May 7, 2026
For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. – The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Abderrahim Foukara as Distinguished Fellow for U.S.-Arab Affairs and Media Leadership.
This distinguished nonresident fellow appointment recognizes Dr. Foukara’s extraordinary career in international broadcast journalism and will create new opportunities for the Council to benefit from his insights and experience to advance informed dialogue between the United States and the Arab world.
Dr. Foukara has had an outstanding career as a journalist and leader. His abilities are the product of several distinct cultures. He was born and raised in Morocco and educated in the United Kingdom, where he began his journalism career at the BBC. In 1999, he moved to the United States and worked for Public Radio International before joining Aljazeera TV first as a correspondent and later as its Bureau Chief for the Americas. In addition to overseeing the work of some 300 staff, spread out across North and South America, he hosted Min Washington, Aljazeera’s flagship program, a weekly show on American affairs. The LA Times once described him as Aljazeera’s U.S. translator. He has interviewed Jared Kushner, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Gates, and many others. A fuller bio can be found here: https://ncusar.org/dr-abderrahim-foukara/.
Dr. Foukara will host and participate with the Council in the production of podcasts and other global affairs programming featuring senior policymakers and thought leaders. He will conduct interviews with government officials and representatives and other important figures in international affairs. He will participate in the Council’s conferences, leadership forums, and delegation briefings and assist with strategic communications and commentary. He will also participate in our educational programs through lectures, mentoring, and discussions with emerging leaders and represent the council at select international fora. Dr. Foukara reflected on the state of U.S.-Arab relations in a memorable keynote address at the Council’s 2024 gala award dinner which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-nqAPIPl6c.
For over four decades, the National Council has built bridges of understanding between America and the Arab world through student programs, people-to-people exchanges, conferences, publications, webinars, professional development, and several hundred of Model Arab League conferences across the United States and the MENA region. The Council has accompanied 900 professors and 3000 students on study visits to 17 Arab countries, and over 60,000 students have participated in its programs.