Tarek Osman is the senior political counsellor for the Arab world and Türkiye at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Tarek is the author of the international bestselling book “Egypt on the Brink” (Yale, 2010) and “Islamism: A History of Political Islam” (Yale, 2017).

Tarek wrote and presented several documentary series for BBC Radio-4 and BBC World Service - including the major production “The Making of the Modern Arab World”, as well as did a programme for CNN Arabic. He wrote a chapter in the European Commission’s Second Strategic Plan (2025-2027), and contributed to the foresight report of the EU’s Strategy and Policy Analysis System.

Tarek’s articles have repeatedly appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, including Foreign Affairs, Times, Le Figaro, The Japan Times, Singapore Straits, De Volksgrant, and Ahram Weekly. Before focusing on writing, Tarek spent 12 years in strategy consulting and investment banking.

Tarek also has 15 years experience in senior advisory for multilateral development organisations and financial institutions on geopolitics, political economy, geoeconomics, and risk assessments and foresight exercises.