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SYSTEM.
My thumb moves on its own. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. The light from the screen reflects against the window and across my eyes. Every headline feels
Explore my latest blogs, articles, tips, and guides designed to empower you and your organization. Each blog post is crafted to provide actionable insights and strategies that can help you navigate the complexities of business development and personal growth.
My thumb moves on its own. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. The light from the screen reflects against the window and across my eyes. Every headline feels
This is not a piece about localization, it is not about decolonization, and it is not about partnerships or frameworks or policy language. This is
HQ in International NGOs has a talent for introducing change. It usually begins with good intention. Someone notices a gap. Someone else sees an opportunity.
If you have ever sat in a fundraising strategy session that felt both urgent and disconnected from the operational realities, you know the frustration. If
If you have ever worked in or with an INGO’s regional office, you know the feeling. It sits between headquarters and country teams, trying to
Optimism Is the Fuel of Resilience I have been reflecting on resilience, not as an idea printed in strategy documents, but as something lived in
If the word transformation stresses you out, if digitalization triggers a small internal panic, and if every new model feels like another round of pressure
Holiday season is coming in many countries. Some people have extra time, while others are planning their reading list for 2026 or looking for inspiration.
There is a quiet contradiction in the story of modern innovation. Everywhere you look, technology largely works as promised. Systems run faster, automation delivers precision,
When I speak with diplomats, donors, foundations, and impact investors, each of them has a perspective and an incentive for international aid and development. Some
My dear friend, The world is asking much of you in these days. We are living through a demanding moment in our work. The needs
The Real Test of AI: Can We Change Fast Enough? I have spent the past few years watching AI move from a quiet experiment in labs
Hope Is Not a Strategy People say, “I have hope.”They live on it. Breathe it. Build their mornings and midnights around it.Hope that things will
Humans Are End-to-End. AI Is Middle-to-Middle I keep hearing the same refrain repeated in offices, whispered in meetings, splashed across headlines, and debated in conference
Licensing AI: If We Trust It With Lives, We Should Certify It Like Professionals The Illusion of Passing Exams Headlines love a milestone. Every few
A Framework for Embedding Privilege Governance into National and Global AI Strategies AI Privilege: Policy Considerations for Access, Authority, and Accountability in Artificial Intelligence Systems
I am proud to be Syrian. That pride is not about borders or slogans. It is quieter and deeper, an inheritance of resilience, creativity, and
I have sat in boardrooms that could not have been more different. Some were polished rooms with long tables and bottled water lined in neat
Reflections on the Aid Industrial Complex Seeing my paper/analysis The Aid Industrial Complex: Analyzing Power Structures, Dependency Dynamics, and Reform Pathways in a Disrupted Global Order ranked
Lines The sun was heavy on the streets of Copenhagen today. I was walking and listening to an audiobook, when I stopped at a coffee
How to Spend Your 20s, 30s, and 40s in the Era of AI These are just thoughts I’ve been scratching at—part reflection, part framework, part
The Architecture of Voice: Culture, Control, and the Crisis of Communication in Aid “This analysis is offered in the spirit of critical reflection and constructive
Aid. Crypto. Stablecoins. Why Humanitarians Must Pay Attention. I’ve been asked many times: Is crypto really relevant for humanitarian work? And when I talk about
Rewiring Multilateralism: Governing AI in a Divided World A new form of diplomacy is emerging. It is not forged in the fires of war, nor
AI Diplomacy in the Global South — Strategy or Afterthought? There is a new diplomacy unfolding—not with embassies and envoys, but with chips, datasets, and
The Day the UN Looked in the Mirror It did not begin with urgency. Not a declaration. Not a vote. Just a quiet realization: the
Early Strategic Assessment of the UN80 Reform Initiative The #UN80 Initiative is an ambitious and multidimensional effort to reimagine the United Nations at a time
You don’t need headlines to know there’s a crisis. You just need to scroll. Look at the banners. Just look. “Open to Work.” “Seeking New
There’s a complicated feeling that always creeps in when I see international NGOs’ social media posts about Syria — or other countries in the Global
I’ve been speaking a lot about impact investing lately — in panels, conversations with colleagues, and in my own reflections. So I wanted to take
I decided to write this piece to offer a perspective — and perhaps introduce a different narrative — about what we are witnessing across the
“Systems on the edge of chaos are not failing. They’re searching — often painfully — for a new shape that fits the complexity of their
There’s a new chessboard shaping the future of global influence, and its pieces are neither tanks, development aid, nor treaties—they are algorithms, semiconductors, compute power,
When I began writing my chapter, Inclusive and Intelligent Governance: Enabling Sustainability Through Policy and Technology, I didn’t expect it to feel like writing from
I was told this might end my career. I was also told it’s the best and most honest thing I’ve ever written. This is Quantum
The system didn’t crash. It blinked. And in that blink, thousands of us disappeared. One email sent. One budget line erased. One restructuring plan —
We didn’t cry when it happened. We had already learned how to grieve while replying to emails. To mourn while coordinating handovers no one planned
In one of my recent papers — some called it the HQ Efficiency Manifesto — I wrote about “small c” cuts: quiet, strategic shifts that make systems
This paper might provoke you. It might affirm what you’ve whispered in hallways, raised on field visits, or challenged in meetings. You might love it,
A common theme in localization discussions is the prevalence of assumptions and myths—ideas repeated so often they become unchallenged truths. Compliance, risk, capacity, access—these and
I’ve spent years inside the humanitarian system, seeing both its strengths and its struggles. This article is my reflection on the urgent need for reform.
What if the biggest localization failure in the humanitarian sector isn’t a lack of funding, but something far more insidious—a silent epidemic where INGOs unintentionally
I’ve sat in countless conference rooms—some virtual, some in grand headquarters—where the urgency of a crisis was met not with swift action, but with more
Leadership in Moments of Transformation: Reflections from Syria There are moments in history that feel like a rupture in time—a point where the past and
I’ve been reflecting on the humanitarian sector and its operational modalities lately, observing the intricate web of challenges that INGOs (International Non-Governmental Organizations) face in
I am excited to announce my contribution to the recently published academic book, Unveiling Developmental Disparities in the Middle East, by IGI Global. My chapter,
