A group of graduate-level students mostly from the American University in Washington D.C. and currently participating in a seminar at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), visited the GRC. They were briefed on GRC’s activities as well as the political and security developments in the Gulf. The students were led by Prof. Isa Blumi, Assistant Professor of History at Georgia State University and a visiting Professor of International Studies at AUSh.
Michael Backfisch, Middle East Bureau Chief of Handelsblatt, Germany’s Business and Financial Daily James Stone, Regional Policy Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa, of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada Cindie-Eve Bourassa Braun, Second Secretary at Embassy of Canada, Abu Dhabi
Zaineb Al-Assam, Head of Middle East Division at Exclusive Analysis Ltd., London. Roger Tondeur, President of MCI Group, Sumaira Isaacds, Managing Director of MCI Group Middle East. Ajay Bhojwani, Director of MCI Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Andreas Schild, director general, International center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathamandu, Nepal visited GRC to discuss possible cooperation in environmental issues
Shinichi Kadoya, President and Representative Director of Front Interrest Co. Ltd., JapanAmir Pasic, Associate Dean, Development and Alumni Relations at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
Ms. Mashair Ahmed Alamin and Ms. Rihad Hussain Shabo from the Society Studies Center in Khartoum, Sudan, visited the GRC. Talks about potential cooperation between the two institutions in the areas of training and research were initiated. The meeting was especially relevant as the GRC has launched its GCC-Africa research program and is organizing the Gulf-Africa Strategy Forum in Cape Town in February 2009.
