January 14, 2004 — The College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Utah is pleased to announce the establishment of the “Sam Rich Scholars in Global Affairs” program and the selection of the first Sam Rich Scholar. The scholars program will be used to expand and strengthen teaching and research on global issues at the University of Utah. The Sam Rich Scholars program will bring outstanding academicians to the University of Utah campus and recognize University distinguished scholars for their achievements. It will also provide additional resources to support these scholarly activities.

University of Utah Political Science Professor Ibrahim Karawan has been designated as the initial Sam Rich Scholar in Global Affairs. Karawan has written and lectured extensively on the Middle East, particularly about Islamist movements and key state strategies in dealing with them. From 1995 to 1997, he was the senior fellow for Middle East Studies and directing staff member at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for International Studies at Oxford University and a member of the Brookings Institution’s Task Force on “U. S. Policies towards the Muslim World.” Karawan is a frequent contributing analyst to the BBC World Service, CNN, Al-Jazeera satellite television, The Voice of America, and Radio France International. He is a former senior research associate at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, Egypt. His research has focused on Islamist movements, the political role of Arab military institutions, inter-Arab relations, nuclear issues in the Middle East, Persian Gulf regional security, and major alterations of Egypt’s foreign and defense policies.

Karawan is the author of the Islamist Impasse (Oxford University Press, 1997). His articles appeared in prominent periodicals such as the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Journal, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Contention and Journal of Arab Affairs. Over the last two years, he has presented papers at meetings of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, the Geneva (Switzerland) Center for Security Policy, the Brookings Institution, the World Federation of Scientists, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Council on Foreign Relations, Princeton University, the University of Maryland at College Park, The Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars and the conference of the National Endowment for Democracy. A sampling of Karawan’s most recent scholarly articles and book chapters include: “Security Sector Reform in the Middle East” (2003), “Violence as a Strategic Choice: The Case of Militant Islamist Groups” (2003), “What Went Wrong, if Anything? Social and Economic Development in the Islamic World” (2002), Islamist Militancy Reassessed” (2002), “Time for an Audit” (2002), “Identity and Foreign Policy: The Case of Egypt” (2002) and “The Erosion of Consensus: Perceptions of GCC States of a Changing Region” (2002). He has organized three significant lecture series at the University of Utah since September 2001: “Confronting International Terrorism and Breaking the Middle East Stalemate” (2001-02); “The Iraq Crisis/War” (2003); and “Learning From Past Failures: Pathways to Peace in the Middle East” (2004).

Professor Emeritus Sam Rich joined the University of Utah Political Science Department faculty in 1949 where he served until retiring in 1980. By the mid 1950s he had become internationally recognized for his research and teaching in foreign policy and international security. Rich published in a number of leading American and European journals and was frequently invited to lecture at home and overseas. During World War II, he served as the American vice consul in Spain. He served on advisory boards for the United States Information Agency and the Department of Defense. Locally, Rich served as president of the Salt Lake City Committee on Foreign Relations, president of the Inter-American Council of Utah and president of the Utah Association for the United Nations. For decades, Rich was the driving spirit behind and led the faculty in the University of Utah’s International Relations programs. He currently serves on the University of Utah’s College of Social & Behavioral Science Advisory Board and the Health Sciences Council. He is the leading sponsor of the Hinckley Institute of Politics’ Foreign Internship Program. Rich received his B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1941 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University.