Ashraf Swelam, a World Fellow at Yale University, recalls his role as an Egyptian diplomat in Washington in the days following the September 11 attacks. He talks about the critical mutual interests of the US and Egypt, challenges to the relationship and the broader question of peace in the Middle East.

Wolfgang Proissl was until recently the Brussels Bureau Chief for the Financial Times Deutschland. When he leaves Yale in a few short weeks, he will take up his new post as Frankfurt Bureau Chief for the same paper. He is known for his expertise and advocacy on European integration and has been responsible for a number of years for defining the editorial line of the Financial Times Deutschland on European issues and global governance.

May Akl is the foreign press secretary for member of parliament and former prime minister of Lebanon, Michel Aoun. She is a founding member of the Free Patriotic Movement and also a university lecturer. Earlier in her career, she worked for An-Nahar newspaper and as a press officer in the office of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

An interview with 2009 Yale World Fellow Alexander Evans. Alexander Evans is a diplomat with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and has served in a number of countries, including Pakistan and India. He is an expert on Afghanistan/Pakistan relations, on the conflict in Kashmir, and on counter-terrorism and conflict. He will shortly join the team of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

An interview with 2009 Yale World Fellow Vusi Gumede. Until recently, Vusi Gumede was Chief Policy Analyst for The Presidency of South Africa. An economist by training, he had been with The Presidency’s Policy Coordination and Advisory Services since 2001 and is an expert in socio-economic and public policy issues pertaining to South Africa and Africa broadly.

An interview with 2009 Yale World Fellow Hakan Altinay. Until recently, Hakan Altinay was Executive Director of Turkey’s Open Society Foundation – a Soros Foundation organization dedicated to democratic reform and social justice. Since joining the Open Society Foundation in 2001, Altinay has supported Turkey’s evolution toward a more open society by focusing on European Union accession and the aspirations of the middle class.

Maria Corina Machado is co-founder of SUMATE, an NGO dedicated to defending political rights and promoting democracy and citizen participation in Venezuela. SUMATE was launched in 2002.

World Fellow Franco Gamboa speaks on Bolivia's new democracy.

World Fellow Gilbert Doumit is involved in several pro-democracy and peace advocacy groups in Lebanon. He talks about the diversity and potential of the long-troubled nation.

Yale World Fellow Felix Maradiaga helped found Nicaragua's Ministry of Defense and continues to work toward the development of a peaceful democracy in Nicaragua and throughout the region.

As a judge and president of the Association of Resident Magistrates in Jamaica, Malahoo Forte works to improve the efficiency of the legal system and works to educate the general public about the role of the courts.

As corporate counsel for Itochu Corporation in Japan, Mitsuru Claire Chino has worked to promote legal education and reform and has been a champion for women in the workplace.

As co-founder of the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth, Ducote has played a key role in promoting public policy reform in Argentina.

Mehmet Daimagüler discusses his work as an advocate for Turkish immigrants in Germany, as a worker for sectarian tolerance, as a promoter of renewable energy in the developing world and as an aspiring politician.

As the map and political realities continue to change in Europe, the European Stability Initiative (ESI) provides policy makers with research that helps them understand evolving situations. ESI has been especially active in the Balkans, Turkey, and the Caucausus for the purpose of promoting peace and economic and political stability. Verena Knaus, an ESI founder, talks about Kosovo's bid for independence. She is currently a World Fellow at Yale.

Ashraf Swelam, a World Fellow at Yale University, recalls his role as an Egyptian diplomat in Washington in the days following the September 11 attacks. He talks about the critical mutual interests of the US and Egypt, challenges to the relationship and the broader question of peace in the Middle East.