Najib Ghadbian

Dr. Najib Ghadbian is the special representative to the United Nations and the United States for the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, which is the largest coalition of Syrian moderate opposition forces working to achieve a political solution to the conflict in Syria and has been recognized as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people by over 120 states and multilateral organizations. Ghadbian is a Syrian pro-democracy activist and academic.

An associate professor of political science and Middle East studies at the University of Arkansas, Ghadbian is the author of Democratization and the Islamists Challenge in the Arab World (English 1997 & Arabic 2002). His second Arabic book, The Second Assad Regime: Bashar of Lost Opportunities was published in 2006.

He has contributed political commentaries to several U.S., European, and Middle East media outlets. Ghadbian’s research interests include democratization and leadership in the Arab world, Syrian politics, and US-Mideast relations. He serves as a Board member of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies, and is a founding member of the Democratic Network in the Arab World. Ghadbian is a signatory to the Damascus Declaration (2005), and was a founding member of the Syrian National Council (SNC).