Garrett Nada, MA Middle East Studies, Class of 2012, #ElliottProud Alumni
April 2019 Update: Garrett Nada continues to work at the United States Institue of Peace and was recently promoted to Program Officer.
Garrett Nada graduated from the Elliott School with an MA in Middle East Studies in 2012 and from Brandeis University in 2010 with a BA in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, with a minor in Hebrew Language and Literature. In summer 2011, he received an Aramex grant through this program to study Arabic and work with a local NGO. He studied Arabic at Birzeit University in the West Bank and taught English to Palestinian college and high school students through the Sharek Youth Forum in Ramallah and Nablus. During graduate school, he interned at the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Senate, Partners Global (formerly known as Partners for Democratic Change) and the Council for a Community of Democracies. For his capstone project, he conducted a field study of USAID’s impact in the Palestinian Territories. He started working at the U.S. Institute of Peace shortly after graduation.
Describe your current position and what are your primary responsibilities?
I work at the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent national institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. I am the managing editor of two websites. “The Iran Primer” website provides objective analysis on Iran’s politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. “The Islamists” website surveys Islamist political parties and militant groups in the Arab world and Turkey. I write original articles, edit contributed content, and interview experts. I am also the webmaster and manage the projects’ social media accounts.
What professional organization, websites, or Elliott School courses, would you recommend for students interested in your field, and why?
For students interested in foreign affairs, I recommend they attend lectures, salons and networking events aimed at young professionals. These types of events, often hosted by think tanks, provide access to experienced analysts and former government officials and offer opportunities to discuss career paths and tangible experiences. I also encourage students to take some courses outside of their concentration. For example, I was in the Middle East studies program, but I took courses on Pakistan and Afghanistan that helped me to better understand the regional competition between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other countries.
What part of your career do you find most challenging and how do you stay motivated?
The part of my career that I find the most challenging is writing for a non-expert audience. I write articles that are largely self-contained, light on jargon and do not require much prior knowledge to understand the significance of the bottom line. This type of writing is difficult because it also forces you to be direct and succinct. To keep motivated, I try to take a step back and think of my institute’s audience and what type of product they would most benefit from.
If someone wrote a book about you 10 years from now, what would it be called?
“No Sugar: Coffee, Conversations and Close Calls in the Middle East”.
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The #ElliottProud profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights graduate program alumni to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.
The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.
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