The United States’ 2023 Cyber Strategy outlines proposed policies and actions to address the most pressing issues facing America’s digital ecosystem, seeking to protect the US economy, critical infrastructure, democratic institutions, data privacy, and national defense.
This webinar will explore the ways in which the US Cyber Strategy has already impacted countries in the Middle East and, specifically, their relationships with the United States. How has the US balanced its ideological convictions on the one hand and the importance of fostering strong cyber partnerships with Middle Eastern nations on the other? Has this inherent tension created more space for outside actors such as China? Has the US Cyber Strategy resulted in greater cybersecurity cooperation within the region in the wake of Oct. 7 and the related increase in disruptive cyber attacks? Our panel of distinguished experts will tackle these questions and more during the webinar. Please join us for this timely and important conversation.
Speakers
John Hauser
Partner, EY Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Group
Niranjan Shankar
Non-Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute
Alicia Chavy
Non-Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute
Mohammed Soliman (Moderator)
Director, Strategic Technologies and Cybersecurity Program, Middle East Institute
Detailed Speaker Biographies
John Hauser is is a Principal in EY’s Transaction Advisory Services practice in the North East region specializing in cyber due diligence for both private
equity and strategic clients. While at EY, John has primarily focused on cyber due diligence of transactions in the private sector; helping clients
assess and mitigate cyber security risks in transactions, including the retail, pharmaceutical, financial and manufacturing industries. Prior to joining EY, John worked as a Special Agent with the FBI and as an Assistant United States Attorney. He has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting complex, high-profile cases, including international cyber crime rings, and nation-state hackers who stole trade secrets from western corporations. John represented the FBI at meetings of the National Security Council, which produced an Executive Order imposing economic sanctions against overseas cyber offenders which was signed by the President in April 2015.
Niranjan Shankar is a non-resident scholar with MEI's Strategic Technologies and Cybersecurity Program focusing on great power rivalry, technology and cybersecurity policy, and U.S. policy in the Greater Middle East. Niranjan's work at MEI focuses on the domestic and international cybersecurity landscape and the intersection of global geopolitics and tech and cyber policy. He also covers how digital trade and commerce, overseas tech and cyber partnerships, and the race for digital infrastructure development will shape political and economic trends in the Greater Middle East. Additionally, he develops extensions to help provide zero-trust security and networking resiliency to applications hosted on cloud-based, distributed platforms. Niranjan holds a Bachelor of Science and Engineering in Computer Science from Princeton University, with a Certificate (Minor) in Statistics and Machine Learning.
Alicia Chavy is a non-resident scholar within the Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at the Middle East Institute, where she focuses on policy and national security implications of critical technologies, such as AI, quantum innovation, and cybersecurity. Ms. Chavy comes from an international background, born and raised in France, and with South American and Southeast Asia work experience. Ms. Chavy previously served as the Director of Partnership for Global Risk Insights, where she authored political risk analysis on economic, geopolitical, and security developments in the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Ms Chavy has worked at the Conflict and Stability Operations Bureau at the State Department, where she covered political violence, violent extremism, migration, and human rights issues.
Mohammed Soliman is the director of the Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at the Middle East Institute, where he leads a global team of scholars to explore the policy challenges associated with the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and business in the Middle East and emerging markets more broadly. Mr. Soliman also serves as a visiting fellow with the National Security Program at Third Way. Mr. Soliman has previously served as a country analyst for the Peace Tech Lab at the US Institute of Peace, as a Huffington Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, and as a Junior Centennial Fellow at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. A native of Cairo, he began his career as an engineer and worked as a consultant, providing strategic advisory services for local and international businesses.
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