Hrach Gregorian

Last updated

Hrach Gregorian (born 1949 in Tehran, Iran) is an American political consultant, educator, and writer. His work in both the private and public sectors has been mainly focused in the field of international conflict management and post-conflict peacebuilding. Gregorian holds academic appointments in universities in the United States and Canada, and writes extensively on such subjects as terrorism, conflict management, peacebuilding, national security, and conflict hot spots throughout the world. His work as a consultant, conflict management specialist, and trainer has taken him to Angola, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Ethiopia, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Singapore, Thailand, and Ukraine. Gregorian regularly provides professional skills training, seminars, and workshops for United Nations agency and mission staff, United States and Latin American military personnel, senior civilian officials, and academic and corporate leaders in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Contents

Early life and education

Gregorian was born to Armenian parents in Tehran, Iran in 1949 and immigrated to the United States in 1958. He spent his formative years in Watertown, Massachusetts, graduating from high school in 1968. He received his BA in Political Science from Boston University in 1972 where he studied under Howard Zinn. Although primarily focused on academics, he was an outdoor enthusiast and co-founded the Snake Hill Mountain Club with Ken Ryan in 1971. Gregorian received his MA (1974) and PhD (1980) degrees from Brandeis University in International Relations. He held academic posts at Kenyon College and Simmons College before beginning a career in government service.[ citation needed ]

Government service

In 1985, Gregorian was asked to join the National Endowment for the Humanities where he served as Humanist Administrator and Coordinator for the Foundations of American Society Initiative until 1988. He then moved to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [1] where he served as the director of various grant, training, and education programs until 1994. It was at the USIP that Gregorian established his career focus on conflict resolution and post-conflict peace building: He designed and directed conflict resolution skills training programs for foreign affairs professionals; provided training for government and party officials in Cambodia, Foreign Service officers at the Thai Foreign Ministry, and military officers from Latin America at the Inter-American Defense College; and designed and managed an environmental conflict resolution training seminar in Budapest, Hungary for senior officials from nine states of the Danube River basin.[ citation needed ]

Peace work

Gregorian has undertaken numerous projects across the globe to promote peace and reconciliation. He collaborated with Dr. Yiannis Laouris in Cyprus to found the Technology for peace foundation which in the late 90s supported peace builders communicate across the Green Line. The project was partly funded by USAID and USIP. A virtual negotiation element was supported by the University of Maryland. He also supported as an advisor an EC large-scale peace and reconciliation project in the Middle East known as Act Beyond Borders.

Private sector

Gregorian is a founder and principle of a number of private institutes focused on teaching conflict resolution and training professionals in peace building. He is a board member of multiple international institutes that focus on conflict resolution, and has consulted over the world on issues of peace building.

Private institutions 1. Institute of World Affairs, Washington, D.C. - President 2. de novo group, Washington, D.C. - President and CEO 3. Gettysburg Integrated Solutions, Gettysburg, PA - Founding Partner 4. Peacebuilding, Development and Security Program (PDSP), Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Co-director 5. IAQ Inc., Oakton, Virginia (2003 – 06) - Vice President, Consulting Services 6. Hammer-Gregorian, LLC, Washington, D.C. (2000 – 03) - Founder and Co-director 7. IDR Associates, Washington, D.C.(1994 – 96) - Founding Director

Board member 1. Institute of World Affairs (ex officio) 2. Alliance for Peacebuilding (cofounder and board member) 3. National Peace Foundation; Strategic Trade Advisory Group, Ltd. (advisor) 4. The Cypress Fund (advisory board) 5. Psychology Without Borders (International Advisory Board)

Consultancies 1. Center for Civic Education 2. Iowa Peace Institute 3. Mc Knight Foundation 4. National Peace Institute Foundation 5. United States Department of Justice 6. Voice of America 7. The Strategic Trade Advisory Group, Ltd. 8. Arcadia Group Worldwide, Inc. 9. The Inter-American Defense College 10. JPS Solutions; Anchor Consulting 11. United States Army Foreign Military Studies Office 12. United States Department of Homeland Security 13. United States Army Training and Doctrine Command 14. United States Army Intelligence and Security Command 15. Naval Postgraduate School 16. United States Joint Forces Command 17. Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute

Academia

Gregorian is keenly interested in public service and training others to work in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. He firmly believes that, in local, national, and international spheres, capable trained professionals make a profound difference in resolving conflict, building peace, and dealing with post conflict situations. In furtherance of these goals, he holds academic positions at the following universities: 1. The American University, Washington, DC - Adjunct Professor, School of International Service 2. Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada - Associate Faculty Member, Conflict Management Programs 3. University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for Military and Strategic Studies

Family

Gregorian and his younger sister Victoria (Vicky) immigrated from Tehran, Iran in 1956 with his parents Asik and Juliet, both formerly of the Soviet Republic of Armenia. His sister Janet was born after their arrival to the United States. Both of his parents have since died. His sister Vicky Gregorian, mother of 2, is an executive in the television industry, and his sister Janet Gregorian-Michaelsen, married with 3 children, is a social worker, and advocate in the field of autism in Connecticut. In 1974 Gregorian married Judith Kramer of Bethpage, Long Island, New York. She is a program specialist with the United States Department of Education. They remain happily married and have three children: Jamie, a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, DC; Nicolas, a sports marketer in Boston; and Alexis, a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles.[ citation needed ]

Articles available on the internet

Jihadi Threats in the Sahara and Sahel

The Empty Core in Al Qaeda’s Vision for Iraq

Political Islam in West Africa and the Sahel [ permanent dead link ]

Oil: the West’s soft underbelly

Rewriting Canada’s security laws

Related Research Articles

A peace process is the set of sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Jalali</span> Afghan politician, diplomat, and academic

Ali Ahmad Jalali is an Afghan politician, diplomat, and academic. Jalali served as the Minister of Interior from January 2003 to September 2005. He has also been a distinguished professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. In August 2021, amid the collapse of the US-backed Afghan government, Jalali was rumored to become the leader of the Taliban-controlled interim Afghan government, which he has denied on Twitter as "fake news."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Institute of Peace</span> Federally chartered organization in the United States

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other peace-building measures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace and conflict studies</span> Field of study

Peace and conflict studies or conflict analysis and resolution is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violent and nonviolent behaviors as well as the structural mechanisms attending conflicts, with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition. A variation on this, peace studies (irenology), is an interdisciplinary effort aiming at the prevention, de-escalation, and solution of conflicts by peaceful means, thereby seeking "victory" for all parties involved in the conflict.

Abdul Aziz Said was Professor Emeritus of International Relations in the School of International Service at American University, Washington, D.C., and founding Director of the university's International Peace and Conflict Resolution Division. Said was well known for helping shift the focus of International Relations theory from real politic-based on the concept that the law of power governs states, to new world order-based on cooperation and common security. Starting in the 1990s Said focused his work on peace and conflict resolution and later explored the relationship between spirituality and religion in international politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University School of International Service</span> International relations school of American University

The School of International Service (SIS) is American University's school of advanced international study, covering areas such as international politics, international communication, international development, international economics, peace and conflict resolution, international law and human rights, global environmental politics, and U.S. foreign policy.

Geoffrey D. Dabelko is a professor at the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University in Athens, OH. He teaches and conducts applied research in the School's Environmental Studies Program and Master's in Sustainability, Security, and Resilience. His recent research focuses on the conflict and cooperation potential of responses to climate change, environmental peacebuilding, and climate resilience and older adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carey Cavanaugh</span>

Carey Edward Cavanaugh is a former U.S. Ambassador/peace mediator and chairman of International Alert, a London-based independent peacebuilding organization. He is currently professor of diplomacy at the University of Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacebuilding</span> Nonviolent intervention to prevent conflict

Peacebuilding is an activity that aims to resolve injustice in nonviolent ways and to transform the cultural and structural conditions that generate deadly or destructive conflict. It revolves around developing constructive personal, group, and political relationships across ethnic, religious, class, national, and racial boundaries. The process includes violence prevention; conflict management, resolution, or transformation; and post-conflict reconciliation or trauma healing before, during, and after any given case of violence.

Stephen Zunes is an American international relations scholar specializing in the Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, and strategic nonviolent action. He is known internationally as a leading critic of United States policy in the Middle East, particularly under the George W. Bush administration, and an analyst of nonviolent civil insurrections against autocratic regimes.

The Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Calgary focusing on military, defence and security issues, established in 1999. CMSS' mission is to promote and develop excellence in military, security and defence studies.

Qamar-ul Huda is an American religious scholar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Crocker</span> American diplomat (born 1941)

Chester Arthur Crocker is an American diplomat and scholar who served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from June 9, 1981, to April 21, 1989, in the Reagan administration. Crocker, architect of the U.S. policy of "constructive engagement" towards Southern Africa including apartheid-era South Africa, is credited with setting the terms of Namibian independence.

Mohammed Abu-Nimer is an American expert on conflict resolution and dialogue for peace. He is a full professor at the American University School of International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution in Washington, DC, the largest school of international relations in the United States.

Hekmat Khalil Karzai is the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan. He was appointed as the deputy foreign minister on 21 January 2015.

The International Peace and Security Institute or IPSI is a division of Creative Learning an international nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2009, IPSI was acquired by Creative Learning in November 2016. The Institute's objective is to train young peacebuilding and International Justice leaders in the skills needed to effectively intervene in violent conflict scenarios in pursuit of sustainable peace.

The Partnership for Peace Consortium is a network of over 800 defense academies and security studies institutes across 60 countries. Founded in 1998 during the NATO Summit, the PfPC was chartered to promote defense institution building and foster regional stability through multinational education and research, which the PfPC accomplishes via a network of educators and researchers. It is based at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany. According to the PfPC Annual Report of 2012, in 2012 eight hundred defense academies and security studies institutes in 59 countries worked with the PfPC in 69 defense education/defense institution building and policy-relevant events. The Consortium publishes an academic quarterly journal CONNECTIONS in English and Russian. The journal is run by an international Editorial Board of experts and is distributed to over 1,000 institutions in 54 countries.

Global Peace System is a concept of global conflict resolution dependent on nonviolent processes to eradicate war. It relies upon a multi-strand approach to conflict resolution, incorporating broad social and political solutions. In contemporary peace and conflict studies, the concept of a global peace system has been evolving since the 1940s around the theory that there is a global infrastructure of peacebuilding and that there is a need for systems thinking in peacebuilding. The term "global peace system" was coined from the work of Robert Johansen, who explored the concept in 1978's Toward a Dependable Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University of Afghanistan attack</span> 2016 terrorist attack

On 24 August 2016, attackers who are suspected members of the Taliban stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, using a car bomb and automatic weapons. Thirteen people were killed, including seven university students, one policeman, three security guards at the university, a university professor (Naqib Ahmad Khpulwak) & Faculty of Computer Science (Omer Farooq Hazarbuz) was badly injured. Fifty to at least 53 people were injured, some critically. Three of the attackers were killed by Afghan Special Forces. This was the first direct attack on the university, although two professors were kidnapped just outside the university a few weeks earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moeed Yusuf</span> Pakistani scholar and author

Moeed W. Yusuf is a Pakistani national security scholar who served as the 9th National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Previously he served in the capacity of a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning from 24 December 2019 to 16 May 2021.

References

  1. Longworth, R. C. (August 4, 1994). "Embargos often hurt citizens". Star-News . p. 7A. Retrieved 5 July 2012.