Sami Moubayed, a native of Damascus, studied at the Faculty of Political Science at the American University of Beirut(AUB) and obtained his PhD in Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter, specializing in the founding years of the Syrian Republic.
During his college years, Moubayed was mentored by Munir al-Ajlani, a ranking parliamentarian and politician from the pre-Baath Era.
His first book, The Politics of Damascus 1920–1946, was published under Ajlani's supervision in 1998.

In 2000, Moubayed joined the Arab Political Document Center at AUB and worked as a journalist with Beirut-based The Daily Star.
Between 2005 and 2011, Moubayed taught at the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Kalamoon in Deir Atiyah, 88-km north of the capital Damascus, while serving on its Board of Trustees.
Between January 2007 and December 2011, he was editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine, Syria's premier English-monthly.
In 2012, he joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Beirut, serving as a scholar on Syria until early 2014 .

Over the last 20-years, Moubayed has interviewed leading regional and international figures including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Former Indian President Pratibha Patil, Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
Moubayed has also interviewed Former Lebanese presidents Amin Gemayel, Elias Hrawi, and Émile Lahoud, in addition to Former Lebanese Prime Ministers Salim al-Hoss and Tammam Salam.
In December 2008, he was the first Syrian to interview a US president, being Jimmy Carter.
Additionally, Moubayed has been accredited with landmark interviews with Brazilian bestselling author Paolo Coelho and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales .
Sami Moubayed, a native of Damascus, studied at the Faculty of Political Science at the American University of Beirut(AUB) and obtained his PhD in Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter, specializing in the founding years of the Syrian Republic. During his college years, Moubayed was mentored by Munir al-Ajlani, a ranking parliamentarian and politician from the pre-Baath Era. His first book, The Politics of Damascus 1920–1946, was published under Ajlani's supervision in 1998.
In 2000, Moubayed joined the Arab Political Document Center at AUB and worked as a journalist with Beirut-based The Daily Star. Between 2005 and 2011, Moubayed taught at the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Kalamoon in Deir Atiyah, 88-km north of the capital Damascus, while serving on its Board of Trustees. Between January 2007 and December 2011, he was editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine, Syria's premier English-monthly. In 2012, he joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Beirut, serving as a scholar on Syria until early 2014 . 
Over the last 20-years, Moubayed has interviewed leading regional and international figures including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Former Indian President Pratibha Patil, Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Moubayed has also interviewed Former Lebanese presidents Amin Gemayel, Elias Hrawi, and Émile Lahoud, in addition to Former Lebanese Prime Ministers Salim al-Hoss and Tammam Salam. In December 2008, he was the first Syrian to interview a US president, being Jimmy Carter. Additionally, Moubayed has been accredited with landmark interviews with Brazilian bestselling author Paolo Coelho and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales .
Sami Moubayed