Saeb El Kasm (Sal Kasm) is an international public law specialist. He acquired his expertise in the profession at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (Office of the Legal Counsel) in New York and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, where he is currently serving as a consultant in the Law Enforcement, Organized Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Unit (LEOCAML).
He holds a degree in Government from Claremont McKenna College (Bachelor of Arts, with distinction) and law degrees from Case Western Law School (Juris Doctorate) and the University of Vienna Law School (Master of Laws). Sal has also had extensive training in international human rights, conflict resolution, diplomacy and negotiation at Oxford University and the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Based on his educational background and life experiences in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Sal is able to bring his unique perspectives to the opportunities and complexities these regions present. His academic interests lie at the intersection of international relations, human rights, comparative religion and the cultural dialogue between civilizations. He has developed and taught a course on the prospects for democratization and legal reform in the Middle East at the University of California, Irvine and has lectured extensively about regional security issues.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Expertise and Research Focus: International law, human rights and transitional justice, rule of law in post-conflict countries, civil society and legal reform, anti-corruption and good governance, technichal legal assistance to Member States, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, human security and conflict resolution, nuclear non-proliferation and the NPT regime, violent non-state actors (VNSA), the ethics of the use of force, Middle East politics, Islam and the West, European Union law, transatlantic diplomatic relations.
Languages: Arabic and English (bilingual), German (proficient), French (good working knowledge).
Honors Thesis: A Framework for Diplomatic Engagement: The Iran Nuclear Weapons Program, examines the underlying issues that continue to escalate the crisis and proposes solutions in diffusing the impasse.
Highlights: Trip to The Hague
______________________________________________________________________________________