Tarek Osman
طارق عثمان

I am the senior political counsellor for the Arab world and Türkiye at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and was the inaugural head of the EBRD Policy Academy.

I am the author of two books published by Yale University Press: the internationally bestselling “Egypt on the Brink” (2010), published three months before Egypt’s January 2011 revolution, and “Islamism: A History of Political Islam” (2017).

I have written and presented acclaimed documentary series for BBC Radio 4, including “The Making of the Modern Arab World”, “Sands of Time” and “Coffee Culture in the Arab World”, as well as an episode in the series “Minds at War”. I also wrote and presented a 12-episode programme for CNN Arabic.

I wrote a chapter in the European Commission’s Strategic Foresight Plan, as part of the Commission’s Second Strategic Plan (2025-2027).

My articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, including Foreign Affairs, The Times, Le Figaro, The Japan Times, The Straits Times (Singapore), de Volkskrant, and Ahram Weekly.

Before joining the EBRD and focusing on writing and media work, I spent 12 years in strategy consulting and investment management in London and the Gulf. I hold a master’s in international economics from Bocconi University in Italy and a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

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