Research Associate, AGSIW
Said Bakr is a research associate in political economy and international relations at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. His research focuses on the geoeconomic and geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East, Levantine politics, and Gulf investments and economic diversification efforts. Bakr holds an MA from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and a BA in political science from Gustavus Adolphus College.
Prior to joining AGSIW, Bakr worked in the wealth management industry, where he gained foundational knowledge of stock markets and securities. He also worked as a program and grant assistant and an Arabic teaching assistant at Georgetown University. Additionally, he interned at the Gulf International Forum and the City of St. Peter, Minnesota.
Bakr is a native Arabic speaker and possesses a working knowledge of Persian. He has lived in Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
For Syria to have a chance at stability, the United States and the EU need to urgently consider lifting the layers of economic sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad and allow Gulf countries to help rebuild the war-torn country.
On Syria, the United States risks becoming increasingly out of step with its key allies, who have moved toward diplomatic engagement.
Qatar is working to boost local food production while coping with daunting obstacles, including falling aquifer levels, a paucity of arable land, and broader climate-change issues.
Saudi and Emirati efforts to expand the countries’ presence in Africa’s critical mineral industry bring the potential for both economic collaboration and geopolitical tension with China.
