INTERNS

Elena Gastaldo is a Master of Arts student in International Relations and European Languages at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Originally from Italy, Elena also studied abroad in the United States and Canada.

She was an intern at United Nations House Scotland in Edinburgh, where she focused on human rights awareness and advocacy. Elena also worked on a project on hostage diplomacy for Scholars at Risk, conducting research and creating datasets as well as a report.

As the Communications and Development Intern at CIP, Elena aims to deepen her knowledge of US foreign policy and to contribute to the policy-making process with her skills and experience.

Joshua is a young professional with several years of experience in international development, focusing on climate change and Latin America. At Chemonics International, he administered a $30 million grant fund to eliminate deforestation in the South American soy supply chain and oversaw the closeout of a project combating illegal gold mining and its environmental impacts in Colombia. Prior to Chemonics, he worked at Nathan Associates facilitating trade across Central America and building the capacity of the Haitian customs agency. He also interned with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helping rural American communities to transition from dependence on natural resource extraction towards sustainable service-based economies. At CIP, he will support the Climate Change & Anti-Corruption team. Joshua speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese, and holds a B.A. in International Relations from the College of William & Mary.

Sara Jordan is a recent graduate of the American University of Paris with a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Law. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate programs, she focused her studies on conflict management and international justice in the Middle East and Northern Africa region. She has done research on a wide array of topics, ranging from Transitional Justice in Syria to Illegal Hiring Barriers Against Women in Jordan. She speaks English and French and is in the process of learning Arabic, hoping to use her language skills to expand her research capabilities. During her time at CIP, she will be working on the Security Assistance Monitor Team.

Tim O’Shea is a recent graduate of New York University where he earned his Master of Arts through the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, after having graduated from Case Western Reserve University with his Bachelor’s in Political Science. O’Shea’s research focuses on the international arms trade and U.S.- Middle Eastern relations, particularly with the GCC states and Palestine/Israel. O’Shea is currently interested in studying processes of financialization in the arms trade, the internationalization of the global military industry’s supply and production chains, industrial consolidation in the United States, and the relationship these processes have with a militarized U.S. foreign policy. Previously, he investigated the Israeli military industry and the political economy of the occupation of Palestine. O’Shea is currently based in Amman, Jordan where he is studying Arabic. He is thrilled to be working with the Security Assistance Monitor this fall.

James A. Kennedy is an Intern at the Center for International Policy, where he researches Security Force Assistance and its effectiveness. Additionally, he works under the Director of the Security Assistance Monitor to identify and disseminate US security assistance efforts. He recently served in the Army as a Signals Intelligence Analyst and Intelligence Advisor where he conducted multiple Security Force Assistance deployments to Asia.

Kennedy is currently working towards an MS in Intelligence Analysis at Johns Hopkins University. He received a BA in Political Science from The State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He speaks Spanish fluently having lived in Spain and Ecuador before the Army.

Sakshi Gala is currently a Master's student in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at SciencesPo in Paris, in the Paris School of International Affairs. She graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2021, double majoring in History and Film and New Media and a minor in South Asian Studies. For the past two years, she has been a research assistant in political science, where she worked on writing and data analysis on political violence in India, as well as violence against women in South Asia. Her research interests include human rights in the global south, violence against minorities, the relationship between security apparatuses and human rights, caste and gendered violence in South Asia, and the ethics of humanitarian intervention. At SciencesPo, she is focusing on global risks, security and gender. She speaks fluent English, Hindi, Gujarati and is conversational in Korean. Sakshi will be working as the Communications and Development Intern during her time at CIP.

John Edward Mariano is a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and The Program of Liberal Studies with a certificate in International Security from The Notre Dame International Security Center. During his undergraduate career, he has mainly concentrated his work on the intersection between international relations and ethics. His thesis, “Where Conscience Meets Power: A Theory of Moral Rhetoric,” ponders moral rhetoric’s role in foreign policy decision-making and whether it influences and shapes state behavior. Next fall, John Edward will be pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science at Columbia University in New York, where he plans to specialize in international relations and continue his academic research. John Edward speaks English, Tagalog, and Spanish and is conversational in French. During his time at CIP, he will be working on the Security Assistance Monitor Team.

Scott Campbell is a recent graduate from the University of Bath where he earned his BSc degree in Politics with Economics, after which he completed a master’s in International Political Economy at King’s College London. During his undergraduate career, Scott wrote for the university paper covering political elections, legislation change, and current affairs after which he served as the editor for a student-led news start-up. Scott developed his interest in technology and politics through his undergraduate dissertation where he researched the effect of social media and disinformation on democracy and dialogue. During his master’s degree, Scott researched the effects of automation and technology in supply chains and on labor standards. His master's thesis explored the ways in which England’s COVID-19 policies affected students’ perceptions of politics and economics. Scott will be working as a Technology intern during his time at CIP.

Ignacio Gomez is a senior at The George Washington University where he majors in international affairs and concentrates on comparative political, economic, and social systems. Ignacio previously interned at DC Volunteers Lawyers Project and worked as a research assistant at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center, focusing on immigration and multilateral development banks in Africa and Europe, respectively. Moreover, Ignacio's article “A Deal with the Devil: Why Northern Triangle Leaders Must Negotiate with Las Maras” was published in the International Affairs Forum. Currently, Ignacio is the Secretary General of the Washington Area Model United Nations Conference, Director of Conference Relations at the Greater Washington Conference on International Affairs, and is a member of the GW Model United Nations team and TEDxFoggyBottom. At CIP, Ignacio works with both the Security Assistance Monitor Team and International Cyber Security and AI Policy Team, and focusses regionally on Latin America

Jordin Annett is a second-year law student at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Before studying law she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Geography with an emphasis in Geospatial Intelligence from BYU. As an undergraduate, she specialized in satellite data and image processing with a specific focus on combining topography, social statistics, and resource allotment to identify the heart of a conflict and create long-term solutions. Jordin was a judicial intern for the Utah Supreme Court over the summer and did her senior research project at BYU for The Nature Conservatory focusing on resolving conflict amongst native Mongolian sheepherders. She is conversational in Japanese and Arabic. During her time at CIP, she works with both the Climate, Arms & Migration Team and the Space Policy Team.

Amany Zaid Mahran is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Rochester in New York. She studies International Relations and Political Science with a minor in Economics. During her undergraduate career, Amany studied peace and conflict in the Middle East, focusing on the role of non-state actors in civil conflicts. She previously interned at the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, the Fund for Peace, and the Consulate General of Egypt in London. There, she worked on multiple developmental and PCVE projects with international NGOs, development banks, and governmental agencies. Additionally, she studied abroad in London and Madrid as part of her undergraduate degree. A native Egyptian, Amany speaks Arabic and English fluently and is conversational in Spanish. At CIP, she works on the Security Assistance Monitor (SAM) team.

Mohammad Al-Abbas is a Master’s student in International Relations at the Lebanese American University in Lebanon. Before enrolling in his MA, he completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in Machine Learning and Control Theory. For the past few years, Mohammad has leveraged his quantitative skills from engineering to research topics within international relations and public policy. He has published several academic articles ranging from policy design and control theory to migrant healthcare and labor laws. In his thesis, Mohammad quantified the effects of political rhetoric on scientific and technological collaboration between China and the US. He aims to begin his doctoral studies in public policy with an emphasis on technology policy by next fall within the US. Mohammad is fluent in English and Arabic. During his time at CIP, he will serve as a Technology intern.