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A Washington-based analyst, Will Ward was until recently the managing editor of Arab Media & Society, an online journal focusing on the political and social impact of media in the region. He freelances for several publications including Oxford Analytica and ISN Security Watch and has done consulting work for Meedan.org. Will holds an M.Phil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from St. Antony’s College, Oxford and a BA in History and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Arabic and Persian. Will’s writing includes: Built to Spill – Regional repercussions of petrol sanctions on Iran (The National); Film Row Stalls Egypt-Iran Reconciliation (ISN Security Watch); Review Essay: Journalism in Iran and Media, Culture and Society in Iran (Arab Media & Society)
A non-resident fellow at the Dubai School of Government, Ethan Chorin was previously the author of a CSIS-hosted blog entitled “Enriched Iranium”, which looked at the Arab and Iranian media view of “the other”. Formerly a Foreign Service Officer posted to Libya and the UAE, Chorin was a member of the Obama campaign’s Middle East Policy Group. Chorin holds a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from U.C. Berkeley, an M.A. in International Policy Studies from Stanford, and a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from Yale. A two-time Fulbright recipient, he speaks Arabic, Farsi and French. Chorin is the author of Translating Libya: The Libyan Short Story (Saqi Press, 2008). His translations and Op-Eds have appeared in Words Without Borders, the Financial Times, and L’Orient Le Jour.
Spencer Witte holds an M.Phil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford (St Antony’s College). Witte’s Oxford dissertation focused on the introduction of private and international universities into the Qatari and Emirati higher education systems. He has traveled in much of the MENA region and spent nearly two years living in Syria. He published a series of 20 reports from Beirut during Lebanon’s summer 2006 war with Israel. Witte holds a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania where he also lettered on the university baseball team. He speaks Arabic.
David Gutelius is a specialist in the economics of the Middle East and Africa, and is frequently consulted for his views on political and social developments in the region. He has led a number of community development projects in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the role of social networks in Islamic banking and finance. His current work looks at the emergence of new identities and Social Media. He has lived throughout North Africa, and travels frequently in the Middle East. Previously, Gutelius was a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Dr. Gutelius holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Economic History from Johns Hopkins and a B.A., with honors, in History and International Relations from Principia College. He speaks Hassaniyya, Darija, Arabic and French.
Negar Mortazavi is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, where she double-majored in Foreign Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Negar lived in Iran for thirteen years before moving to the United States. She is fluent in Farsi and Azeri. Negar has done previous research on Iranian politics and women’s issues in Iran. She intends to pursue a graduate degree in the field of law.
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Iran in the Gulf 
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