William Lawrence

Background

About William Lawrence

Senior Resident Academic Fellow and North Africa Area Studies Director at the National Council on U.S. Arab Relations. Middle East, North Africa, Africa, Muslim World International Affairs expert and professional, fluent in French and dialectical Arabic. Advanced Modern Standard Arabic. Wrote and edited three books and dozens of analytical and consulting reports on political, economic, security, business and cultural topics. Extensive fieldwork including over interviews in all five Maghreb countries. Program manager with decades experience (13 living immersively in North Africa and Middle East) implementing programs and performing research and analysis. Accomplishments include directing the first International Crisis Group regional office in the Maghreb; co-creating innovative U.S. science diplomacy programs across Muslim Africa and Asia including the Global Innovation through Science and Technology program (GIST), the U.S. Science Envoy program, entrepreneurship and digital library programs, and a science diplomacy film series; co-chairing the U.S. Egypt Science and Technology Development Fund for four years, and serving as NATO project director for a Morocco-Mauritania wind-hydrogen energy project. Co-negotiated the first major agreement with Libya in decades and served at U.S. Embassy Tripoli. Responsible for U.S-Africa S&T relations for four years. Regular U.S. Congressional testimony and briefings and over media appearances and quotations on North Africa and Middle East topics. Six merit awards from the State Department, 2 medals from the Egyptian government, and an alumni achievement award from Duke University. Co-created 6 documentary films on MENA topics and 14 albums of North African music. Specialties: Middle Eastern and North African Politics and Security; Risk Assessment and Mitigation; North African History, Politics, and Culture; Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism; Conflict Prevention, Mitigation, and Resolution; Islamic and International Law; US Muslim World Outreach; Muslim Youth Political Culture; Cross-Cultural Negotiation and Mediation; Comparative and Developmental Political Analysis; Economic Development; Strategic Planning; Editing, Publishing, Filmmaking, and Music Production.