AGSI Welcomes Karen Sasahara as a Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow

WASHINGTON, November 17, 2025 – The Arab Gulf States Institute is pleased to announce that Karen Sasahara has joined the institute as a distinguished diplomatic fellow.

Sasahara served for over three decades as a U.S. diplomat, most recently as the U.S. ambassador to the State of Kuwait. Other senior diplomatic assignments include U.S. consul general in Jerusalem and chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan. Previous diplomatic postings include Sanaa, U.S. Central Command, Baghdad, Beirut, Mexico City, Tunis, the Sinai Peninsula, London, Jeddah, and numerous assignments in Washington. Sasahara has worked on a wide array of policy issues, including counterterrorism, counternarcotics, security assistance and training, and political transition and national dialogue. She has worked extensively with the U.S. military, providing foreign policy and subject matter expertise. Sasahara earned an MA in Near East studies from the George Washington University and a BA in international relations from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Sasahara commented, “I’m honored to join this distinguished institute. I look forward to continuing my association with Kuwait and to focus on important issues in the Gulf region from a new perspective.”

AGSI President Douglas A. Silliman welcomed Sasahara’s appointment. “I am excited that Karen Sasahara is joining AGSI as a distinguished diplomatic fellow. Her deep experience in Kuwait, the Gulf, and Middle East will be a real asset for the institute as we cover the most important issues of the region.”

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The Arab Gulf States Institute is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to highlighting the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf region through free and open exchange of multiple points of view on issues that concern the Gulf.

AGSI strives to support this goal by:

• Providing expert analysis and thoughtful debate on the economic, energy, environmental, security, social, cultural, and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states as well as their relations with the United States and other countries.
• Informing a global audience of policymakers, legislators, businesspeople, academics, media, youth, and others as the foundation for strategic decisions regarding this important region.
• Employing multiple avenues to inform public understanding of the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf Arab states.
• Encouraging strong academic coverage by developing scholars who concentrate on the study of the region.