Faris Rasheed

Faris Rasheed
Name	Faris Rasheed
Birth date	1979
Birth place	Baghdad, Iraq
Occupation	Writer; Researcher; Policy Analyst
Nationality	Iraqi
Alma mater	University of Baghdad; Queen Mary University of London
Notable works	Baghdad Voices; Iraq Reconstruction Studies

Faris Rasheed is an Iraqi-born writer, researcher, and policy analyst known for his commentary on Iraqi politics, urban reconstruction, and Middle Eastern contemporary affairs. He has written for a range of international periodicals and has contributed to scholarly and policy debates on post-conflict reconstruction, cultural heritage preservation, and civil society development. Rasheed's work bridges journalism, academic research, and advisory roles in think tanks and international organizations.

Early life and education

Born in Baghdad in 1979, Rasheed grew up during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War, formative contexts that shaped his interest in Iraq's urban fabric and social dynamics. He attended secondary school in Baghdad before pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Baghdad, where he studied literature and social sciences against the backdrop of sanctions and political upheaval. Seeking postgraduate training abroad, he completed a master's degree at Queen Mary University of London with a focus on Middle Eastern studies, urban planning, and reconstruction policy; during this period he engaged with scholars from SOAS University of London, King's College London, and London School of Economics. Rasheed also participated in exchange and fellowship programs affiliated with institutions such as the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the European Union, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Career

Rasheed began his career writing for Iraqi and regional newspapers and magazines, contributing reportage and analysis to outlets including the Al-Monitor, Al-Jazeera English, and the BBC Arabic Service. He later moved into research and advisory roles at international think tanks, with affiliations at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Chatham House, and the Brookings Institution. His policy work has intersected with reconstruction efforts supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank, as well as bilateral programs led by the United States Agency for International Development and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Rasheed has served as a consultant to municipal authorities in Baghdad and provincial administrations in Mosul and Basra, advising on heritage conservation projects tied to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and urban revitalization strategies influenced by case studies from Beirut, Aleppo, and Kabul. He has lectured at universities including University of Oxford, Columbia University, Georgetown University, and American University of Beirut, and participated in conferences sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Atlantic Council. Rasheed's media engagements include interviews and panels with Al-Arabiya, The New York Times, The Guardian, and France 24.

Notable works and contributions

Rasheed's notable publications combine narrative reportage with policy analysis. His monograph "Baghdad Voices" synthesizes oral histories from neighborhoods affected by sanctions and conflict, drawing methodological inspiration from studies published by the International Crisis Group and the Human Rights Watch. He has authored policy papers on decentralization, municipal finance, and cultural heritage management that reference comparative frameworks from Germany, Japan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His research on reconstruction financing evaluates programs run by the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank, and examines legal instruments such as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

In journalism, Rasheed's longform pieces have profiled figures connected to Iraqi civil society and cultural life, including artists associated with the Baghdad Modern Art Group, architects trained at the Darmstadt University of Technology and the American University of Sharjah, and activists linked to movements similar to those chronicled by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. He has contributed chapters to edited volumes published by the Routledge and Cambridge University Press imprints, collaborating with scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University, and University of Chicago. Rasheed's work on urban memory and intangible heritage has been cited in reports by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Global Heritage Fund.

Awards and recognition

Rasheed's cross-disciplinary contributions have been recognized by awards and fellowships from regional and international organizations. He has been a recipient of fellowships from the Schmidt Science Fellows program and the Open Society Foundations, and won journalism awards presented by the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism network. Academic honors include research grants from the European Research Council and small grants from the Wellcome Trust for projects linking cultural heritage with public health. His advisory work on reconstruction earned commendations from provincial councils in Nineveh and Basra and acknowledgment from the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.

Personal life

Rasheed resides between Baghdad and London and maintains professional ties across Iraq and the Middle East region. He is multilingual, writing in Arabic and English, and collaborates with cultural institutions such as the Baghdad Museum and regional NGOs modeled after The Iraq Foundation. Outside his professional activities, Rasheed participates in community arts initiatives and supports programs for displaced persons coordinated with agencies like UNHCR and International Rescue Committee.

Category:Iraqi writers Category:People from Baghdad