Executive Director
Professor Shaul Gabbay
After his military service as a Commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, Shaul Gabbay completed a BA at Bar Ilan University and an MA at Tel-Aviv University. In 1991 he received a Presidential Fellowship from the U.S. to continue his studies. In 1995 he completed the Ph.D. program at Columbia University in New York and received an invitation from the University of Chicago for a Post Doctoral program. In 1998 Professor Gabbay returned to Israel to join the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Professor Gabbay joined the University of Denver as the Director of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2001.
His research topics focus on social networks in the context of Israel and the Middle East. He has published numerous papers and books on strategic social networks and social capital. He is a frequent commentator in national media such as CBS, NBC, FOX and MSNBC, analyzing Middle East news stories. .
Courses
Professor Gabbay has taught courses including:
"Israel" Research Methods, The Strategy of Peace Making – Contemporary Trends in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, Democratization in the Middle East and the Muslim World, Middle East Terrorism and Homeland Security, Social Networks in Iraq, Arab-Israeli Conflict: Peace or War, Social Capital and Social Networks, News of the World, Beyond the Sound Bytes, The Role of NGO’s in Conflict Resolution, Politics Among Nations, Peace in the Middle East.
Publications
His publications about the Middle East include:
- The Search for Israel-Arab Peace with Joseph Ginat and Edwin G. Corr, Sussex Academic Press 2007. See the cover of his book, here.
- “Muslim Norms and US. Asylum: The Case of Immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran” 2007
- “Honor killing in Muslim Societies and their Effect on Immigration to the U.S.: A Network Approach Using Cases of Tunisia, Yemen and Gulf States” 2007
- “The Global Emergence of Female Peacemakers: How Women Worldwide are Impacting their Nations’ Course Toward War or Peace” with Deborah Rohan Schlueter 2007
- “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Path to Peace: The Role of Religious Leadership” 2006
- “The Paradigmatic Clash: Rationality and Ideology in the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict” 2005
- “Engineering Social Capital in the Middle East: The Critical Role of Trust” 2005
- “Rationality and Ideology: A Paradigmatic Analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” 2004
- “The War in Iraq and the Internal Social Ramifications for the Middle East” 2004
- “Social Capital in the Middle East Conflict” 2002
Grants Received
- National Science Foundation, U.S.
- The Netherlands-Israel Development Research Program (NIRP)
- Y. Apter Research Fund, Technion
The Hertzog Center for Regional Studies, Ben Gurion University - Center for Human Resource Management, Chicago Illinois
Media Publications
- “So Far Much Better: Palestinians Find They are Steadily Making Progress” Rocky Mountain News, Colorado 2005
- “Gaza withdrawal: Heartbreaking – but Worth the Risk, Intermountain Jewish News 2005
- “How Israelis and Palestinians are Working Together Intermountain Jewish News 2004
- “Threats to Take-Out Arafat Have Backfired on Israelis” Rocky Mountain New 2003
- “Mapping peace: Unforeseeable Consequence Await Region If Israelis, Palestinians Can't
- Strike a Deal” Rocky Mountain News, Colorado
- “Arafat, Sharon Must Act Now for Peace” Rocky Mountain News, Colorado
- “Middle East In Dire Need of Powell Plan” Rocky Mountain News, Colorado
Media Analyst
Professor Gabbay served as the World Affairs Expert: Fox31(2006-2007) World Affairs Expert for CBS4 (2002-2004) and as the Middle East Expert for News4, Colorado (2001-2002)
Current Research
Currently his research focuses on the role of NGO’s in conflict resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Together with Professor Amin Kazak, Dr. Gabbay is completing a book manuscript focusing on both the Arab and Jewish narratives of the Holy Land, reasons for the conflicts, and potential for peace.
Professional Associations
- Board Member: Association for Israel Studies (AIS)
- Journal Editorial Board Member: Israel Studies Forum
- Association for Israel Studies (AIS)
- The American Sociological Association (ASA)
- The Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
- International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)
- American Political Science Association (APSA)
