Sarhang Hamasaeed
Peacebuilding Practitioner and Middle East Analyst
Former Director of Middle East Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)
Sarhang Hamasaeed is a professional with more than 20 years of experience as a leader, manager, strategist, trainer, analyst, writer, and public speaker. His expertise spans development, governance, and peacebuilding across governmental, non-governmental, private sector, and media organizations.
From February 2011 until July 2025, Sarhang worked at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, DC, serving as director of various Middle East programs from 2016 onward. His areas of focus included political and conflict analysis, problem-solving dialogue processes, reconciliation and post-conflict stabilization, ethnic and religious minorities, and organizational development. In addition, his policy work encompassed analysis of U.S. bilateral relations with countries in the region and the broader U.S. role in the Middle East.
Since 2014, Sarhang has been a regular lecturer at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, covering topics such as challenges and opportunities to governance in Iraq, the fight against ISIS and violent extremism, and broader Middle East dynamics.
In events and briefings, Sarhang covers Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and the Gulf as well as regional (e.g., Iran, Türkiye/Turkey, and the GCC) and global power competition (e.g., the U.S and China). He provides analysis and interviews to U.S. and international media. Sarhang served as a member on the Task Force on the Future of Iraq, the Rebuilding Societies Working Group, and U.S.-Europe-Iraq Track II Dialogue — all initiatives by the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East.
Sarhang’s prior positions include deputy director general at the Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (2008-2009), where he managed strategic government modernization initiatives through information technology with the goal of helping improve governance and service delivery; program manager for the Research Triangle Institute International (2003-2004), where he managed civic engagement and local democratic governance programs in Iraq; planning and relations manager at Kurdistan Save the Children (1997-2002); and correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and other international media organizations.
Sarhang holds a master’s degree in international development policy from Duke University (2007) and is a Fulbright alumnus.
