CWCP Contributors

Center for World Conflict and Peace (CWCP) is an independent, non-partisan think tank. It was formed in January 2011 by Dr. Bradley Nelson and Dr. Yohanes Sulaiman.

Previously, Dr. Nelson and Dr. Sulaiman were colleagues in the political science department at The Ohio State University and at the think tank/consultant firm Center for Democracy Integrated Peace and Security Studies (CDIPSS).

CWCP primarily focuses on the issues, events, processes, institutions, and actors that are directly involved or indirectly related to conflict and peace in world politics–the very core issues that impact the safety and stability of politics around the globe. While CWCP touches on a wide range of issues and areas of the world, it does place a heavy emphasis on the politics, diplomacy, economics, and security affairs of Asian countries, as well as the relationship between Asia and the rest of the world.

CWCP's research, analysis, and writing falls into three categories: (1) posts on the CWCP blog; (2) published opinion pieces and commentaries; and (3) published articles in scholarly and policy journals.

CWCP staff members have placed articles and opinion pieces in, among other publications, E-IR, The Wall Street Journal, The Diplomat Magazine, Strategic Review, The Jakarta Globe, Al-Ahram, Tempo, Jurnal Universitas Pertahanan (Defense University Journal - in Indonesian), Jurnal UKI (Indonesian Christian University Journal - In Indonesian), New Eastern Europe and Sino-NK. Moreover, the work/views of CWCP has been mentioned by The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. 

Yohanes and Brad believe that the strength and quality of CWCP's work will serve as an important tool to help citizens, students, and leaders understand better the manifold issues affecting conflict and peace today.

CWCP Bios

Dr. Brad Nelson, Co-Founder and President. Dr. Nelson received a B.A. in political science from Saint Xavier University, an M.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University. Previously, Dr. Nelson has worked on institutional capacity strengthening and democracy promotion projects for a USAID-subcontractor, and served as an international relations lecturer for five years at The Ohio State University. In addition to his role at CWCP, Brad has also been an adjunct professor of political science at Saint Xavier University since 2014. His areas of interest include U.S. foreign policy, international security, especially Asian security dynamics, and realist theory. He can be found on Twitter @BNNelson74.

Dr. Yohanes Sulaiman, Co-Founder and Vice President. Dr. Sulaiman received a B.A. in political science and international relations from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University. He taught international relations for five years at The Ohio State University. He has been a regular contributor to the Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Globe. Currently, Dr. Sulaiman is also a political consultant and a lecturer at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani. His areas of interest include Indonesian politics, Asian security affairs, political leadership, and military bureaucracies. He can be found on Twitter @YohanesSulaiman. 



Past Contributors

Dina El-Gebaly. Ms. El-Gebaly received a B.A. in international affairs from George Mason University and a M.S. in project management from George Washington University. She has worked in Management Consulting for the past ten years as a contractor for the U.S. Government and has served in several positions in the fields of international development/affairs. Her areas of interest are Egyptian politics, the role of Islam in politics, the role of women in the Middle East, as well political reform in the Middle East. 

Tony Rinna. CWCP Geopolitical Analyst. Mr. Rinna received his B.A. in global and international studies from Western Michigan University in 2010, and an M.A. in Eurasian affairs and security studies at La Salle University. He has served as a research intern on the Security and International Affairs with the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, and as a Program Officer with Colleagues International, a partner of the U.S State Department's International Visitors' Leadership Program. His research interests focus on Russian foreign policy, the politics of international energy policy, nuclear proliferation, and the role of non-state actors in global security. 

JD Vance. Mr. Vance received a B.A. in political science and philosophy from The Ohio State University, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Mr. Hamel has served as a Public Affairs officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and has interned for several Ohio State House representatives. Mr. Hamel is interested in approaches to deal with Islamic radicalism, the transition to market economies in closed, state-dominated societies, and American politics and economics. He is currently writing a book on economic inequality in the U.S.

Linda LaCloche. Ms. LaCloche received a B.A. in political science from Saint Xavier University. For the past 14 years, Ms. LaCloche has worked in various public affairs and public/media relations positions at several government posts in the United States. Her main areas of interest focus on how elites create and sell policy messages, target specific audiences, and deal with opposition narratives.