DESCRIPTION

Hamid Arsalan is an Afghan Analyst & an Entrepreneur, currently works as a program officer for Middle East & North Africa program at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C. where he designs projects, manages diverse grants, and works closely with civil society groups in support of Afghanistan’s civic and political development. He travels frequently to Afghanistan and regularly meets with political leaders, provincial council members, business and religious leaders, and members of parliament.

Hamid conducted research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and briefed officials at the White House, Pentagon, Senate & House Foreign Affairs Committees, and State Department. He assisted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2002 to 2006 in Afghanistan on the repatriation and reintegration of more than five million refugees, mainly returning from Iran and Pakistan.

Hamid is a frequent contributor to Voice of America talk-shows. His writings have been featured in Foreign Policy, Democracy Digest, and Afghan Analytica, where he is a founding and an editorial board member. He regularly briefs senior U.S. civilian and military officials about Afghan domestic politics, culture, religion and the terrorist groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Hamid is also the founding partner and chairman of the board of Herat Pharma, an Afghanistan based pharmaceutical company dedicated to providing quality medicine to diverse group of clients across Afghanistan.

Hamid, a native of Afghanistan, is fluent in Dari, and Pashto, and proficient in Urdu and Arabic.

He studied at the University of Virginia where he earned an undergraduate degree with honors in Foreign Affairs as well as MA studies in Public Policy and Leadership. He also earned a Master degree in Conflict Transformation with focus on International Development and Restorative Justice from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia.

Hamid enjoys practicing Krav Maga and cooking. He lives in Washington, D.C.

He can be reached at: