Wael Sawah

14638 Caminito Orense Este San Diego, CA 91219 Tel: +1(858)699-4042 wsawah@gmail.com www.syrianobserver.com http://syrianglow.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/wael.sawah

Objective
A position of NGO director, editor, writer, analyst/researcher on Syria and the Middle East

Qualification summary
30 years of experience in civil society activities, writing, research, analyzing, editing and translating on political and civil society issues. Team worker Communication Expert Troubleshooter problem solver Novelist and journalist Very good command of Arabic and English Some knowledge of French Good command of Word and other software

Affiliation & volunteering

2012 - Present 2003 - Present 2005 - Present 2006 - Present 2007 - Present 2007 - Present 2009 Present The Syrian League for Citizenship, Founding Member, Head of the Knowledge Program Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, holder of UN Consultative Status, Board Member Etana Press, Researcher and Advisor Middle East Legal Studies Seminar (MELSS), Yale University, Member Arab Rationalists League, Paris, France, Member Al Awan Website for Laic Studies (www.alawan.org), Member of the Editorial Board Arab Reform Initiative, Translator

Career and Experience:

May 1, 2013 Present Editor-in-Chief 1

The Syrian Observe www.syrianobserver.com September 2012 April 2013 Project Director Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) Lyon, France Job description: provides leadership and management to enhance and promote the SJAC, a Syrian non-profit establishment whose mission is to promote justice and accountability in Syria through ensuring that all violations of international criminal, humanitarian, and human rights law are documented, that civil society and other relevant actors work effectively together, and that data and expertise are available to serve as a deterrent to continuing abuses and for future accountability and transitional justice efforts. 2008 September 2012 Political Analyst Embassy of the United States, Damascus Job Description: provides political analysis and advice on Syrian politics and civil society to the Ambassador and senior management; oversees the Embassy Press office; Drafts reports on the regional and Syrian political developments; maintains good relations with key figures in the Syrian opposition, civil society and human rights groups; scans Syrian, regional and international press; prepare a daily read-out of the editorials and key op-ed pieces in the local and regional papers; contributes to the human rights reports; maintains good relations with the media. 2006 2008 Media & Information Specialist Embassy of the United States, Damascus Job Description: Head of the Embassy Press office; scans Syrian, regional and international press; prepare a daily press brief; drafts media comments, political analyses, and human rights report; maintain good relations with the media; release press releases and embassy statements; organize press availabilities, including press conferences, round tables, and other functions; translates and interprets for the Chief of Mission and his Deputy. Sep. 2002 April 2006 Public Affairs and Press Officer Embassy of Canada, Damascus Job Description: scans daily the Arabic Syrian and Lebanese press, as well as pan-Arab media, and translates/paraphrases key articles and editorials into English; carries out research and prepares reports on economic, social, historical, cultural and political matters; develops, maintains and expands network of contacts with MFA, other 2

government departments, and the media and civil society in order to facilitate work of the Embassy/section; develops, organizes, administers and promotes cultural and information activities; has overall responsibility within the Embassy for providing written translation and oral interpretation as required for Embassy correspondence, meetings and visits; assists in arranging programs and appointments of embassy personnel connected to the PERPA program and of official visitors to Syria; follows up with the human rights file in Syria; and performs other duties as required. Dec. 1992 Sep. 2002 Pakistan International School of Damascus Teacher for senior classes, including the IGCSE classes. Subjects: History and Social Studies 1991 1992 Alef Review for creative writing: Managing Editor and Head of Translation Dep. 1977- 1978 Tishreen Daily, Cultural Section 1976 1977 The Syrian News Agency, SANA, Foreign Agencies editor/translator

Education
BA in Comparative Literature, English Language and Literature Faculty of Letter Damascus University

Training
Fellowship Program on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law, July August 2012 Stanford University CA Course on Transitional Justice Public International Law and Policy Group Washington DC January March 2013 Political Officers Training July 2010 3

FSI, State department Washington D.C. Information, media, and Public Diplomacy Program May - June 2007 FSI, State department Washington D.C. Course for Public Affairs Officers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade December 2003 Ottawa, Canada

Books
Co-author of a number of books in English Arabic and French, including: Le printemps arabe, une premier bilan, Centre Tricontnental, Louvain-laNeuve, Belgique, Taking to the Street, Stanford University; A Novel Called Syria, and Secularism in the Levant Under publishing Syria: a new generation of civil society, a chapter in a joint volume on the Syrian civil society, Amsterdam University The Syrian Civil Society Secularism, Democracy and Citizenship Etana Press Petra Publishers

Papers and research

1991 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 Intervention to Rescue Minors, on the international duty of intervention to protect (Homs) A break in History, Gamal Abdel Nasser in Syria (Damascus) The Right to Protect: Does the international community have the right to interfere? (Homs) Is Liberalism Possible in Syria, a lecture about the horizons in liberalism in Syria, (Sweida) Secularism or Laicism (The Cultural Forum) Secularism and Islam (the Non-violence Planet Forum, Damascus) 4

2007 2008 2008 2008 2004 2006 2007 2008 2008

George Tarabishi and Secularism, the Social forum, (Damascus) Is there a civil society in Syria, (A lecture to the reps of the EU embassies in Damascus) Civil society and international support (Berlin) Woman, violence, and violence (Damascus- Non-Violence Planet Forum) The Syrian Civil Society and the government: Cat and Mouse (40 A4 pages) Press, Media and Freedom of Expression (a 60 A4 page study about print, broadcast and electronic media in Syria) The Syrian Political Parties in 21st Century (50 A4 page study on the political parties in Syria. Violence against women in Syria (35 A4 paper presented to the Non Violence Forum in Damascus) The Newly Emerged Business Elite and the Private Media in Syria (50 A4 page study prepared for the Mediterranean Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute (Italy) The National Campaign against Honor Crime, a paper for the seminar on Gender and Law, Damascus University Syria needs a social democrat party and a liberal party, a paper Syrias New Political Player, Euromesco. The Question of non-violence in the Syrian Revolution, Yale Middle East Legal Studies Seminar

2009 2010 2012 2012 Samples:

Syrias New Political Player http://www.euromesco.net/images/briefs/euromescobrief22.pdf The Dialectic Relationship Between the Political and the Civil in the Syrian Civil Society Movement http://www.arab-reform.net/spip.php?article2599 5

Looking back, how can we give Shukri al-Quwatli his proper place in history http://www.creativesyria.com/discussion/topicpost.php? TopicAuthorID=327&TopicID=38 The row between the government and its critics about civil society in Syria http://syriandemocrats.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/wael-sawah/ Current Translations I have worked as a translator for many entities, including the Arab Reform Imitative and Atlass Publishers. Egypt Security Sector Reforms, Mohamed Kadry Said. Private Security, not a business like any other, by Virginie ollombier Has Arab Business Ever Been, or Will it Be, a Player for Reform? Policy paper, by Giacomo Luciani and Steffen Hertog Democratic Transitions And The Latin American Military, by Augusto Varas ARI Thematic Study: Private sector and reform - Selected Players for Selected Reforms, an integrated report, by Virginie Collombier. (They are all available on the Arab Reform Initiative Website Sample: Democratic Transitions and the Latin American Military http://www.arab-reform.net/spip.php?article4629 http://www.arab-reform.net/spip.php?article4628 Articles: Hundreds of articles and OP-ed pieces in Arabic, in the following publications, including London-based al Hayat, Lebanese daily an Nahar, Lebanese daily as Safir, and al-Modon References: Professor Larry Diamond Director, CDRL, Stanford University ldiamond@stanford.edu 6

Dr. Lina Khatib CDRL, Stanford University lkhatib@stanford.edu Dr. Salam Kawakibi: Arab reform Initiative: salam.kawakibi@gmail.com Professor Owen Fiss, Yale University, Sterling Professor of Law, and Director of the The Middle East Legal Studies Seminar (MELSS): owen.fiss@yale.edu Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to Syria: fordR@state.gov Dr. Basma Kadmani, Director, Arab reform Initiative: +33-6-81439150 Professor Chibli Mallat, cmallat@gmail.com Mazen Darwish, President of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression: may1868@gmail.com Maan Abdul Salam: Director General, Etana Press: maan.salam@gmail.com George Tarabichi, Secretary of the Arab Rationalists League, Paris: tarabichi5@yahoo.fr Dr. Raja Ben Salama, Editor, al Awan E-magazine: raja@alawan.org Ms. Samar Haddad, Director, Atlas Publishers: atlasbooks@gmail.com