Ryan Pavel

Ryan Pavel is a graduate of the University of Michigan and studied International Relations with added emphasis on International Security. Ryan earned his Associates degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the Defense Language Institute in 2007, where he focused on the Arabic language. He spent thirteen months in Iraq working in the signals intelligence field as an Arabic translator and interpreter during his five years of Marine Corps service. Ryan’s research centers on trends and conflicts within the Middle East and the response of the international community to these conflicts as well as the motivations behind and impact of US foreign aid to other countries.

Most commented posts

  1. Iraq Aid – The Water Crisis — 2 comments
  2. South Sudan – News Resources — 1 comment
  3. South Sudan – What Now? — 1 comment

Author's posts

Volunteerism in Kenya

A few weeks ago, I went on a journey to Kenya and Tanzania. As you may know from reading this blog, I spent a decent amount of time this summer investigating what was happening in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, near the border with Somalia. My colleague Rebecca and I took a look at …

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A Plan for Dadaab Refugee Camp – Part III

Money allocated for mental health services and social entrepreneurship support in Dadaab could help refugees build a future outside the camp Last week, Rebecca posted the second entry of our series on the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Much of her post focused on the monetary difficulties related to the camp. She explained how there …

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A Lesson Taught by Anders Breivik

In the midst of many differing, passionate opinions on Breivik’s attack, there is one lesson that we should be able to agree on universally On July 22, two terrorist attacks shook Norway to its core. Anders Behring Breivik, the man who has admitted to carrying out both attacks, is responsible for the worst peacetime massacre …

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A Plan for Dadaab Refugee Camp – Foundations

The overcrowded Dadaab camp in Kenya is struggling to provide for the continual stream of starving Somali refugees Much has been written on this blog and others about the dire situation currently being faced in the Horn of Africa. The countries in this region are facing their worst drought in 60 years. A famine has …

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South Sudan – True Independence

So long as South Sudan relies on massive exterior aid, it cannot achieve true, lasting independence Today’s post is going to be a little bit different than usual. I’ve spent a good portion of this past week preparing for my webinar, and every slide I create gets me more excited about hosting it. So I …

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South Sudan – What Now?

Now that South Sudan’s independence is a reality, a new set of challenges awaits On July 9th, South Sudan became an independent nation. The United Nations is currently working its way towards the vote that will officiate South Sudan as a member of the UN. On Wednesday afternoon, the UN Security Council decided to recommend that the …

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Panetta’s Candor

When it comes to explaining military engagements abroad, candor is key. Defense Secretary Panetta seems to agree. Five years ago, I had just begun my studies of the Arabic language at the Defense Language Institute. Almost all of the instructors were native to Arab speaking nations, allowing us exposure to a variety of backgrounds and …

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Allowing Aid Into Somalia

Al-Shabaab’s decision to allow non-Muslim aid organizations to once again work in Somalia is great news – but will the good news last? Every morning when I wake up, I fire up my laptop and check out the BBC’s news homepage. More often than not, the headlines are full of discouraging events, sometimes leading me …

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South Sudan – News Resources

Where to go when researching developments in South Sudan In case you haven’t noticed from my previous posts, I’m a little excited about South Sudan’s independence, scheduled for July 9th. As I’ve been researching and posting about influences, wildlife, organizations, violence, and general aid related to South Sudan, I’ve come across a variety of resources. …

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Sudan’s Chinese Influence

President Hu Jintao’s pledge to continue investing heavily into Sudan raises a few cautionary flags In my post on Sudan’s wildlife, I briefly mentioned how countries that rely on Sudan’s oil reserves will continue to be among the country’s strongest supporters. I cited China as a key example of this, seeing as how 2/3rds of …

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