Christopher James Boucek

Christopher James Boucek was born on August 1, 1973 in Palos Heights, Illinois. After elementary and secondary schooling in the Palos area, he attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Inspired by a high school trip to Egypt, he elected to major in Middle Eastern Affairs. During an internship at the U.S. Department of State during the summer of 1994, Christopher was exposed to the mechanics of the Arab/Israeli peace negotiation process. This experience had a profound influence on his entire career. Following graduation from Drew, Chris enrolled in an Arabic language course at the University of Aleppo in Syria, which led to an internship with AT&T in Cairo, Egypt. Upon returning to the United States, he worked with several organizations in the Washington, D.C. area that dealt with U.S.-Arab relationships.
Wanting to further his education, Christopher attended the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and graduated with honors, earning a Master of Arts in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. When he returned to the States, he accepted a position as a media analyst with the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. During that period, Chris began to accept freelance writing assignments for a number of publications covering Middle Eastern issues and their ramifications on U.S. security.
In July of 2000, he married Marie Laurence Floyd and the two of them moved to Cairo where Christopher took up his new position as Editor of The Middle East Times, an English language newspaper published in Egypt. Frustrated at the lack of freedom allowed the press, Chris returned to the United States and his position as media analyst at the Saudi Embassy for two years. But the desire for a deeper understanding of the Middle East drew him back to the School of Oriental and African Studies in London where he earned his Ph.D. while simultaneously working at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies and editing a monthly publication for Jane’s Information Group. During that period, he traveled extensively throughout Central Asia, conducting the field research for his dissertation on the Central Asian republics’ relationships with the State of Israel; he also made several humanitarian trips to Eastern Europe. It was while he and Marie were in London that their first daughter, Sophie Dalal, was born.
A postdoctoral research position at Princeton University brought the family back to the United States. While at Princeton, Christopher was also a lecturer in Politics at the Woodrow Wilson School. Two years later he returned to Washington, D.C. as an associate in the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His research focused on security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. He became a leading authority on disengagement and rehabilitation programs for Islamist militants and extremists and a recognized expert on terrorism, security and stability issues in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. His current research projects included clerical politics in Saudi Arabia and the confluence of challenges to Yemeni stability.
In early 2011, Chris and Marie welcomed a second daughter, Mathilde Elisabeth.
His foundational paper and subsequent book, Yemen on the Brink, became essential reading in the policy and defense community.

Chris established himself as a leading authority on disengagement and rehabilitation programs for Islamist militants and extremists and as a recognized expert on terrorism, security, and stability issues in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. He regularly contributed to the New York Times, Washington post, PBS News Hour, CBS 60 Minutes, NPR, and CNN, among others.

Chris leaves behind an impressive body of work by any measure, especially for someone so young. His research and analysis will have an impact on policy discussion for decades. But he will be remembered first and foremost by those who knew him for his wit, his modesty, his humor, and most of all, for his heart.

Surviving along with his wife and two daughters include his parents Robert and Suzanne Boucek of South Haven, Michigan, two brothers-Robert Jr. (Cynthia) Boucek of Elkhart, Indiana, Rodney Boucek and Robert Gallagher of Las Angeles, California and four nephews – Keegan (Jen) Boucek, Corbin (Jordan) Boucek, Travis (Victoria) Boucek, and Robertson Boucek.

Memorials can be made for Sophie and Mathilde’s education and may be sent to “College America”, c/o Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: M.S. McCormick, 550 West Washington Street, Suite 1050, Chicago, Illinois60661.

Services were held Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the South Haven Yacht Club. Kindly visit the family’s online guestbook at www.filbrandtffh.com.