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

May 19

Sanctioning Syria – And Now We Wait

It took Syria a few weeks longer than other Arab nations to catch the fever of the Arab spring. Now that over 800 Syrians have died in protests for freedom and basic rights at the hand of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the international community has decided that it’s time to step in. Yesterday, President Obama …

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May 17

The Importance of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Until recently, there was little reason to doubt that the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the US and Iraq would be honored and all US forces would be out of Iraq by December 31st, 2011. As the deadline nears, the agreement is being called into question. This is a mistake. Withdrawing US forces …

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May 12

Aid to Iraq – USAID and Power

On Tuesday, I wrote about the basics of Iraq Aid, pointing out a few of the key issues that are being addressed by international aid organizations. One of the most influential of these organizations is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has provided over $7.4 billion in aid to Iraq since 2003. …

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May 10

Aid to Iraq – The Basics

A few years ago, Iraq was a hot topic of discussion. In the US, it seemed everyone had a friend or family member in some stage of deployment there. The news headlines flashed stories of Iraqi elections, sectarian struggles and attacks on Coalition Forces. Even if US citizens weren’t completely informed on the events taking …

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May 05

Unity Deal – Very Cautious Optimism

The word “Hamas” tends to elicit a strong response whenever mentioned. There are few people on the fence when it comes to this Islamist political party; most are either tenacious supporters or resolute critics. Perhaps these polemical views have justifiable roots, as either side has an ample supply of news that can be interpreted to …

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May 03

Where do we go from here?

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news spread like wildfire as it was being released,consuming the feeds of social networking sites, forums and blogs. The reaction in New York City was particularly robust, with people crowding around Ground Zero and chanting “USA! USA!” Many expressed a deep sense of satisfaction at his death, thankful that …

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