Ashraf Fouad Makkar

Ashraf Fouad Makkar is a board member at the Arab Gulf States Institute and a former Middle East journalist with Reuters. During his Reuters career, Makkar covered major political developments, Gulf and Arab summits, and Middle East peace negotiations, including multitrack meetings in Washington. He reported extensively on regional oil policies and their impact on global markets, analyzed national budgets, and interviewed heads of state, prime ministers, ministers, and other senior decision makers. 

His postings included Bahrain during the Iran-Iraq War, Cyprus during the closing years of the Lebanese civil war, Dubai as a Gulf correspondent and Kuwait as senior correspondent. He reported from all six Gulf Cooperation Council states and many Arab countries, from Morocco to Sudan, covering conflicts and major events. 

Makkar’s reporting career encompassed three wars involving Iraq as well as conflict in Yemen. In 2003, he led Abu Dhabi Television’s news team covering the Iraq war from the southern front, moving north into the country from Kuwait. 

Based in Abu Dhabi since 2002, Makkar has advised and worked with major United Arab Emirates institutions on initiatives spanning media, strategic research, culture, and international engagement. He helped negotiate the partnership that established Sky News Arabia and served as its co-launch director. He later advised its growing management team in the company’s early years. His work has also included contributions to Abu Dhabi’s museum projects and other major initiatives across the UAE. Earlier in his career, Makkar worked with Newsweek in Cairo and as an engineer with Schlumberger in Indonesia and Egypt. 

Makkar earned a BS in physics at the American University in Cairo with a specialization in solid-state electronics and minor in English and comparative literature.