Prof. Muqtedar Khan, PhD, from Georgetown University in 2000, brings expertise in Politics of the Middle East and South Asia, Political Islam, Islamic Political Thought, Islam in America, American Foreign Policy in the Muslim World, and Good Governance. With a blend of academic and policy orientation, Dr. Khan served as the founding director of the Islamic Studies Program at the University of Delaware and held positions as Fellow and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Notably, he served as the Academic Director of the State Department’s National Security Institute (SUSI) from 2017 to 2019 and as the Academic Director of the State Department’s American Foreign Policy Institute from 2019 to 2021. His latest book, “Islam and Good Governance,” received the 2019 Excellence in Scholarship Award and has been acclaimed by Book Authority. Recent publications include contributions to the Routledge Handbook of Political Islam, Insight Turkey, and Middle East Policy Journal.

About the chair:

Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar has dedicated over three decades to the Indian Foreign Service, serving in various diplomatic capacities across the globe. He notably held ambassadorial positions in Kazakhstan, Sweden, and Latvia, and has represented India in key diplomatic postings including Washington DC, Brussels, Moscow, Geneva, Tehran, Dhaka, and Bangkok. Ambassador Sajjanhar played a pivotal role in negotiating significant trade agreements such as the India-EU, India-ASEAN, and the India-Thailand Free Trade Agreement during the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. Additionally, he has led the National Foundation for Communal Harmony and currently serves as the President of the Institute of Global Studies in New Delhi. An accomplished writer and speaker, Ambassador Sajjanhar offers insightful perspectives on international relations and Indian foreign policy matters.