International Relations Program Staff

The staff of the International Relations Program is dedicated to student service. We strive to create a warm, friendly, and collegial environment that fosters the development of meaningful connections among all members of the International Relations community. The academic and professional success of our students is our ultimate goal. 

Our staff members welcome your visits to our office in 102 Maxwell Hall in the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. You may also contact us by phone at 315-443-2306, by email at IRAdvisor@maxwell.syr.edu, or schedule an appointment with us.

Osamah F. Khalil

Chair, International Relations Program
Professor, History

Professor Khalil is a historian of American foreign relations, who teaches classes on America in the World, the Global Cold War, and Middle East Media, among other topics. He is the author of "America's Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State" (Harvard, 2016) and the editor of "United States Relations with China and Iran: Toward the Asian Century" (Bloomsbury, 2019). He previously served as the interim director of the Middle East Studies program. Professor Khalil teaches courses on the history of U.S. foreign relations, the Cold War, the history of international relations, America and the Middle East, and the Vietnam War and popular culture. In 2018, he received the Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction.

Ahlam Islam

Assistant Director, International Relations Program

Ahlam Islam completed her undergraduate study at Maxwell, studying Sociology and Citizenship and Civic Engagement. As an undergraduate, she engaged in research exploring the mental health utilization of college students of color and designed and implemented intersectional workshops and initiatives at both the Shaw Center and the Barnes Center at the Arch. Following her undergraduate studies, she remained at Syracuse University and worked with the McNair Scholars Program whilst simultaneously completing an M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Education. She strives to connect students with experiences that will broaden their academic curiosity and increase their access to opportunities and spaces that will enhance their abilities to promote equity and tangible change. She also serves on the Lender Center for Social Justice’s advisory group.

Ebad Athar

Assistant Director, International Relations Program

Mohammad Ebad Athar is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the History Department at Syracuse University. He is also a graduate research associate in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs South Asia Center in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Athar's research explores the securitization of South Asian identity during the ongoing Global War on Terror for communities in the United States and the Persian Gulf. Mohammad previously completed an M.A. in history at Syracuse and earned a B.A. in history from Rutgers University. Athar has also served as a Graduate Fellow at Syracuse's Lender Center for Social Justice. An oral historian by training with experience in the public history field, Athar seeks to connect students to career fields and experiences beyond traditional academic spaces and career trajectories while also encouraging students to think about the communities they can serve in their future work.