Samer Libdeh, or Abu Libdeh, (born 1974), is a London-based journalist, researcher and policy analyst. He covers issues related to democracy in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli peace process and US foreign policy. His article and papers have appeared in many regional publications, including the Jerusalem Post, Jordan Times and Daily Star.

Libdeh received his MA from Bradford University, his diploma from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, and his BA from Jordan University. He also holds a Policy Analysis certificate from State University of New York

State University of New York

The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

.

In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Fulbright scholarship from US State Department, and the American Political Science Association

American Political Science Association

The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...

 (APSA) Congressional Fellowship, where he served as a Visiting Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Washington Institute for Near East Policy

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It was established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 1985...

 and Legislative Fellow with US Congressman Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is the Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition and the Queens County Democratic Party. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

 (D-NY). He then became a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Foundation for Defense of Democracies

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies describes itself as a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute "working to defend free nations against their enemies". It was founded shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks to address what it regards as the "threat facing America, Israel and the...

 and the Center for Liberty in the Middle East

Center for Liberty in the Middle East

The Center for Liberty in the Middle East is a non-profit organization that supports courageous individuals and civic groups spreading democratic values of liberty and tolerance in the Middle East...

.

He currently serves as a board member of Cyber Dissidents Organization.

Second track peace process

He began his career in 1998 as a reporter in Alaswaq Business Daily in Jordan. He moved up the ranks to become a foreign desk editor in 2001. He covered the second Palestinian Intifada

Intifada

Intifada is an Arabic word which literally means "shaking off", though it is usually translated into English as "uprising" or "resistance" or "rebellion". , not to be confused with the Arabic plural ...

, the war in Iraq as well as domestic issues in Jordan. Samer became involved in the second track peace process in 1999 by establishing Interaction Forum, an NGO dedicated for advancing means of people-to-people peace in the region. The Forum hosted number of seminars and conferences for Arabs and Israelis in Jordan, with the sponsorship of the EU and the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It was the first NGO to invite the prominent peace studies professor Johan Galtung

Johan Galtung

Johan Galtung is a Norwegian sociologist and the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies. He founded the Peace Research Institute Oslo in 1959, serving as its Director until 1970, and established the Journal of Peace Research in 1964...

 to speak before peace activists in year 2000.

His activism led to his membership in the International Alliance for Arab-Israeli Peace, (Copenhagen Declaration), which saw the first move to normalize relations between Arabs and Israelis. He participated in number of meetings with senior Israeli politicians and activists from the Likud

Likud

Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...

, Labor, and Kadima

Kadima

Kadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...

 parties – advocating for a settlement to the problem.

Writing career

Libdeh wrote extensively in Middle Eastern and international publications and journals, including the Yale Politic Journal, Jerusalem Post, Alaswaq Business Daily, Overseas Journal, the Daily Star, and Jordan Times. In 2005, he was among the first journalists to interview Egyptian dissident Ayman Nour

Ayman Nour

Ayman Abd El Aziz Nour is an Egyptian politician, a former member of the Egyptian Parliament and chairman of the El Ghad party.He was imprisoned in January 2005 by the government of President Hosni Mubarak. Nour was released on health grounds on February 18, 2009...

 who was held under house arrest in Cairo. He appeared in number of TV station in US and the Middle East and was quoted in many, including the Council on Foreign Relations

Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...

, the Jerusalem Post and The Guardian. His latest op-ed in the Jerusalem Post, entitled The Hashemite Kingdom of Apartheid Page text. has triggered a massive negative reaction from the Jordanian government-run media, which accordingly, a human rights organization issued a strong statement related.

Publications

• Jordan Municipal Elections – Middle East Memo. Center for Liberty in the Middle East. 2007
• Jordan's Crossing: Overcoming Roadblocks to True Democracy. Yale Politic Journal. Fall Edition - 2006.
• Jordan and Palestine. Jerusalem Post. 2006
• Jordan Looks Inward: The Hashemite Kingdom in the wake of Zarqawi and Hamas-Israeli clash. The Washington Institute. 2006
• Terror Attacks Highlight Case for Reform in Jordan. The Washington Institute. 2005
• Previewing Jordan's National Agenda: Strategies for Reform. The Washington Institute. 2005.