Garrett Nada is a program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace in the Center for Middle East & Africa. In this capacity, he writes, edits and researches for two ongoing projects. “The Iran Primer” website provides objective analysis on Iran’s politics, economy, military, foreign policy and nuclear program. “The Islamists: Who They Really Are” website surveys the rise of Islamist groups in the wake of the Arab uprisings. Nada liaisons with contributors to the websites, coordinates with media partners and promotes new articles on social media. He co-authored a Peace Brief on challenges in the Middle East in 2013.

Nada has field experience in the West Bank and Israel. In 2011, he 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 for Democratic Change and the Council for a Community of Democracies. Nada also conducted a field study of USAID’s impact in the Palestinian Territories.

Nada received an M.A. in Middle East Studies from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in 2012. In summer 2011, Nada studied Arabic at Birzeit University in the West Bank. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University in 2010 and wrote a thesis on Bedouin student identity. He is proficient in Arabic and Hebrew.

Publications By Garrett

What You Need to Know About China’s Saudi-Iran Deal

What You Need to Know About China’s Saudi-Iran Deal

Thursday, March 16, 2023

By: Adam Gallagher;  Sarhang Hamasaeed;  Garrett Nada

Iran and Saudi Arabia announced last Friday a Chinese-brokered deal to restore relations. After decades of enmity and a formal cutting of ties in 2016, the rapprochement has been touted as a momentous development in the region. But how it ultimately impacts the Middle East remains a very open question, as the long adversarial powers are fighting a proxy war in Yemen and continue to support opposing sides across the region. Amid perceived U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East, the deal is a diplomatic win for China as it increasingly seeks to present an alternative vision to the U.S.-led global order.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Takeaways from Blinken’s Trip to the Middle East

Takeaways from Blinken’s Trip to the Middle East

Friday, February 3, 2023

By: Robert Barron;  Caroline Dibble;  Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen;  Garrett Nada;  Ambassador Hesham Youssef

The Middle East has not been a high priority for the Biden administration thus far, with issues such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and escalating tensions with China taking precedence. However, recent developments in the region are catching the administration’s attention, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank earlier this week sought to reaffirm U.S. engagement in the Middle East amid political turnover in Israel, spiraling violence in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, stepped-up Iran-Israel tensions and a deepening economic crisis in Egypt.

Type: Analysis

Peace Processes

How the Region is Reacting to the Taliban Takeover

How the Region is Reacting to the Taliban Takeover

Thursday, August 19, 2021

By: Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Donald N. Jensen, Ph.D.;  Garrett Nada;  Tamanna Salikuddin;  Andrew Scobell, Ph.D.

While the Taliban’s swift advance into Kabul over the weekend has left much of the West reeling, Afghans themselves will bear the brunt of the militant group’s rule. Beyond Afghanistan’s borders, its neighbors will feel the most immediate impact. Earlier this year, Russia, China and Pakistan affirmed that the future of Afghanistan should be decided through dialogue and political negotiations. How will they engage with the Taliban now?

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

What You Need to Know About Iran’s Election and New President

What You Need to Know About Iran’s Election and New President

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

By: Garrett Nada

Hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi won Iran's presidential election amid a historically low turnout on June 18. He will be inaugurated in early August and have significant influence over domestic policy and foreign affairs, although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the ultimate say. Raisi’s election comes as the Biden administration is working with other major powers to bring the United States and Iran into full compliance to the 2015 nuclear deal, which the president-elect has expressed interest in reviving to take advantage of its economic benefits. USIP’s Garrett Nada looks at the implications of Raisi’s election victory and what it could mean for the Islamic Republic’s ties to the outside world.  

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

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