Bio

A Public Speaker & Blogger in Washington, D.C.

Hi, I am Radwan Ziadeh, a political scientist, a public intellectual, an author, and an activist. I have delivered lectures at several universities. I am a political researcher on Syrian politics. I devote my time and energy to building a vibrant and strong civil society in Syria.

Radwa Ziadeh

“Ziadeh is not so much a person as an institution,”

  • The Washington Post, September 2, 2011.

“Mr. Ziadeh is a prominent political figure in Syria.”

  • New York Times, June 23, 2017.

“He is a secular liberal activist who not only dreams of a Syrian democracy, but also for years did his best to promote one through organizations he founded.”

  • The Washington Post, Editorial Board, June 29, 2017.

    • “He is the most prominent, respected, and trusted Syrian dissident in the Washington, D.C., area.”

    • Foreign Policy, July 25, 2017.

I am a public intellectual, political scientist, activist, and author.

  • A senior fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, D.C. (www.arabcenterdc.org).
  • A visiting researcher at the Democratic Transition Program at the Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies in Doha.
  • The founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in Syria (www.dchrs.org).
  • The co-founder and an executive director of the Syrian Center for Political & Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. (www.scpss.org).
  • The chairman of the board for Syria TV (www.syria.tv), which is the largest Syria TV broadcast from Istanbul, Turkey.
  • A member of the editorial board of Syassat Arabia (Arabic Politics) from the Arab Center for Research and Public Policy (siyasatarabiya.dohainstitute.org).
  • A fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) in Washington, D.C.
  • A member of the panel of Experts at The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the 2018 protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory established by the Human Rights Council in 2018.

I have been the managing editor of the Transitional Justice Project in the Arab World, and the Head of the Syrian Commission for Transitional Justice that was established on November 14, 2013, by the Syrian Opposition Interim Government.

The Commission tasked to work on the transitional justice file, including investigating crimes, considering means for prosecution, and building a national reconciliation program, among other items.

Since the Syrian uprising started on March 15, 2011, I was involved in documenting the ongoing human rights violations in Syria and testified at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva twice and in front of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S Congress.

I was also involved in the Syrian political opposition. I was elected in October 2011 as the director of the Foreign Relations Office of the Syrian National Council until I resigned from the position in November 2012.

Late in 2012, I established the Syria Experts House (http://syrianexperthouse.org), which is a combined group of approximately 300 human rights activists, academics, judges, lawyers, opposition leaders, and diplomats. All of the members were committed to holding periodic meetings to build a final vision of the transitional period and produce considered, deliberate recommendations for Syria`s political future.

At the end of 2013, the Syria Experts House developed the “Syria Transition Roadmap” http://syrianexperthouse.org/archives/775), which was considered as the most comprehensive vision for the democratic future of Syria and endorsed by the Syrian opposition, the Friends of Syria coalition, and the U.N.

I decided to devote my time and energy to building a vibrant and robust civil society in Syria. After a prolonged armed conflict, I founded the Ghiath Matar Foundation (http://ghiathmattarfoundation.org) to honor the Syrian activist Ghiath Matar who is a symbol of peaceful resistance in the Syrian Revolution.

Ghiath Matar was tortured to death by the Syrian government in Sep 2011. I then created the award for the winning documentary movie “Little Gandhi” that focused on the life of Matar and the aftermath of his death on the Syrian uprising and became the first Syrian movie ever to be nominated to the Oscar.

As a part of my work and vision on transitional justice in Syria, I established The Association for the defense of the rights of the victims of the Syrian Revolution (http://advrsyria.org/en). The Association’s primary goal is to fight for justice and accountability and defend the rights of the victims in the Syrian conflict.

In 2013 and after the increase of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, I helped with establishing the Syria Relief Network (http://syriareliefnetwork.com/en/), which is considered as the largest network of Syrian NGOs working on the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

In 2015, I established the Syria Democracy Foundation to focus on preparing for democratic transition in Syria, building massive democratic parties in the future.

In 2016, I participated in the Syria Peace Talks in Geneva as a representative of the Syrian civil society and engaged with the negotiations to implement the UNSC resolution 2254, especially in the issues of drafting a new constitution and elections. In 2017, I became the legal adviser to the Syrian opposition delegation to Astana talks in Kazakhstan with the focus on the issues of political prisoners and the missing persons of the Syria war.

  • D.D.S in dentistry from Damascus University.
  • Diploma in International Human Rights Law from the College of Law at the American University in Washington, D.C.
  • Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Cyprus.
  • MA (Master of Art) in Democracy & Governance from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
  • Master’s in trading & investment from Trading Academy in Washington, D.C.
  • Certificate in Economic Development from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at John Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.

I am a visiting fellow and a scholar at many prestigious universities and think tanks in the United States and around the world.

  • The Interdisciplinary Center for Near & Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) at the Philipps University, Marburg, Germany (2016).
  • The International Relation Department at Lehigh University (2012-2013).
  • The Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES), Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University (2011-2012).
  • Prins Global Fellow at Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University (2010-2011).
  • The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) at Georgetown University (2011).
  • Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington, D.C. (2009).
  • The Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University in New York City (2009-2010) & (2013-2015).
  • Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs) in London (2009-2010).
  • Carr Center for Human Rights at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (2008-2009).
  • Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C. (2007-2008).

I was editor-in-chief of Tyarat magazine in 2001 & 2002 when the Syrian regime banned the magazine and detained three of the editorial members and the secretary of the Syrian Organization for Transparency in 2005-2006. I was a researcher with the UNDP’s "Syria 2025" project.

I was named the best political scientist researcher in the Arab world by Jordan’s Abdulhameed Shoman Foundation in 2004. In 2009, I was awarded the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Academic Freedom award in Boston.

In 2010, I accepted the Democracy Courage Tributes award on behalf of the human rights movement in Syria, given by the World Movement for Democracy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 2008, The Encyclopedia of the Most Important Contemporary Arabic Thinkers and Intellectuals included me among the most essential and effective Arab thinkers in the contemporary Arab world today.

I was one of the major players in the “Damascus Spring,” a period of intense debate about politics, social issues, and calls for reform in Syria after the death of President Hafez al-Asad in the year 2000.

Radwa Ziadeh

About the “We Are Syrians” Book

My biography featured in a book called ”We Are Syrians: Three Generations. Three Dissidents” that was edited by Adam Braver and Abby DeVeuve. The book gives an insight into the “courage and defiance,” and “tells the larger story of the Syrian conflict and the conditions that brought about the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history.”

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  • Board of Directors for the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID) in Washington, D.C.
  • Board member and senior adviser for the Institute of Islamic Strategic & Socio-Political Affairs in London (IISA).
  • Member of the Advisory Group for the Institute for Democracy & Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Member of the Advisory Board for the Islamic World Initiative at USIP for “Reform and Security in the Muslim World” program.
  • Member of The Middle East Studies Association (MESA).
  • The American Political Science Association (APSA).
  • The International Institute for Strategic Studies, London.
  • The International Political Science Association (IPSA).
  • The International Studies Association (ISA).
  • The Academy of Political Science (APS).
  • American Economic Association (AEA).
  • World Economics Association (WEA).
  • Middle East Economic Association (MEEA).
  • Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR).
  • PEN America.
  • National Writers Union (NWU).
  • International Press Institute (IPI).
  • International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
  • American Sociological Association (ASA).
  • World Affairs Council – Washington, D.C.
  • Syrian Studies Association (SSA).
  • Syrian American Medical Association (SAMS).
  • CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).
  • Society of Washington, D.C.
  • U.S Parachute Association (USPA).
  • Amnesty International (AI).
  • American Historical Association (AHA).
  • Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA).
  • American Philosophical Association (APA).

I have written more than thirty books in English and Arabic.

  • Accountability & Transitional Justice in Syria (2018) from Lexington Books.
  • Syria's Role in the Changing Middle East: The Syrian-Israeli Peace Talks (2018) from I.B.Tauris.
  • Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services.
  • Foreign Relations & Democracy in the Modern Middle East (London: I.B.Tauris, 2011).
  • The Kurds in Syria: Fuelling Separatist Movements in the Region? (Washington, D.C: United States Institute of Peace, 2009).
  • The EU’s Policy on Promoting Democracy in the Arab World (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2009).
  • A Multifaceted Response to Syria’s Brutality (Washington, D.C: Project on Middle East Democracy, 2011).
  • Towards a Peaceful Democratic Transition in Syria (Washington, D.C: Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), 2012).
  • Toward a Democratic Solution to the Kurdish Issue in Syria (Washington, D.C: Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies(SCPSS), 2016 in English).
  • Democratic Transition theories & Democratic Measurements (2018).
  • Syria`s Future & The Issue of the Kurds (2017).
  • Toward a Democratic Solution to the Kurdish Issue in Syria (2016).
  • Islam, Modernity and Arab Spring: A conversation with Francis Fukuyama (2015).
  • The Democratic Change in the Arab World (2014).
  • Power & Intelligence in Syria (2013).
  • The Clash of Values Between Islam & the West, with Kevin James O’Toole (2010).
  • Political Islam in Syria (2008).
  • Decision Making & Foreign Policy in Syria (2007).
  • The Challenges of Reform in The Arab World: Islam, Identity, Modernity, and Globalization (2006).
  • The Intellectual Confronts Power: Dialogues of Syrian Civil Society (2005).
  • The Near Peace: The Syrian–Israeli Negotiations (2005).
  • The Ideology of Renaissance in Contemporary Arab Discourse (2004).
  • The Question of Renewal in Contemporary Islamic Discourse (2004).
  • Modernism & Post-Modernism in Western Philosophy (2003).
  • Human Rights in the Arab World (2000) (In Arabic).
  • The Democratic Transition between Spain and Syria, with George Irani (2009).
  • The Struggle for Reform in Syria (2006).
  • Reform in Syria: Between Domestic and International Politics (2004).
  • Towards Civil Society in Syria (2004).
  • Islam & Political Thought: Democracy and The West (2000).
  • I participated in many book chapters in different languages.

I have published studies, research projects, and policy papers for many international institutions. I have also published articles in magazines in Arabic, English, Spanish, and French.

  • United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
  • Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm.
  • German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA).
  • The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD).
  • Freedom House and Global Integrity both in Washington, D.C.
  • The Global Leadership Project at the Clinton Global Initiative.
  • Harvard University
  • Columbia University
  • Georgetown University
  • Stanford University
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Rutgers University
  • Cornell University
  • George Washington University
  • New York University
  • Pittsburgh University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • UCLA, UC–Davis
  • Roger Williams University
  • Kennesaw State University
  • Tufts University
  • Lehigh University
  • The Johns Hopkins University
  • Virginia International University
  • University of Denver
  • American University, Washington, D.C.
  • Buffalo University
  • Oxford University
  • St. Andrews University
  • National Academy of the Sciences
  • King’s College London
  • Edinburgh University
  • University of Colorado
  • Savannah Council on World Affairs
  • University of Ljubljana-Slovenia
  • Jagiellonian University in Poland
  • Lund University in Sweden
  • Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany
  • Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
  • University Duisburg-Essen, Germany
  • University of York
  • University of Amsterdam
  • LUISS University, Italy
  • McGill University, Canada
  • Pontifical Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona
  • Ulster University in Belfast
  • Cambridge University
  • European Institute of the Mediterranean
  • University of Cyprus
  • International Christian University, Tokyo
  • Cairo University
  • University of Rwanda
  • American University of Beirut
  • Al-Baat University in Amman
  • University of Jordan
  • Damascus University
  • New York Times
  • Washington Post
  • New Republic
  • New Yorker

I am a political commentator on several U.S., European, and Middle Eastern media outlets.

  • BBC
  • CNN
  • Al-Jazeera
  • Al-Arabiya
  • Al-Hurra

I also write a bi-monthly Op-Ed for the leading newspapers.

  • Arab Daily
  • Al-Hayat
  • New Arab
  • Arabic (native)
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
  • German
  • Turkish
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Photos and Travel

He had lectured at Harvard University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Notre Dame, Rutgers University, Cornell University, George Washington University, New York University, Pittsburgh University, Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, UC–Davis, Roger Williams University, Kennesaw State University, Tufts University, Lehigh University, The Johns Hopkins University, Virginia International University, University of Denver, American University in Washington D.C, Buffalo University, Oxford University, St. Andrews University, National Academy of the Sciences, King’s College–University of London, Edinburgh University, University of Colorado, Savannah Council on World Affairs, University of Ljubljana-Slovenia, Jagiellonian University in Poland, Lund University –Sweden, Gutenberg University-Mainz-Germany, Philipps-Universität Marburg- Germany, University Duisburg-Essen -Germany, University of York, University of Amsterdam, LUISS University in Italy , McGill University- Canada, Lund University, Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)-Barcelona, Ulster University in Belfast, Cambridge University,

European Institute of the Mediterranean, University of Cyprus, International Christian University in Tokyo, Cairo University, University of Rwanda, American University of Beirut, Al-Baat University in Amman, University of Jordan, and Damascus University.

Ziadeh is a world traveler, he visited more than hundred and thirty countries around the world. He also visited all fifty states in the United States and a member of all fifty states club and Traveler Century Club.

Here some of his photos for his visits to universities and education institutions around the world.