Partnering with the Middle East and Africa
Deepening Cooperation with Respect, Consistency, and Shared Purpose
“The Middle East and Africa are increasingly strategic—not peripheral—to global stability and prosperity."
Mark Kennedy has traveled widely in the Middle East and Africa. Above he is at NYU's Abu Dhabi campus. Number of and most recent visits: Bahrain 1x 2024, Egypt 1x 2017, Iraq 3x 2005, Israel 2x 2004, Jordan 2x 2009, Kuwait 1x 2003, Lebanon 1x 2004, Palestian Territory 1x 2004, Qatar 3x 2025, South Africa 1x 2014, Syria 1x 2004, Turkey (also included with Europe) 16x 2017, UAE 5x 2025
Why Partnership Matters
- The Middle East and Africa are pivotal arenas in shaping the world’s next century of development and security. They are home to fast-growing populations, expanding innovation ecosystems, and critical energy and infrastructure corridors that connect continents.
- Lasting progress across both regions depends on partnerships rooted in mutual benefit and enduring trust. That means moving beyond transactional diplomacy toward economic investment, educational exchange, innovation cooperation, and shared governance capacity.
- The goal is not dependency but empowerment—helping nations chart their own path to prosperity through collaboration that leaves societies stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive.
Insights & Engagements
🏛️ Engaging Administration or Congress, 📰 Op-Ed / Article / Quoted 🎙️ Podcast ✍️ Blog - Policy Brief 👥 Roundtable / Event 🎤 Speaking 🎥 TV/Video 🌐 Global
Gulf Partnerships: From Energy Security to Innovation
The future of Gulf engagement lies in shared innovation, not just shared security.
Countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are diversifying from hydrocarbons toward green hydrogen, AI, and smart infrastructure.
U.S. partnerships should focus on co-developing technologies, building human capital, and enabling cross-border investment in clean energy and digital connectivity.
The future of Gulf engagement lies in shared innovation, not just shared security.
- Mark Kennedy has visited Bahrain in 2024, Kuwait in 2003, Qatar three times, most recently in 2025, and UAE five times, most recently in 2025.
Kennedy at Doha Forum in December of 2025 with WISC Senior Counselor,Paula J. Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs; Founder and Co-Chair of the US Afghan Women's Council.
Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant: Stabilizing and Modernizing Together
Sustained progress requires moving beyond aid toward empowerment.
America and its partners can help strengthen governance, infrastructure, and entrepreneurship—especially through anti-corruption initiatives, energy modernization, and digital transformation.
In Iraq, economic reintegration and transparent resource management are essential to long-term regional stability.
Partnership must go beyond aid—toward empowerment.
- Mark Kennedy visited Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories as part of a Congressional delegation visit in 2004 meeting with either the nation's president or a senior official. Kennedy made separates trip to Jordan in 2009, to Iraq in 2003 and 2005, and visited Egypt in 2017
- 👥 Attended roundtable discussion with Iraq's Ambassador Nazar Al Khirullah at the Wilson Center - March 4, 2025
- 👥 Visited American University in Cairo as guest of President Francis J. Ricciardone and other universities in the area - Cairo, Egypt - August 12, 2017
Israel: Innovation Ally and Regional Integrator
Israel remains a vital innovation ally and a bridge to broader regional cooperation.
U.S. diplomacy should reinforce economic and technological integration across the Middle East—promoting energy, water, and data corridor projects that connect rather than divide, even amid political and humanitarian challenges.
The aim is a region defined not by rivalry, but by shared growth and resilience.
- Mark Kennedy visited Israel on two separate occasions in 2004 meeting with the prime minister and senior officals on both trips.
Africa: Partnering with a Rising Continent
Africa’s young and dynamic societies will shape the global economy’s future.
As China, Russia, and the Gulf states expand their influence, democratic partners must compete on the strength of their values and value-added.
That means investing in digital infrastructure, transparent trade, sustainable urbanization, and public health capacity—building pathways that create opportunity and reinforce democratic governance.
The U.S. must show up—with humility, commitment, and concrete results.
- Mark Kennedy visited South Africa in 2014 and Egypt in 2017
- 👥 Roundtable with Nigerian Think Tank - Wilson Center Event with National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) - November 8, 2023
Kennedy meeting with Parks Tau in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2014 when he served as Mayor.
👉 Related Pages
🔷 Featured Insights
Roundtable: Mediating Disputes in Age of Strategic Competition - Global Security Forum - Doha, Qatar - May 20, 2024
Kennedy lecturing to EMBA Students at HEC Paris in Doha, Qatar - March 8, 2011.
Kennedy established connections in South Africa during travels to Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town in 2014, laying the groundwork for future George Washington University GSPM global immersion programs led by other faculty using the syllabus he developed, supported by a donation he raised.
Kennedy visited the American University in Cairo as guest of President Francis J. Ricciardone in 2017.
Kennedy meeting with Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi in Abu Dhabi in 2014.