Abdul Aziz Said

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Abdul Aziz Said (September 1, 1930 – January 22, 2021) was Professor Emeritus of International Relations in the School of International Service at American University, Washington, D.C., and founding Director of the university's International Peace and Conflict Resolution Division. Said was well known for helping shift the focus of International Relations theory from real politic-based on the concept that the law of power governs states, to new world order-based on cooperation and common security. Starting in the 1990s Said focused his work on peace and conflict resolution and later explored the relationship between spirituality and religion in international politics.

Said was the first occupant of the Mohamed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace and Director Emeritus and Founder of the Center for Global Peace. He was called by the university AU's “Living Legend of Peace” and a singular institution promoting peace by the Washington Post Magazine. He actively engaged in many conflict resolution projects, including the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the Iraq conflict. Dr. Said holds the distinction of the longest teaching tenure at AU having started teaching in 1956 until retiring in 2015. He is the author and editor of 25 books and over 100 papers. He developed over a dozen educational and research programs. Said has served as an advisor to numerous US and international agencies, including the Carter and Bush administrations, the United Nations, the US Department of State, and UNESCO. He has also served on numerous Boards, including Human Rights International and The Center for Religion and Diplomacy. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including The International Studies Association's “Distinguished Scholar in Peace Studies and the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize