Expert Communities
We are dedicated to supporting and connecting international relations experts.
A core value of ours is to champion foreign affairs experts, many of whom have devoted their careers to staying at the forefront of their field, investing countless hours building knowledge that is often not fully recognized or adequately compensated. We are building tools and communities to ensure country expertise is accessible and thus consistently heard by those shaping global decisions and public opinion.
Our efforts currently span two communities: our Expert Community, a peer-vetted global network of the world's most informed country specialists, and Gulf/2000, a long-running expert listserv covering the Gulf, Iraq, and Iran. Together, they reflect our commitment to connecting expertise and ensuring it reaches the people who need it most.
Expert Community
We are building a peer-vetted global community of the world's most informed country specialists — individuals with deep, sustained expertise and active, ongoing engagement with contacts on the ground and at every level of government within their specialty. Sage's vetting process is selective, ensuring every community member is genuinely recognized as among the most knowledgeable and connected specialists on their country validated by fellow specialists in the field.
Unlike other expert networks, this one is built for the specialists themselves: a space to connect with peers covering countries across the world, surface cross-cutting insights, and draw on a trusted network when their work takes them beyond their own specialty. At its core, it is about ensuring that deep, hard-won knowledge shapes the decisions that matter and that the experts behind that knowledge are recognized for it. We are also committed to elevating voices that are too often overlooked in this field, including women and local experts.
This community is made possible through the support of Investress, an organization dedicated to amplifying the work and impact of female founders and organizations working toward a more gender-inclusive world.
With support from
The Gulf/2000 listserv, or G2K, is an exclusive email forum providing members with a curated news feed on the Gulf region and a platform for experts and professionals to exchange views, pose questions, and seek insights. Originally managed by Gary Sick at Columbia University from 1993 to 2024, the listserv is now operated by The Sage Institute for Foreign Affairs and supported by members and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Gulf/2000
With support from
To join the Gulf/2000 listserv, prospective members should click “Apply for Membership.” You will be asked to provide a brief description of your professional background and reason for your interest in Gulf affairs.
Please note that the listserv is reserved for Gulf region experts and professionals; it is not typically open to students or those without professional connections to the region.
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Established in 1993, the Gulf/2000 Project was created to support scholars, government officials, business professionals, and journalists focused on the eight states that surround the Gulf, specifically Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It aimed to foster information exchange and ongoing dialogue among experts, regardless of political or ideological views.
The project was initially funded by the W. Alton Jones Foundation and later supported by the Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. It was managed by Executive Director Gary Sick, Director for Research and Publications Lawrence Potter, and Assistant Director for Membership Services Gina Cinali from 1993 until August 2024, following which The Sage Institute for Foreign Affairs took over management of the project.
Over three decades, the Gulf/2000 Project built a global network of specialists and hosted conferences, workshops, and an extensive electronic library. Specifically, it hosted 11 international conferences on various Gulf-related topics, including security, history, and regional developments. Notable events included conferences in Italy, the UAE, Cyprus, Oman, and the United States. Workshops and panels were also held on nuclear policy and Gulf affairs. Gary Sick and Lawrence Potter edited publications from these conferences into several books, and several papers were featured in journals including Middle East Policy.
Support the Mission!
If you would like to support our Expert Community or Gulf/2000, we welcome donations, partnerships, and sponsorships. Please reach out to learn more.