The Day After examines political transitions, state-building, and post-conflict recovery in the Middle East and beyond.
Grounded in real-world experience, it focuses on what determines success or failure after the fall.
About Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is a social entrepreneur, media executive, and institution builder focused on advancing free markets, critical thinking, and economic opportunity in the Middle East.
As the founder and president of Ideas Beyond Borders, Faisal has built the organization into a leading platform for translating classical liberal thought, promoting innovation, and supporting policy reform across the Arab world, particularly in Iraq. Under his leadership, IBB has expanded access to knowledge, supported entrepreneurship, and championed reforms that reduce bureaucracy and create pathways to employment and growth.
Faisal collaborates with intergovernmental institutions, policymakers, and private sector leaders to identify scalable solutions in complex and diverse societies. His work bridges economic development, media strategy, and counter extremism, empowering individuals with the ideas and tools needed to build stable and prosperous communities.
He serves as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and as a Non-Resident Scholar at the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, where his work focuses on counter extremism, governance reform, and the relationship between economic freedom and long-term stability.
A sought-after speaker, Faisal has delivered talks on global platforms, including TED, and has engaged audiences across the United States and the Middle East.
He is the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama and holds an honorary doctorate from Whittier College.
Splitting his time between New York and the Middle East, Faisal works to build institutions that transcend sectarian divisions and expand opportunity across the region.
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Interested in contacting me?
Email: Faisal@ideasbeyondborders.org
