Brook H. Beshah Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Brook Hailu Beshah had served since the 1980’s as a fulltime and adjunct professor at different universities in Africa, Europe and the US. He had lectured in the fields of international relations, political science; culture; Journalism and media.

He joined the University Of Akron School Of Communication as an adjunct faculty in Fall Semester 2014 where he is teaching Intercultural Communication.

He also works as an adjunct online professor at the Ohio University Scripps School of Journalism and at Ohio University Center for International Studies. Occasionally he lectures at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Public Policy since 2011. Between the years 2009 to 2013 he was a former Dean and full time professor at Strayer University in Akron.

Professor Beshah before he moved to Ohio was an adjunct professor at the following universities. Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University; University of Maryland; Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA); the National University of Rwanda, Butare, Rwanda and at the Institute for Communications and Media Sciences and IKMW Leipzig University, Germany. For many years he had worked in Addis Ababa University, Department of Political Science and International Relations.

He has a Ph. D. in international political communications from Leipzig University Germany; masters and bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Germany and from Ethiopia. He has participated in numerous national, regional and international conferences, workshops, seminars.

Prof Beshah from early 2001 to 2006 had served as his country of origin Ethiopia as its Deputy Ambassador and Permanent Delegate in Washington DC and at the UN’s UNESCO in Paris with the senior diplomatic rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Professor Beshah has an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the UN. He represented his country of origin Ethiopia at UNESCO in different positions including as member of the Board. He played a role in the deliberations and adoption of international conventions such as the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the International Convention against Doping in Sports. He also participated in the follow up, implementation and monitoring process of enacted conventions such as the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. At UNESCO he played a key role in 2005 in the return of the 1st century 2,000 year old stele from Rome to its place in Axum, Ethiopia http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15 which was taken as a war trophy by Mussolini’s Italy in the early 1930’s. Another of his achievements is the registering in 2006 of the 13th century historical walled city of Harar as a UN Cultural Heritage site. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1189

Prof Beshah is a well sought expert analyst and resource person in African and Middle Eastern issues; is occasionally interviewed by International and domestic TV; radio stations and the press in such topics as culture; communication; regional and international security; media and journalism in Africa; peace and conflict; democracy and good governance.  

He has widely traveled and speaks English, German, French and Amharic.