Arabic: عمرو حمزاوى Born: 1968 Amr Hamzawy is a political scientist and activist. He is research director and senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, a public policy think tank and research center based in Beirut, Lebanon. Hamzawy played an important role in Egypt's January 25 Revolution as the spokesman of the Council of Wise Men, where he helped negotiate between the government and the protestors. He was later offered a position in Ahmed Shafiq's cabinet but refused. In March 2011, he announced the establishment of the Social Democratic Party, a centrist liberal secular party. Hamzawy contributes regularly as a writer for periodicals, magazines and newspapers, both in Egypt and abroad. He has authored two books on politics, with specific emphasis on the role of religion in politics. He also participated in panels at the Carnegie Middle East Center, including ‘The Muslim Brotherhood's Party Platform' in 2007 and ‘Deteriorating Politics and Social Unrest in Egypt' in 2008. Hamzawy received his Bachelor's degree from Cairo University. He holds two Master's degrees, one from the University of Amsterdam and another from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. He received his PhD from the Free University of Berlin.