Nibras Basitkey is the associate director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, where she leads strategic engagement with key stakeholders in the United States, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Government. She manages high-level dialogues on economic development, governance, and US-Iraq relations, working closely with policymakers, business leaders, and civil society to advance constructive policy solutions. In 2024, she was recognized by the Middle East Policy Council’s 40 Under 40 awards for rising Middle East experts.

Previously, Basitkey served as associate director of the empowerME Initiative, where she led the Women Innovators (WIn) Fellowship, empowering women entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa through mentorship and access to global networks.

Basitkey brings extensive academic and professional experience in economics, international development, and policy analysis to her role. Before joining the Atlantic Council, she worked with international organizations including the Malala Fund and contributed to research and policy work at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Religious Freedom Institute, the Iraq Mission to the United Nations, and the US House of Representatives. She also serves as a venture capital fellow with Audere Capital, reflecting her growing interest in entrepreneurship and investment in emerging markets.

Basitkey holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and economics from Creighton University and has completed executive certificates in microeconomics and the foundations of development policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Basitkey is fluent in Kurdish (Sorani and Kurmanji) and Arabic.