Firas Maksad is founder and managing director of Global Policy Associates (GPA) and an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School on Internationals Relations. His career includes extensive experience working with Washington DC’s leading think tanks, with corporate and financial client managing political risk, and with global government relations firms.
Previously, Firas was director of the Arabia Foundation where he oversaw research and outreach activities with a focus on Arab Gulf states. He has been a member of the government affairs team at DLA Piper, a leading global law firm chaired by former US Special Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. He also served as an associate to Ambassador Dennis Ross, the former US Middle East presidential envoy, working with him on research and fact checking for his book “The Missing Peace.” Early in his career, Firas oversaw research on the Levant for Eurasia Group, a prominent political risk advisory based in New York.
Firas’ writings have appeared in top-tier publications, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy Magazine, Foreign Affairs, Los Angles Times and many others. He is a regular commentator on US politics and the Middle East for global news networks including BBC, CNBC, Sky News, Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera.
Firas holds a Masters of Science in Foreign Service degree, and an honors certificate in International Business from Georgetown University. He completed his undergraduate degree in Political Studies with distinction at the American University of Beirut. He is fluent in English and Arabic, and continues to practice his lacking French.