On a Knife’s Edge: Israel, Gaza and the Dangers & Implications for the Middle East & Beyond
About the Speakers
Richard Sindelar, J.D., served more than 22 years with the U.S. State Department with overseas posts that included Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the then-Sinai Field Mission. In Washington, he served three tours in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), including a tour as Deputy Director of Middle East/South Asia analysis (1991-1994) during the Oslo Accords and the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm
Currently, Sindelar is s a Nonresident Scholar in Global Diplomacy at Rice University’s the Baker Institute. He previously served as Director of the Center for International Studies (CIS) at the University of St. Thomas, where he taught courses on diplomacy and strategic affairs, U.S. foreign policy, international security, international law and the Middle East and North Africa region. He also served as Director of the CIS’ Distinguished Diplomat Program, a program geared to inspire and educate students for careers in diplomacy.
Sindelar’s interests center on U.S. foreign policy issues, international security and the policymaking process. His current research is focused on Ukraine, international law, the “responsibility to protect” doctrine and war crimes.
He is co-editor of the book ‘Crosscurrents in the Gulf: Arab, Regional and Global Interests’ and has contributed commentary and articles in a number of media outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, Austin American Stateman, Lobelog, and 19fortyfive. Sindelar periodically appears as an analyst on international issues on Fox 26 News and other Houston media stations. He holds a J.D. and a B.S. in foreign service from Georgetown University.
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D., is a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute. His research examines the changing position of Persian Gulf states in the global order, as well as the emergence of longer-term, nonmilitary challenges to regional security. Previously, he worked as senior Gulf analyst at the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies and as co-director of the Kuwait Program on Development, Governance and Globalization in the Gulf States at the London School of Economics.
Coates Ulrichsen has published extensively on the Gulf. His books include “The Gulf States in International Political Economy” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), “The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking” (Routledge, 2016), and “Qatar and the Gulf Crisis” (Oxford University Press, 2020). Coates Ulrichsen’s articles have appeared in numerous academic journals, including Global Policy and the Journal of Arabian Studies, and he consults regularly on Gulf issues for government and private sector agencies around the world. Coates Ulrichsen holds a doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge.