider and made appearances on Manoto TV, aNews, Alshariqiya Tube,Coalition Radio. The last several years Adrian has increasingly focused on Yemen, representing NGOs at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, addressing the humanitarian disaster whilst tracking Houthi, Hezbollah, and IRGC involvement in the multilayered crisis.

John Rossomendo

John Rossomando was a senior analyst for Defense Policy at the Center for Security Policy and served as Senior Analyst for Counterterrorism at The Investigative Project on Terrorism for eight years. He is a regular contributor to 19Fortyfive.com. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The American Thinker, Daily Wire, Red Alert Politics, CNSNews.com, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Newsmax, The American Spectator, TownHall.com, and Crisis Magazine. He also served as senior managing editor of The Bulletin, a 100,000-circulation daily newspaper in Philadelphia, and received the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors first-place award in 2008 for his reporting.

David Witty

David M. Witty is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel and foreign area officer who has spent almost a decade and a half living and working in the Middle East. He is an adjunct professor at Norwich University’s Online Security Studies Program. He has previously written for The Journal of Military History, The Brookings Institution, and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.

He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy. He holds master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval War College.

Abdullah Juneid

Founding Member of the National Unity Assembly (Political Party in Bahrain). Researcher at the Trends research center in UAE. Aljunaid is a regular commentator on Arabic networks like Skynews Arabia, BBCArabic among others. His analysis on the Middle East issues were published in the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, Al-Ittihad Newspaper, Security and Defense Arabia, and Middle East Online.

Ryan Maoro

Ryan Mauro is an adjunct professor and an on-air media analyst covering international security issues. For 10 years, he was the National Security Analyst and Director of Intelligence for the Clarion Project, a counter-extremism organization.

Dean Neckelson

 

Dean C. Mikkelsen is an accomplished journalist and editor who currently serves as the Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Middle East, a social-first online media platform that offers comprehensive coverage of current geopolitical events. With an extensive background in engineering, cybersecurity policy, strategic studies, security, and international relations, Dean brings a unique and valuable perspective to his work. Having lived and worked in various countries, including the Middle East, Canada, the US, and Europe, he possesses a broad understanding of international affairs.

Dean is particularly skilled in utilizing OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) to provide accurate and informative coverage of current events. He is also an expert in disinformation detection, an essential skill in today’s complex media landscape. Additionally, his maritime and aviation security knowledge adds an extra layer of insight to his coverage of events.

Dean’s expertise has been recognized by numerous leading news outlets, including ABC News Australia, BBC Persian, and i24 News Israel, who have quoted him on many occasions. He is committed to providing impartial, fact-based coverage of current events, allowing readers to form opinions based on multiple perspectives.

Additionally, Dean offers his geopolitical insights as a consultant to various private security organizations. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, making him a sought-after expert.

Irina Tsukerman

Is a human rights and national security lawyer based in New York. She runs a boutique national security law practice. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Energy and Environment and Science and Technology Sections. She is the Program Vice Chair in the Oil and Gas Subcommittee. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Middle East and North African Affairs Committee and an affiliate member of the Foreign & Comparative Law Committee.

In addition, Irina Tsukerman is the President of Scarab Rising, Inc., a media and security strategic advisory, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Outsider, a project of Scarab Rising, focused on foreign policy, geopolitics, security, and human rights. Irina hosts The Washington Outsider Report program on The Coalition Radio station, and frequently writes about world affairs in diverse US and international publications.

She has written and commented extensively about Yemen and GCC related issues, appearing in Geneva to address human rights and security issues resulting from the activities by extremist actors and movements. Her writings on Arabia-related issues have been extensively cited in international academic publications. She has appeared in the media all over the world as a geopolitical specialist dedicated to actionable analysis, and her writings and comments have been translated to over a dozen languages. Irina is a member of the editorial board of The Maghreb and Orient Courier.

She is a member of the New York-based Foreign Policy Association. Irina specializes in information warfare; she has written and spoken extensively on active measures by Russia, China, and Iran and influence campaigns by Middle Eastern state actors, as well as on the impact of active measures and influence campaigns on the human rights and NGO world; she has also published on a wide range of global issues touching on energy, geostrategy, strategic alliances, Great Power competition and its impact on geopolitics, domestic policy, and business, information security and digital rights/cybersecurity, big tech, terrorism and extremism, as well as issues in intelligence and counterintelligence.

Most recently, Irina was honored for her contributions as a woman leader and a global humanitarian at the World Humanitarian Drive’s Trilateral Trade for Peace Conference in London. Her comments and writings have been translated into over a dozen languages; her latest major appearance was on Australia’s #1 podcast the Red Line to discuss counterterrorism and economic warfare in Mozambique.

Dr. Anthony Chimente

Earned a Ph.D. from Durham University in Middle East Politics with a focus on civil-military relations in fragmented states. His main interests include military, security, and international affairs in the GCC region and Yemen. Anthony Chimente spent five months as a visiting associate lecturer in comparative politics at Northumbria University. He is currently an independent researcher and advisor with Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical consultancy based in Washington, D.C.

Bashar Jarrar

Bashar Jarrar is a seasoned political analyst and media consultant with over 35 years of experience. He possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience as an international broadcast journalist and executive news producer and editor, covering primary events, regular news, and political shows. Bashar has an MA in Peace Studies from University of Bradford in the UK. His areas of expertise include counterterrorism, U.S. politics, interfaith dialogue and coexistence, and conflict resolution and peace.

Bashar is well-versed in the latest news technologies, including new media and social media, and currently serves as a political commentator for news coverage and talk shows on Arab, Middle Eastern, and International TV networks such as, Alarabeyya, Alsharq (Bloomberg), RT, Monte Carlo, France 24, DW, BBC, and others. Additionally, he shares his expertise as a guest speaker and  media trainer with the public diplomacy program at the Department of State.

Bashar has daily and weekly Op-ed contributions in Jordanian and international newspapers and networks such as CNN, Addustoor, and Abouna.

Dr. Saad Abdullah Al-Hamid

Dr. Saad Abdullah Al-Hamid Arbitration consultant in international disputes and a consultant in international relations in the Arab-European Center in the Kingdom of Norway and a member of the Egyptian Bar Association, a certified political analyst, BBC Arabic channels and several international channels, a member of the Saudi Political Science Association, and a writer in several Saudi news outlets.

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