State of Failure?

A Conversation with Jonathan Schanzer, Jim Prince and Ghaith Al-Omari

Jonathan Schanzer is the vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and for several other U.S.-based think tanks. Dr. Schanzer has co-authored two studies on the impact of social media, including Palestinian Pulse: What Policy Makers Can Learn from Palestinian Social Media and Facebook Fatwa: Saudi Clerics, Wahhabi Islam and Social Media. In addition, Dr. Schanzer’s book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, is still the only book on the market that analyzes the internecine conflict between the two most powerful Palestinian factions. Dr. Schanzer has testified before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media.

Jim Prince is co-founder and president of the Democracy Council, a leading international development firm specializing in promoting democracy and rule of law in post-conflict and closed societies around the world. A leading expert in civil society in the Arab world for over twenty years, Mr. Prince has led prominent, sensitive efforts in places such as the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, and Syria. Mr. Prince served as a Senior Professional Staff Member for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Financial Advisory Services where he developed engagements in the US and the Middle East. In his capacity with PwC and then with Democracy Council,Mr. Prince served as a consultant to the Palestinian Authority. His work in West Bank and Gaza included leading a corruption investigation of the Palestinian Investment Bank and designing the Palestinian Investment Fund. Mr.Prince is credited with bringing over $700 million in hidden assets back to the PA treasury.

Ghaith Al-Omari is Executive Director at the American Task Force on Palestine. He has served in various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including Director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President, and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In these capacities, he provided advice on foreign policy — especially vis-à-vis the United States and Israel — and security. He has extensive experience in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, having been an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations including the Camp David Summit and Taba talks. Mr. Al-Omari is a lawyer by training and a graduate of Georgetown and Oxford universities.