Ethan Owen was awarded the M.A. in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in August 2005. The rigorous academic and professionally oriented curriculum at MIIS added to his extensive personal experience and skills and provided him with the knowledge essential for a career in international policy making. At the Monterey Institute he acquired an in-depth understanding of many of the issues tied to global security — from international economics, money laundering and terrorist financing to the proliferation of conventional and non-conventional weapons and their impact on sustainable social and economic development. To further his understanding of the Middle East, he also studied Arabic during his two years at the Monterey Institute and spent the summer of 2004 in Cairo immersing himself in the language and culture of Egypt.

For his final semester Ethan was selected for the International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) and served as a research consultant from February to August 2005 at the South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). During his IPSS assignment he conducted groundbreaking research investigating the linkage between the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and sustainable development in South Eastern Europe. In addition to his main research project, Ethan also wrote an extensive article now published in SEESAC’s quarterly newsletter, attended and participated in several regional seminars in Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Croatia, assisted in drafting a joint regional statement read at the Biennial Meeting of States at the United Nations in July 2005, and reviewed NGO project proposals.

Prior to attending the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Ethan spent several years working in the technology sector. He worked as a web designer/developer at a Forbes magazine "Best of the Web" award winning website, Asimba.com, for 2 years. Since then, he has continued to design and develop both static and database driven web sites for a diverse range of clients, including Cornell University, Greece101, the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and Transition International. At Cornell he created a searchable mySQL database and a web based front-end interface to house and access digital images and data on the University's Cunieform Tablet Collection. He is also an accomplished photographer.

Ethan received his B.A. from Cornell University, where he majored in cultural anthropology in order to study the social and cultural dimensions of political thought and action, particularly within the context of Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures. During his junior year, he spent a semester in Nepal studying the Nepalese language, non-western political systems, the process of nation building and conducting field research. While living in Kathmandu, he attended lectures by government ministers about Nepal’s democratic revolution and the process of building a nation from an ethnically and religiously diverse society. Additionally, he designed and conducted a month-long independent field research project in a remote region of eastern Nepal.

Ethan’s interest in, and understanding of, Middle Eastern and international affairs began at a young age. His childhood summers were spent working on his father's archaeological excavations in Israel and exploring the many historical sites of Egypt — countries where terrorism and conflict are often part of daily life. As a result, he immersed himself in the history of the region, the origins and issues surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict, and studied Hebrew. His exposure to the many civilizations that have come and gone in the region led him to believe that the path to understanding the present, and to creating effective policy, is paved with an appreciation for and understanding of the past.