home > the cfr think tank > experts > isobel coleman
Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Director of the Program on Markets and Democracy, and Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9771
E-mail: icoleman@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 467K)
One-page bio (PDF, 58K)
CV (PDF, 15K)
Author of the book Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East (Random House, 2010). Contributing author to Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President (Brookings Institution Press, 2008). Coauthor of Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in International Security (Hoover Institution Press, 2006). Director of CFR's Women and Foreign Policy program.
Expertise:Democratization, civil society, economic development, gender issues in the Middle East and South Asia, educational reform, and microfinance.
Experience:Former CEO and Chairman of a healthcare services company (2000-2002); Partner, McKinsey & Company (1992-2000); Research Fellow, Brookings Institution (1990-1991); Adjunct Professor, American University (1991).
Languages:Japanese and Spanish (familiar).
Honors:Marshall Scholar, Oxford University (1987-1990); Brookings Research Fellow (1990-1991).
Selected Publications:The Global Glass Ceiling, Foreign Affairs (May/June 2010); What's the Matter with Yemen? Washington Post (2010); The Better Half, Foreign Affairs (January/February 2010); The Kingdom's Clock, Foreign Policy (coauthor, September/October 2006); Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in International Security (coauthor, Hoover Institution Press, 2006); Women, Islam, and the New Iraq, Foreign Affairs (January/February 2006); The Arab World is Experiencing the First Tremors of a Youthquake, Dallas Morning News (2006); Iran's Bitter Lessons for Iraq, International Herald Tribune (coauthor, 2005); Defending Microcredit, Fletcher Forum of World Affairs (Winter 2005); The Pay-Off From Women's Rights, Foreign Affairs (May/June 2004); Beyond the Burqa: The Future Of Afghan Women's Rights, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (Summer 2004).
Education:DPhil, MPhil, Oxford University;
BA, Princeton University.
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
August 2, 2010
Academic Module
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Senior Fellow Isobel Coleman, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the CFR book Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East. In this book, Dr. Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are promoting progressive interpretations of Islam and how this is affecting the rights of women in the workforce as well as everyday life.
July 28, 2010
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Isobel Coleman discusses the feminization of AIDS in Africa and two recent studies that offer hope for prevention.
See more in Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Health and Disease, Health, Women
July 14, 2010
First Take
The passage of a burqa ban by the French National Assembly is a response to France's "idea of women's dignity," voter support, and a desire to blunt "the rise of fundamentalism," says CFR's Isobel Coleman.
See more in France, Democracy and Human Rights, Religion and Politics
June 18, 2010
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Isobel Coleman discusses the benefits of new technologies for the world's poorest that extend beyond health, safety, and environmental issues.
See more in Economic Development, Women
May 6, 2010, New York
Transcript
In "Paradise Beneath Her Feet," Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism. Dr. Coleman argues that these efforts are critical to bridging the conflict between those championing reform and those seeking to oppress women in the name of religious tradition.
See more in Middle East, Women
May 5, 2010
Audio
CFR's Isobel Coleman discusses the growing movement of Islamic feminism in light of her new book, Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East, as part of the Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.
May 5, 2010
Article
Washington Post
Isobel Coleman discusses an emerging movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Religion, Women
April 30, 2010
Podcast
CFR's Senior Fellow Isobel Coleman discusses her new book about the rising empowerment of Muslim women in the Mideast and its potential to transform human rights in the region
May/June 2010
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
It is time for multinational corporations to come to the same realization -- funding education and training female business leaders is good for business.
See more in Women
April 21, 2010
Audio
Listen to experts give examples of bringing technologies to developing countries and how distribution of these products works.
This session was part of The ExxonMobil Women and Development Roundtable Series which was made possible by the generous support of ExxonMobil.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 21, 2010
Audio
Listen to experts discuss energy challenges facing women in the developing world and how new technologies can improve conditions and save lives.
This session was part of The ExxonMobil Women and Development Roundtable Series which was made possible by the generous support of ExxonMobil.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 21, 2010
Video
Watch experts give examples of bringing technologies to developing countries and how distribution of these products works.
This session was part of The ExxonMobil Women and Development Roundtable Series which was made possible by the generous support of ExxonMobil.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 21, 2010, New York
Transcript
Experts give examples of bringing technologies to developing countries and how distribution of these products works.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 21, 2010
Video
Watch experts discuss energy challenges facing women in the developing world and how new technologies can improve conditions and save lives.
This session was part of The ExxonMobil Women and Development Roundtable Series which was made possible by the generous support of ExxonMobil.
April 21, 2010, New York
Transcript
Experts address challenges faced by companies producing new technologies for use in the developing world.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 21, 2010, New York
Transcript
Experts discuss energy challenges facing women in the developing world and how new technologies can improve conditions and save lives.
See more in Economic Development, Women
April 7, 2010
Article
Huffington Post
Isobel Coleman discusses her visit to Rwanda, and the prospects for democracy in the nation.
See more in Rwanda, Democratization, Economic Development
April 4, 2010
Article
Washington Post
Isobel Coleman reviews Yemen by Victoria Clark and I Am Nujood, Aged 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.
See more in Yemen, Economic Development, Women, Terrorism
March 17, 2010
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Isobel Coleman argues that local women can play a role in mitigating the corruption that surrounds humanitarian aid in Somalia.
See more in Somalia, Women, Foreign Aid
May 2010
Book
In Paradise Beneath Her Feet, Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism.
See more in Middle East, Women
CFR experts give their take on the cutting-edge issues emerging in Asia today.
Read the Blog Asia Unbound
Michael Levi examines the science and foreign policy surrounding climate change, energy, and nuclear security. Read the Blog
Explore the global health regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Explore the past, present, and future of nuclear energy with this new online interactive.
Micah Zenko examines the discrete military operations undertaken by the United States over the past twenty years to discern why they were used, if they achieved their objectives, and what determined their success or failure.
Sebastian Mallaby has written the first authoritative history of hedge funds—from their rebel beginnings to their role in defining the future of finance.
Peter Beinart tells a tale as old as the Greeks—a story about the seductions of success.
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
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+1.212.434.9753
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Amy R. Baker
Deputy Director for Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9620
abaker@cfr.org
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