experts
Kawa Hassan
Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Center
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about


Kawa Hassan is no longer with Carnegie Middle East Center.

Kawa Hassan is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where his research focuses on Kurdish and Iraqi politics, civil society and democratization, donor assistance, and transition processes, especially in the Middle East.

Hassan is director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the EastWest Institute’s Brussels office, where he leads track two initiatives focused on countering violent extremism. He coordinated the Knowledge Program Civil Society in West Asia, at Hivos, in the Netherlands. Prior to that, he was a senior policy officer for the South Asia and Southeast Asia program at Simavi. Earlier, he served as program manager in eastern Sri Lanka for FORUT and as field coordinator for the United Nations Development Program, where he led post-tsunami and post-conflict recovery programs. In addition, he worked as a media analyst on Dutch television and radio and as an interpreter and translator for refugees and asylum seekers. 

Hassan is the author and co-editor of a number of policy papers, including “Kurdistan’s Politicised Society Confronts a Sultanistic System” (Carnegie, 2015),  “Kurdistan’s Democracy on the Brink” (Foreign Policy, 2015), “Transition Debates in a Transforming Middle East” (Hivos, 2014), “Strategic Implications of Dignity Revolutions for Western Donors” (Human Rights Funding News, 2013), and “Building the Future Today: Engendering Syria’s Transition” (Hivos, 2013). Hassan is a regular commentator on international, regional, and Dutch media about Iraq and Middle East affairs.


areas of expertise
Political ReformEgyptGulfLevantCivil SocietyIranMiddle EastIranNorth AfricaEgyptIraqSyriaDemocracyDemocracy
education
M.Sc., University of Amsterdam , Studied English and German at the University of Al-Mustansyriah
languages
Arabic, Dutch, English, German, Kurdish

All work from Kawa Hassan

filters
7 Results
event
Citizenship and Social Constituency in the Arab Region
November 16, 2015

Political developments in the Arab region have led to the strengthening of ethnic, religious, or racial identities at the expense of citizenship, and in some countries to armed confrontation. Is a state built on the principle of citizenship still possible?

  • +10
  • Sabah Al-Hallak, 
  • Mohamed Elagati, 
  • Georges Fahmi, 
  • Walid Haddouk, 
  • Kawa Hassan, 
  • Doreen Khoury, 
  • Youssef Laaraj, 
  • Gameel Matar, 
  • Heba Raouf Ezzat, 
  • Oussama Safa, 
  • Saad Salloum, 
  • Fawwaz Traboulsi, 
  • Maha Yahya
In the Media
Kurdistan’s Democracy on the Brink

Iraqi Kurdistan’s budding democracy faces tough challenges as the region remains politically divided and President Masoud Barzani continues to remain in power despite protests.

· October 28, 2015
Foreign Policy
event
Kurdistan’s Ruling Elites: A Sultanistic System
September 8, 2015

The Kurdistan region of Iraq has been described by many as the “Other Iraq,” that is, a place that enjoys relative stability, security, economic development, and political pluralism. But is this assessment accurate?

paper
Kurdistan’s Politicized Society Confronts a Sultanistic System

The Kurdistan region of Iraq enjoys more stability, economic development, and political pluralism than the rest of the country. But this assessment fails to recognize key parts of the story.

· August 18, 2015
In the Media
Islamic State Is a Consequence Not a Cause of the Current Catastrophe

Arab failed states allowed the Islamic State to grow and shamelessly used it for their own purposes long before anyone had ever heard of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

· September 4, 2014
Annahar English Edition
event
What Next for Kurdistan and Iraq?
July 17, 2014

As most of Iraq threatens to collapse under the weight of sectarian violence, Kurdistan in northern Iraq stands in sharp contrast. Will Kurdistan seize this opportunity to declare its independence?

event
Dignity Revolutions and Western Donors: Redefining Relevance
February 1, 2013

The Middle East’s dignity revolutions are monumental events with far-reaching consequences. As Arab states attempt to transition from dictatorship to democracy, western donors must exhibit patience and support.