Dr. Walid Phares is a well-known Lebanese-American foreign policy expert, advisor, and international relations commentator. Aside from being known for his contributions in these sectors, Walid Phares is known for his controversial comments especially towards the Jihadist and Islamic communities.
As an advisor, Dr. Walid Phares worked for Matt Romney during his presidential campaign. Later, he worked as Donald Trump’s campaign advisor in his presidential campaign in 2016. Well, this is just the tip of what you know about Dr. Walid Phares.
This post will go in-depth on Dr. Walid Phares biography. You’ll read a thorough information about his wife, Twitter, career, religion, family, and much more. Let’s check out his profile breakdown.
Profile Breakdown
• Full Name: Dr. Walid Phares
• Date of Birth: December 24, 1957.
• Age: 62
• Nationality: Lebanese-American
• Occupation: Foreign Policy Expert, Advisor, Professor.
Dr. Walid Phares Early Life
Dr. Walid Phares was born on the 24th of December 1957. He was born into a Christian Family in Beirut. Walid Phares holds both an American and a Lebanese passport
As a young man, Dr. Walid Phares was a devoted Christian who grew up seeing the Christian faith as the best. This viewpoint has influenced Dr. Walid Phares in many aspects of his career.
Now, Dr. Walid Phares is one of the most respected men in the United States, America, and Lebanon.
Dr. Walid Education
Dr. Walid possesses several degrees from his time in different universities. He has earned an undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph University and the Lebanese University in law, political science, and sociology.
Along with that, Walid Phares practiced law while he was in Beirut and eventually earned a master’s degree in international law from the Jean Moulin University Lyon in France and a Doctorate in international relations and strategic studies from the University of Miami.
Dr. Walid Phares Career
Dr. Walid served as a core politician when he joined the Social Democratic Party around the 1980s when there was a civil war affecting different regions in Lebanon.
In 1984, Walid Phares joined another political party named, Social Democratic Christian Union. After his time with the Social Democratic Christian Union ended, Walid Phares also served as the Secretary General of the World Lebanese Cultural Union.
Later in the 1980s, Walid Phares was heavily involved in the war against Muslim factions who were in Lebanon. In his defense, Walid Phares insisted that he was only politically involved but didn’t really participate in taking arms directly to fight the insurgents.
Despite his seemingly little involvement in the war, he has been accused and criticized for his involvement in the war anyway.
Dr. Walid Phares has also had quite a rich background in academics especially in the United States. In 1992, Dr. Walid Phares was employed at Florida International University (FIU), where he taught under the Department of International Relations.
Later, he progressed to Florida Atlantic University, where he taught Comparative Politics for one year. Then, he was promoted to become a full-time professor at the Department of Political Science where he majored in teaching Middle East Studies and International Relations.
In 2008, Walid Phares received recognition as the Coordinator of the Trans-Atlantic Parliamentary Group on Counter-Jihadism.
Due to this recognition now added to his belt, Dr. Walid Phares has taught in several universities such as the Daniel Morgan Academy, BAU International University, and so on.
In 2011, Dr. Walid Phares was appointed to become the advisor to Mitt Romney when he was running his presidential campaign that year.
At the time, this appointment didn’t sit well with some members of the American-Islamic communities who accused Dr. Walid Phares of being a “war crime” offender because of his involvement in wars fought against Islamic members.
In 2016, when Donald Trump was contesting for the U.S presidency, Dr. Walid Phares was employed to serve as an advisor to Donald Trump. As expected, his appointment was met with several backlashes, but that didn’t faze Dr. Walid Phares.
In fact, his supporters said that he was quick to point out the Jihadist threat that was rising and was only doing his job. As a result, these supporters backed him to do a similar job for Donald Trump.
Even former President of the United States, Barack Obama, wasn’t left out of Dr. Walid Phares’ criticisms. He accused Barack Obama of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States.
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He accused the Muslim Brotherhood of being among the groups that planned to promote propaganda against Donald Trump. The next year, Dr. Walid Phares also raised controversy with his tweet on social media.
He mentioned that London had been “shut down” due to an attack that had taken place in London. Immediately, many Londoners refuted that claim by Dr. Walid Phares, tagging it as “false news” and stating that it was only the street where the incident had occurred that was locked.
Walid Phares wife
Dr. Walid Phares is currently married to Georgina Rizk. Georgina Rizk came into the spotlight in 1971 when she emerged as the winner of the Miss Universe pageant competition.
Together, Dr. Walid Phares and Georgina Rizk have produced two beautiful children.
Walid Phares Family
Dr. Walid Phares’ family was raised in a Christian family in Lebanon. As a result, all his life, he has practiced the Christian faith and even written books about his experience. However, he left his family in 1990 to the U.S to pursue his career.
Walid Phares twitter
Walid Phares’ Twitter or X handle can be found at @WalidPharis. He uses his Twitter handle to give his opinions about topics surrounding international relations and foreign policy.
Walid Phares religion
Walid Phares’ religion is Christianity. He has practiced this religion since he was a young adult.
Walid Phares Recent Controversy
Walid Phares’ recent comments about the U.S.’s possible invasion of Nigeria have caused some controversy on X. He suggested that a Donald Trump-led United States government establish a military base in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
This comment has received backlash from several Nigerians who have accused the U.S of trying to steal Nigeria’s crude oil resources instead of fighting the insurgents. Others have claimed that Port Harcourt is far from where the Boko Haram attack is and that the U.S may have ulterior motives behind.
However, Walid Phares’ recent comments haven’t been taken lightly by the Nigerian audience.