Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi (') is a political scientist who founded and presides over The Emirates Policy Center think tank.

Professional career and achievements

Dr. Al-Ketbi has worked for two decades in the analysis and strategic recommendations on regional and global affairs. Her most notable achievement is her role as the founder and president of The Emirates Policy Center (EPC),The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Accessed June 21, 2021.Atlantic Council Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi
Accessed June 21, 2021. she is the first Arab woman to lead a think tank EPC is a highly regarded think tank located in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Founded in 2013, EPC provides strategic analysis and policy recommendations on a range of issues impacting the Gulf region and the UAE, and is considered one of the most influential think tanks in the Arab world. Under Dr. Al-Ketbi's leadership, EPC has been consistently ranked as one of the top think tanks in the Middle East and North Africa region according to the Global Think Tank Index Report (TTCP) published by the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, and its annual Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate (ADSD) has become a primary platform for global dialogue on regional and international security. ADSD is ranked among the world’s top ten conferences. In addition to her role at EPC, Dr. Al-Ketbi has held various positions within regional and global organizations, including The Arab Association for Political Science, The board of trustees for the Arab Unity Studies Center and the Arab Organization for Transparency, and The Arab Anti-Corruption Organization. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, The Global Advisory Board of the Observer Research Foundation in India, Arabian Peninsula Affairs Advisory Council of the Middle East Institute in Washington, and The International Advisory Board of the Italian Med-Or Foundation. In 2015, Al-Ketbi was appointed as a member of The Consultative Commission of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in recognition of her efforts as a leader of the EPC. She served as secretary-general for the Gulf Development Forum. Al-Ketbi is also a founding member of The Emirates Human Rights Association.

Awards and recognitions

Al-Ketbi was listed among The 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab world by Arabian Business magazine in 2018. She has also received The Women Super Achiever Award at the World Women Leadership Congress in Mumbai, India, in 2019, and The Arab Social Media Influencers Award in the Politics category by the Dubai Press Club in 2018. In 2021, she was named Advisor to the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy for her distinguished research on the comprehensive consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world and the Middle East, and in 2023, she was named an Advisory Board Member of T20 International. Dr. Al-Ketbi is a frequent speaker, participant, and guest at international conferences such as

Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC), formerly Munich Conference on Security Policy, is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Germany, since 1963. Over the past four decades the Munich Security Con ...

in Germany, Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, ISPI - Italian Institute for International Political Studies,

Valdai Discussion Club The Valdai Discussion Club is a Moscow-based think tank and discussion forum. It was established in 2004 and is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place. In 2014, the managem ...

in Moscow, Raisina Dialogue by

Observer Research Foundation Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is an independent global think tank based in Delhi, India. The foundation has three centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. ORF provides potentially viable inputs for policy and decision-makers in the Indian ...

New Delhi in India, GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum in Bratislava, and Delphi Economic Forum in Greece Dr. Al-Ketbi is a regular commentator on regional and international television networks and is regarded as one of the experts in the field of international politics and policy.

Education and academic career

Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi holds a Ph.D. in political science from

Cairo University Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...

.Taylor & Francis Online
Accessed June 21, 2021. with a thesis entitled "The Political Implications of the Rentier State in the Gulf". She has authored academic works on topics such as Gulf security, US-GCC relations, The Peace process in the Middle East, and the War on Terrorism. Some examples of her published papers and articles include:
Contemporary Shifts in UAE Foreign Policy: From the Liberation of Kuwait to the Abraham Accords

Biden in the Middle East: Opportunities and Challenges

The Global Community and the War on Terrorism: Threat or Opportunity?
* Democratic Transformations in GCC Countries
Pitching Abraham's Tent: The Human Dimension of UAE-Israeli Normalization

Building an Arab-Israel Bloc: Can It Compensate for a Reluctant Washington?
* Emirati-Israeli Peace Agreement: Could it be a Game-Changer?"
The UAE-Israel Breakthrough: Bilateral and Regional Implications and U.S. Policy
* The Security Dimensions of Military Relations Between GCC countries and the USA * Will Israel's Actions in Gaza Affect the Abraham Accords
The Gulf's voice must be heard in Iran negotiations

Publications

In addition to her research papers, Dr. Al-Ketbi has recently published three books, including:
The UAE Power Building Model: Mohamed bin Zayed's Vision (2022)

The UAE Power-Building Model and Foreign Policy Shifts (2021)

Iran and the Biden Administration: A Potential Return to Negotiations
2021).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ketbi, Ebtesam Living people Academic staff of United Arab Emirates University Year of birth missing (living people) Political science educators