MEDIA

Fact Sheet: The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research

The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) is a policy research institution, founded in 1994 to focus on strategic, political, economic and social issues related to the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf region and the wider Arab world, as well as important world events.

The ECSSR provides a forum for the scholarly exchange of ideas by hosting conferences, symposia and seminars, and by publishing original and translated books and research papers. The Center also aims to play an effective role in promoting development within the UAE.

The director-general of ECSSR is Dr. Jamal Al-Suwaidi, also a Professor of Political Science at the United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The leadership team includes Aida Abdullah Al-Azdi, the ECSSR Deputy Director General for Community Services, who is introducing President Bush. Her full biography appears below.

ECSSR activities are divided into three major categories:

• Studies and research
• Training of research personnel
• Community services.

In keeping with the objectives of the Center, the aim of these activities is to:

• Encourage scientific research on topics relevant to UAE society
• Facilitate intellectual exchanges
• Study current developments and their repercussions
• Prepare forward-looking studies
• Support national research teams.

In addition, the Center also gathers documents and stores data and information relevant to its mission; analyzes data using the latest methods; and cooperates with various state entities and other institutions concerned with diverse areas of academic studies and research.
ECSSR publishes in both Arabic and English.  Recent publications include France and the Arabian Gulf, “Arabic Language and Culture Amid the Demands of Globalization” (occasional paper) and Gulf Security in the 21st Century. 

About Aida Abdullah Al-Azdi
Introducing President Bush for his speech is Aida Abdullah Al-Azdi, the ECSSR Deputy Director General for Community Services.  She has been with the ECSSR since its inception.
Ms. Al-Azdi has made major contributions to the ECSSR since the launch of the Center. As a member of the ECSSR administration, she has made a valuable contribution to the fulfillment of its mission in the fields of studies and research.  She has also expended great efforts in the preparation of research and communications, which has helped to advance the ECSSR as a cultural institution which enjoys a solid reputation in scholastic research circles at domestic, regional and international levels.  

In 2005 she was appointed as a member of the Abu Dhabi Education Council by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Ms. Al-Azdi holds a BA in Political Science (with distinction) from the UAE University and underwent training in the UAE Foreign Ministry in both 1990 and 1991. 

For more information, visit the Center’s website at www.ecssr.ac.ae.