International Relations Undergraduate Program Leadership and Staff

Professor Khalil is a historian of U.S. foreign relations and the modern Middle East. He is the author of "America's Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State" (Harvard, 2016) and the editor of "United States Relations with China and Iran: Toward the Asian Century" (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Professor Khali previously served as the interim director of the Middle East Studies program. He teaches courses on the history of U.S. foreign relations, the Cold War, the history of international relations, America and the Middle East, and the Vietnam War and popular culture. In 2018, he received the Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction. 

Ahlam Islam completed her undergraduate study at Maxwell, studying sociology and citizenship and civic engagement. As an undergraduate, she engaged in research exploring the mental health utilization of college students of color and designed and implemented intersectional workshops and initiatives at both the Shaw Center and the Barnes Center at the Arch.

Following her undergraduate studies, she remained at Syracuse University and worked with the McNair Scholars Program whilst simultaneously completing an M.S. in cultural foundations of education. 

She strives to connect students with experiences that will broaden their academic curiosity and increase their access to opportunities and spaces that will enhance their abilities to promote equity and tangible change.

Prior to joining the International Relations Undergraduate Program, Havva served as Regional Programs Coordinator, Assistant Director of Moynihan European Research Centers, and Project Manager of the Atlantis Transatlantic Dual Degree Program in International Security and Development Policy at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at the Maxwell School.

Havva holds a B.A. in translation studies and master’s degrees in international relations and political science. She conducted multilingual archival research in the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, and Turkey toward her NSF-supported doctoral work at Syracuse University where she is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science focusing on coalition governments, political leadership, foreign policy, and decision-making.

Havva’s undergraduate teaching at Syracuse covered political affairs in the MENA region, European Union, foreign policy, and political leadership.