Ebtesam Al Ketbi

Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi is the Founder and President of the Emirates Policy Center (EPC), one of the most influential think tanks in the Arab world, and a Professor of Political Science at the United Arab Emirates University. 

In recognition of her position as the leader of one of the Arab world’s most influential think tanks, in 2015, Dr. Al- Ketbi was appointed Consultative Commission Member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In 2021, she was named Advisor to the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy. In January 2023, Dr. Al-Ketbi was named an Advisory Board Member of T20 International. 

She is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, the Global Advisory Board of the Observer Research Foundation in India, the Advisory Council of the Middle East Institute in Washington, the International Advisory Board of the Italian Med-Or Foundation, and the Indo-Pacific Civil Society Forum (IPCSF), and a Global Member in the non-governmental “Trilateral Commission (Europe)”. 

Dr. Ebtesam al-Ketbi is a regular commentator on political events in the Gulf region in various Arab and foreign media outlets. She is the author of several books, including The UAE as A Middle Power: Strategies to Adapt to a Divided World Order (2025), The UAE’s Role in Empowering Religious Diplomacy (2023), The UAE Power Building Model: Mohamed bin Zayed’s Vision (2022), and Iran and the Biden Administration: A Potential Return to Negotiations (2021). In 2018, the Arabian Business magazine featured her among the 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab world and in 2019, Dr. Al-Ketbi received the Women Super Achiever Award during the World Women Leadership Congress.