Yerevan Saeed Barzani Scholar-in-Residence SIS | PGE | Politics, Governance & Economics
- Additional Positions at ĢƵ
- Director of Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace
- Degrees
- PhD from the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University
MA from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
BA in Government, the University of Texas at Austin - Languages Spoken
- Kurdish, Arabic, Persian
- Bio
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Yerevan Saeed is the Barzani Scholar-in-Residence in the Department of Politics, Governance & Economics (PGE) at ĢƵ’s School of International Service (SIS), where he also serves as Director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace. His research focus on political economy, energy politics, conflict resolution, and Kurdish studies, with emphasis on Iraq, Turkey, Iran, the Gulf states, and the broader Middle East.
Saeed has held academic and research positions including Lecturer at the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH), Visiting Scholar at AGSIW, and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI).
Professionally, he worked as a Middle East Specialist at Stratfor in 2013 in Austin and served as the White House correspondent in Washington D.C. for Rudaw TV in 2015, covering U.S. foreign policy and regional developments. From 2003 to 2007, Saeed worked in Kurdistan and Iraq as a journalist and translator for prominent international outlets including The New York Times, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and The Guardian. These experiences continue to shape his research and policy perspectives.
A regular contributor to scholarly and policy discourse, Saeed’s work appears in outlets such as AGSIW, the Wilson Center, The New Lines Institute, The Diplomatic Courier, The Hill, Fikra Forum (The Washington Institute), the Middle East Institute, Al Jazeera, Majalla Magazine, and Rudaw.
He is frequently quoted by global media, including CNN, Voice of America, NPR, S&P Global, Petroleum Economist, Voice of Russia, and The National, and often presents at international conferences.
As a survivor of the Halabja chemical attack and a refugee three before the age of 11, Saeed’s life experiences growing up in the shadow of genocide and war continue to shape his work as a scholar, analyst, and advocate.
Saeed has spoken about Iraq’s genocide campaigns against Kurds in venues such as the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Capitol Hill, George Washington University, and other academic and human rights forums, using his story to elevate awareness and advocate for justice.
- See Also
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call ĢƵ Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Partnerships & Affiliations
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Non-Resident Fellow
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Selected Publications
Saeed, Yerevan. "&ܴdz;The New Lines Institute For Strategy and Policy, 2025.
Saeed, Yerevan & Aziz, Sardar. "" The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 2024.
Saeed, Yerevan. "&ܴdz;The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 2022.
Research Interests
Saeed’s research and policy oriented work focuse on political economy, energy politics, conflict resolution, and Kurdish studies, with emphasis on Iraq, Turkey, Iran, the Gulf states, and the Levant. His doctoral research at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University culminated in a dissertation titled “The Impacts of Oil on Secessionist Groups in the Oil Producing Regions: The Case of Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2017.”
A multilinguist, Saeed speaks Kurdish and Arabic and has a command of Farsi, enhancing both his regional insight and cross-cultural engagement in research and policy work.
Multimedia
TEDx talk: | Yerevan Saeed |
As a survivor of the Halabja chemical attack and a refugee three times before the age of 11, Saeed’s personal life experiences growing up in the shadow of genocide and war continue to shape his work as a scholar, analyst, and advocate. In TEDx talk, he shares five principles that helped him persevere through immense challenges
- Seeing oneself as a survivor, not a victim
- Having a vision for life
- Being ready for ultimate sacrifice
- Remaining principled in the face of hardship
- Embracing hard work
Through this lens, he recounts his journey—from teaching himself English and overcoming systemic barriers to education, to ultimately earning graduate degrees from American institutions. Despite beginning, as he says, “from a very dark pit,” these principles empowered him to reshape his future.