Abdul Aziz Said

Abdul Aziz Said was a Syrian-American scholar, educator, and peace activist. He 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. He was also the first occupant of the Mohamed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace and Director Emeritus and Founder of the Center for Global Peace. He was widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in the field of peace and conflict resolution, as well as an expert on the Middle East and Islam. He authored and edited 25 books and over 100 papers on topics such as non-Western approaches to international relations, ethnicity and U.S. foreign policy, spirituality and religion in global politics, and Islamic concepts of peace. He consulted and advised numerous U.S. and international agencies, including the Carter and Bush administrations, the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, and UNESCO. He was also involved in many conflict resolution projects, including the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the Iraq conflict. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, such as the International Studies Association's Distinguished Scholar in Peace Studies and the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. He was a mentor and friend to many students, colleagues, and peace activists around the world. He passed away on January 22, 2021, at the age of 90.