Samer Nassif Abboud Ph.D.
7212 Lincoln Drive
Philadelphia, PA, 19119
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Arab and Islamic Studies
Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies, University of Exeter (England), October 2007
Dissertation Title: “The Political Economy of Marketization in Syria”
M.A. in Political Science
Department of Political Science, Carleton University (Canada), August 2003
B.A. (Honors) Political Science
Department of Political Science, Carleton University (Canada), August 2000
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Associate Professor, Department of International Studies
Arcadia University
Glenside, PA
2014 – Present
Assistant Professor, Department of International Studies
Arcadia University
Glenside, PA
2010 – 2013
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, PA
2007 – 2010
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2013 Research Fellowship - Arab Transformation Project
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Institute for International and Security Affairs)
Berlin, Germany
2013Visiting Scholar
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Middle East Center (CMEC)
Beirut, Lebanon
2009-2011Managing Editor
International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies
2008 - PresentFellow
Center for Syrian Studies, St. Andrew’s University
St. Andrew’s, Scotland
2008 - PresentArticle and Manuscript Reviewer: Journal of Borderland Studies; New Political Science; Palgrave MacMillan; Geopolitics, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Oxford University Press, Routledge Press, International Political Science Review
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2015-2017Franklyn and Evelyn ‘422 Steinbrucker Endowed Chair. Project title: Capital Flight and Syria’s War Economy. Value: $60 000.00. Status: Successful. Duration: Two years.
2013 The Economic Research Forum (ERF) Project “Political Economy of
Transformation in the Arab World”. Project title: “Capital Flight and
Conflict: The Case of Syria”. Value: $8 500.00. Status: Successful.
Duration: One year (2013).
2013Project on Middle East Political Science – Travel, Research, Experience Grant. Project title “Conflict, Capital Flight and Economic Transformation in Syria”. Value: $3 000.00. Status: Successful. Duration: January-April 2013.
2013Arab Transformation Fellowship – Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Institute for International and Security Affairs). Berlin, Germany. Value: $15 000. Status: Successful. Duration: May-August 2013.
2012Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC - Canada). Project title: “International Law, Intervention and Global Geopolitics in the Middle East”. Value: $160 000.00. Status: Unsuccessful.
2011North American Research Linkages (NARL). Project title: “Panoramic Vistas of North American Borderlands”. Value: $15 000. Status: Unsuccessful.
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Abboud, S. (2015). Syria. Cambridge: Polity Press (in press) Series: Global Hot Spots
Abboud, S. (2014). The Struggle for the New Arab State:Postcolonialism, Privatisation and Political Change. London: Pluto Press (contracted) Series: World Politics and Policy in the 21st Century: New Challenges, Progressive Openings.
Abboud, S. and B. Muller (2012). Rethinking Hizballah: Authority, Legitimacy, Violence. London: Ashgate.
Monographs
Abboud, S. (2009). Syrian Trade Policy. In S. Abboud and S. Said Syrian Foreign Trade and Economic Reform. St. Andrews, Scotland: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Abboud, S. (2008). The Transitions Paradigm and the Case of Syria. In S. Abboud & F. Arslanian, Syria’s Economy and the Transition Paradigm. St. Andrews, Scotland: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Journal Articles
Abboud, S. (2015) Teaching the Arab World and the West...as an Arab in the West. Journal of Political Science Education, Vol. 11, No. 2, 233-244.
Abboud, S. and B. Muller. (2013) Geopolitics, Insecurity and Neo-Colonial Exceptionalism: A Critical Appraisal of the UN Special Tribunal on Lebanon. Security Dialogue, Vol. 44, Nos. 5-6 , pp. 467-484.
Abboud, S. et al (2012). Crisis as Impetus Toward Conflict Resolution in Cyprus. Peace Review, 24, 4.
Abboud, S. (2012). Fragmentation in the Syrian Opposition. Orient, No. 3, pp. 64-69.
Abboud, S (2010). Image, Rhetoric and Reality: The Obama Administration and the Middle East. New Political Science. Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 278-284.
Abboud, S. (2009). The Siege of Nahr al-Barid and the Palestinians in Lebanon. Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 1-2, pp. 31-48.
Abboud, S. (2008). Failures (and successes?) of neo-liberal economic policy in Iraq. International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, Vol.2, No. 3, pp. 425-442.
Book Chapters in Peer-Reviewed Edited Collections
Abboud, S. (2015). Conflict, Governance, and De-centralized Authority in Syria. In Seeberg, P. et al (eds.). The Levant in Transformation. London: Palgrave. (in press)
Abboud, S. (2015). Locating the ‘Social’ in the Social Market Economy. In Hinnebusch, R. and Tina Zintl (eds.). Syria: From Reform to Revolt. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, pp. 45-65.
Abboud, S. (2014). The Politics of Identity in Lebanon: The case of Hizballah. In Pultar, G. (ed.), Imagined Identities: De/Construction of Culture, Ethnicity and Trans/Nationhood in the Age of Globalization. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, pp. 267-288.
Abboud, S. and Fred Lawson (2012). Antinomies of Economic Governance in Contemporary Syria. In Abbas, K. (ed). Governance in the Middle East and North Africa, London: Routledge, pp. 330-341.
Abboud, S. (2012). Economic Transformation and Diffusion of Authoritarian Power in Syria. In Sadiki, L and Heiko Wimmonen (eds.). Unmaking Power: Negotiating the Democratic Void in the Arab Middle East. London: Routledge.
Abboud, S. (2011). Oil and Financialization in the Gulf Cooperation Council. In M. Legrenzi & B. Momani (Eds.), The ShiftingGeo-economic Power of the Gulf. London: Ashgate, pp. 91-108.
Book Reviews
Abboud, S. (2014). Pax Syriana: Elite Politics in Postwar Lebanon. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 31, 2, pp. 104-107.
Abboud, S. (2012). Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience. The International Journal of Middle East Studies, 45, 1, pp. 197-199.
Abboud, S. (2011). The Invisible Cage: Syrian Migrant Workers in Lebanon. The International Journal of Middle East Studies, 43, Spring 2011, pp. 327-329
Abboud, S. (2009). Popular Culture and Political Identity in the Arab Gulf States, Alanoud Alsharekh and Robert Springborg (eds.). Arab Media and Society, Spring 2009.
Abboud, S. (2008). Asad in Search of Legitimacy: Message and Rhetoric in the Syrian Press under Hafiz and Bashar, by Mordechai Kedar (2005). Arab Media and Society, May 2008.
Abboud, S. (2008). Analyzing Middle East Foreign Policies and the Relationship with Europe, by Gerd Nonneman (Ed.) (2005). Journal of International Relations and Development, 11, 83-85.
Abboud, S. (2007). Islam and Mammon: the Economic Predicaments of Islamism, by Timur Kuran (2004), American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 24 (4), 105-108.
Abboud, S. (2006). Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America’s Perilous Path in the Middle East, by Rashid Khalidi (2004), American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 22 (5), 112-115.
Abboud, S. (2006). Workers and Peasants in the Modern Middle East, by Joel Beinin (2001), British Journal of Middle East Studies, 33 (1), 76-78.
Abboud, S. (2006). Tensions and Transitions in the Muslim World, by Louay Safi (2003), American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 23 (2), 103-105.
Abboud, S. (2006). Legitimizing Modernity in Islam: Muslims Modus Vivendi and Western Modernity, by Husain Kassim (2005), in American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 23 (3), 112-114.
Other Contributions
Abboud, S. (2014). Reflections on the Syrian Revolution. Al Jazeera, 20 March.
Abboud, S. (2014). Geneva II: A Post-Mortem. Al Jazeera, 30 January.
Abboud, S. (2014) Syria’s War Economy. Carnegie Middle East Center: Syria in Crisis, 9 January.
Abboud, S. (2014) Saudi isolation could be a threat to the region. Al-Jazeera, 5 January.
Abboud, S. (2013) Hard Road Ahead for the Syrian Exile Government. Carnegie Middle East Center: Syria in Crisis, 15 November.
Abboud, S. (2013). Geneva II - Giving War a Chance? Al-Jazeera. 4 November.
Abboud, S. (2013). Syria Beyond the Battlefield. Majalla. 3 October.
Abboud, S. (2013). Syria’s Business Elites: Between Political Alignment and Hedging their Bets. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik/German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Comment, No. 22.
Abboud, S. (2013). Aq’ada al-Iraq wa Lubnan towja al-qita’a al-san’aee al-souree ba’ad antaha al-azma [Lessons from Iraq and Lebanon for the challenges facing Syrian industry after the crisis]. Iqtisadi, 21 August.
Abboud, S. (2013) al-mo’al al-Suree al-harbeyah al al-kharaj artadat iqta’a taj’al min alsa’ab owdataha [The Difficulty of Repatriating Syrian Capital]. Iqtisadi. 12 May.
Abboud, S. (2013). Should Western Nations Arm Syrian Rebels? E-International Relations. 10 May.
Abboud, S. (2013). Capital Flight and the Consequences of the War Economy. Jadaliyya, 18 March. [Reprinted in The Syria Report, 27 March 2013]
Abboud, S. (2012). The Syrian Economy: Hanging by a Thread. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 20 June.
Abboud, S. and B. Muller (2012). Hezbollah and the Syrian Crisis. Near Eastern Quarterly.
Abboud, S. (2011). Arab Political Economy; Arab Political Thought; The Maghreb. International Encyclopedia of Political Science. CQ Press.
Abboud, S. & M. Fathi (2007). Harrap’s Arabic Phrasebook. London: McGraw-Hill.
Media
Abboud, S. (2015). Four Years Later, How Do We End the War in Syria? Huffpost Live. 16 March (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2014). World Ignores Syria’s Presidential Elections. Huffpost Live. 3 June (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2014). Syria Faces an Uncertain Future. CCTV America. 14 March (Television Interview)
Abboud, S. (2014). Syria: Peace Prospects and the Humanitarian Crisis. WHYY Radio Times. 19 February (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). How will Syria’s Chemical Weapons be Destroyed? Radio France Internationale. 17 November (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Syria: Assessing Options on the Table. KVOT AM (Taos, New Mexico). 16 September (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). The Syrian Conflict and US Intervention. Jefferson Public Radio. 12 September (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Segment on Syria. KGNU Radio. 10 September (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). America Tonight: Staying on Syria. Al Jazeera America. 5 September (Television interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Should the US intervene in Syria?. MMP - Chicago. 29 August (Radio interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Impact of Syria turmoil on US economy. CCTV - English. 28 August (Television interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Should we intervene in Syria? WHYY Radio Times. 26 August (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Global Insider: Syria’s Creative Maneuvers to Evade Sanctions Prove Insufficient. World Politics Review. 24 June (Email Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). Measuring Syria’s War with Red Lines. HuffPost Live. 7 May (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2013). The Civil War in Syria: The conflict, U.S. Policy and how it might end. WHYY Radio Times. 6 March (Radio Interview).
Abboud, S. (2012). Inside Syria: Syria’s Dwindling Resources. Al Jazeera English. 23 December (Television Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Intervention in Syria. HuffPost Live. 10 December (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Ignoring Sanctions. HuffPost Live. 19 November (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Syria Ceasefire. HuffPost Live. 26 October. (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Syria Needs A Resolution. HuffPost Live. 20 September. (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). US Embassies in Libya and Egyptian under Attack. HuffPost Live. 12 September. (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Debate with Thomas Friedman. HuffPost Live. 22 August. (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Contributor to the Report Conflict in Syria Ravages Economy. Al Jazeera English. 22 August (Television Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). Syria’s Civil War: An Update. WHYY Radio Times. 9 August (Radio Interview).
Abboud, S. (2012). Panel on Kofi Annan’s Resignation as Special UN Envoy to Syria. Huffpost Live. 6 August. (Online Interview)
Abboud, S. (2012). “Local Expert: newly elected Egyptian President will have little immediate impact,” KYW News Radio Philadelphia. 24 June. (Radio Interview)
Abboud, S. (2011). Invited guest on Al-Jazeera English’s Listening Post. November. (Television Interview)
Abboud, S. (2011) “Local Expert: Protests in Egypt, Tunisia are Game-Changing,” KYW News Radio Philadelphia. 8 February. (Radio Interview)
CONFERENCE PAPERS
November 2014Capital Flight and Syria’s War Economy
Syria’s War Economy
Swisspeace – Basel, Switzerland
May 2014Conflict, Governance and Decentralized Authority in Syria
The Levant in Transformation: The Syrian Crisis in Regional Perspective
University of Southern Denmark – Odense, Denmark
June 2013 (with B. Muller) Geopolitics, Insecurity and Neo-Colonial Exceptionalism: Critical Appraisal of the UN Special Tribunal on Lebanon.
International Studies Association-Peace Science Society - Budapest, Hungary
October 2012Insiders and Outsiders in the Syrian Opposition
16th Berlin Roundtables on Transnationality, From Rebellion to Revolution: Dynamics of Political Change – Social Science Research Center, Berlin, Germany
May 2011Danger, Identity, and Foreign Policy: The Case of Hizballah (with Benjamin J. Muller)
Canadian Political Science Association – Waterloo, Ontario
April 2011Border Biometrics and (In)Securities: Challenges in Inter-Disciplinarity (Roundtable) Association for Borderlands Studies – Salt Lake City, Utah
January 2011Privatization,Private Authority, and Economic Reform in Syria
Asad’s Syria: Continuity and Change in the First Ten Years – University of Arkansas – Fayateville
October 2010Locating the ‘Social’ in the Social Market Economy
Bashar al-Asad’s First Decade: A Period of Transition for Syria? – Lund University, Sweden
June 2010How Small States Negotiate Globalization: CARICOM and the Office of Trade Negotiations
The Canadian Association for Caribbean and Latin American Studies – Montreal, Quebec
June 2010 (In)Secure Finance: Global Governance and Sovereign Wealth Funds (with Benjamin Muller)
Canadian Political Science Association – Montreal, Quebec
February 2010Authority, Legitimacy, Violence: Hizballah and the Lebanese State
International Studies Association – New Orleans.
October 2009Finance, Production and Petrodollars in the Gulf Cooperation Council, International Studies Association – Northeast, Baltimore.
Chair/Discussant. Globalization, International Organizations, and Global Politics
April 2009Image, Rhetoric and Reality: The Obama Administration and the Middle East, Left Forum, New York City.
August 2009Oil and Financialization in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Geo-economics of the Gulf Conference, Waterloo, Ontario. (paper presented by Dr. Bessma Momani)
October 2008Reclaiming the global and the political: Edward Said and International Relations, Counterpoints Conference, Ottawa, Ontario
June 2008Teaching the Arab World and the West…as an Arab in the West, Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Political Economy of Resistance: Hizballah, Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia
May 2008Failures (and successes?) of Neo-liberal Economic Policy in Iraq, Symposium: Assessing the Impact of War on Iraq, California-State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA.
April 2008 The Transitions Paradigm and the Case of Syria, Economic Transition in Syria Conference, St. Andrews University, St. Andrews, Scotland
March 2008 The Siege of Nahr al-Barid and the Future of Palestinians in Lebanon, at the International Centre for Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies Conference, Victoria, British Columbia
INVITED TALKS
November 2014Syria: Revolution or Civil War? LaSalle University, Diplomat in Residence Program.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 2014The Refugee Crisis in Syria. World Affairs Council – Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
October 2013What’s Next for Syria? Haverford College. Haverford, Pennsylvania.
June 2013Syria’s Business Elites: Hedging their Bets. The Institute for International and Security Affairs. Berlin, Germany.
April 2013 The Future of the Private Sector in Syria. Center for International Private Enterprise, Washington, D.C.
November 2012Rebuilding Syria’s Economy: Where do we start and how do we help? Syria 2025: A Forum for Engagement on Syria’s Future. (Roundtable)
November 2012Building a New Syria: Socio-Economic Challenges. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C. (Roundtable)
February 2011Treachery and Tribunals in Lebanon, King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Political Science Department Speakers Series.
March 2010The Realities of Resistance: Hizballah and the Lebanese State, King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Political Science Department Speakers Series.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY
Fall 2012 - PresentDirector of International Studies
Spring 2013 - PresentMuslim Students Association faculty advisor
May 2012 - March 2013Health Care Benefits Advisory Committee
April 2012Faculty speaker at the student event “Speak Out”
March 2012Faculty speaker at the student event “Think for Yourself”
Spring 2011-2013Member of the Vira I. Heinz Award selection committee
2011-2012Co-led the Junior Faculty Support group
September 2011Participated in the Fall Orientation for new faculty members
Spring 2011 - PresentFaculty Advisor to Sigma Iota Rho (SIR - International Studies Student Society)
Fall 2011 - PresentElected member of the Undergraduate Affairs Personnel Committee (UAPC)
October 2010Speaker/moderator at a Race Matters Symposium
October 2010Presenter at Faculty Forum
COMMUNITY SERVICE
April 2013Keynote Speaker - Abington Friends School
Historical Debate Society Annual Conference
January 2013Greenberg Lecture - Abington Friends School
(This is an annual lecture supported by alumni and the History department at Abington Friends School. I was asked to give a lecture and debate Dr. Michael Rubin on the question of United States involvement in the Iraq war)
Spring 2012 Community lecture at Abington Presbyterian Church
(I gave a lecture to a group of worshippers at Abington Presbyterian Church)