David Sklar

Expertise

• Middle East
• International Relations
• US Foreign Policy
• Foreign Aid
• Minorities

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  David Sklar

  Visiting Fellow

  Short Bio

  David Sklar is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and executive director of the Middle East Minorities Institute. His career has focused on the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East. He holds degrees in physics from the University of Connecticut and in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge.

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  David Sklar is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

  He is the founder and executive director of the newly established Middle East Minorities Institute. His career has focused on advancing the rights, security, and dignity of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East, combining policy expertise, strategic communications, and organizational leadership in complex and high-risk environments.

  Sklar previously served as the inaugural board chair of the Free Yezidi Foundation, established in the aftermath of the Yezidi genocide perpetrated by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Earlier in his career, Sklar served as an advisor and speechwriter to the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. He advised the prime minister and foreign minister on strategic communications, international outreach, and foreign policy, and worked with the government spokesperson on public messaging and media engagement, departing the KRG shortly after the Yezidi genocide.

  Sklar has worked with civil society organizations, institutions, and policy leaders on program implementation, communications, and advocacy. He has contributed to speeches, publications, and commentary pieces on Middle East affairs and minority rights. Sklar’s most recent opinion piece, on security challenges in Syria, was published in The Hill. His latest peer-reviewed journal article, comparing team reasoning and classical rationality, was published in Theoria.

  Sklar graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Connecticut and holds a master’s degree with distinction in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge.

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  To view, the complete bio visit https://www.hoover.org/profiles/david-sklar.