John Spacapan graduated
from Vanderbilt University in May, where he crafted a Public Policy major with
a focus on Middle Eastern affairs. Under the guidance of Professor Katherine
Carroll, the Freedom House scholar on Iraq, he focused his work on the
political, economic and cultural fabric that shapes politics in the Arab world.
In 2013, he studied the Religion and Politics of the Arab Maghreb in Morocco.
During his time in Morocco, John traveled to the Atlas Mountains and visited
NGOs that help native Berbers develop small businesses. John’s senior thesis
focused on ISIS recruitment in the West, which included a database of 40 ISIS
recruits from the United States. In addition to his thesis, he has published
two articles on Middle Eastern affairs in an international policy journal with
readership in over 100 countries.
Last summer, John
studied economics at the London School of Economics and completed an internship
with an international distribution company. John has researched for two think
tanks, including research on water diplomacy in the Middle East for Dr. Richard
Weitz, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. He hopes to continue his career
in Washington with substantive thinkers in international relations, development,
and foreign policy.
John currently
lives in Washington D.C., where he holds a position with Senator Mark Kirk in
his Washington policy office. Before working for Senator Kirk, John interned
for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Middle
East and North Africa.
--John Spacapan
