Firas Maksad is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group. He oversees the team covering the region’s geopolitics and macroeconomics and US foreign policy toward that part of the world. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Firas was a senior director and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a leading Washington-based think tank. He also managed his own boutique political consulting firm and has been an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs. Earlier in his career, Firas worked for Eurasia Group as an analyst in the Middle East and North Africa practice. 
Firas holds a master of science in foreign service degree and an honors certificate in international business from Georgetown University. He completed his undergraduate degree in political studies at the American University of Beirut.