Danny Sharp is an adjunct fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a JD candidate at Stanford Law School. Danny is also a defense innovation scholar with the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University. His research centers on hostage diplomacy through lens of the nexus between international law and U.S. foreign policy. Before law school, Danny was an associate director and associate fellow with the Middle East Program. Prior to joining CSIS, Danny worked for an economic development advisory firm in Jordan. He holds a B.A. in Near Eastern studies from Cornell University.

Programs & Projects

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When States Take Hostages: Responding to Iran and Other Perpetrators

On Thursday, October 24, Stanford’s Program in International and Comparative Law, Stanford’s Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, and CSIS hosted a program investigating the legal and policy challenges associated with the rise of state hostage taking.

Event — October 24, 2024

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Hana Al Omair: The Saudi Film Industry

Jon Alterman speaks with Hana Al Omair about the massive shifts underway in the Saudi film industry and emerging trends in Saudi cinema.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Danny Sharp , and Will Todman — August 8, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Jason Rezaian: The Rise of Hostage Taking

Jon Alterman speaks with Jason Rezaian about the rising phenomenon of hostage taking and what the United States can do both to respond when an American is taken hostage and to deter hostage taking and wrongful detention altogether.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp — July 25, 2023

CSIS Babel

Just Call Them Hostages

The U.S. government should start calling a spade a spade. When foreign nations illegally detain Americans simply to gain leverage over the United States, the government should call them what they are: “state hostages.”

Commentary by Danny Sharp and Jason Rezaian — July 20, 2023

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Shirin Hakim: Iran’s Environmental Challenges

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Shirin Hakim about Iran’s growing environmental problems and how Western sanctions play into the Iranian regime’s mismanagement of its natural resources. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Danny Sharp — July 11, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Nicolas Pelham: Morocco's Missing King

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Nicolas Pelham of The Economist about the Moroccan monarchy and King Mohammed VI’s unusual friendship with a German kickboxer.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp — May 30, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Ayham Kamel: The Gulf's Regional Diplomacy

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ayham Kamel of the Eurasia Group. They talk about the current diplomatic landscape in the Gulf, how leaders perceive their security interests, their views on the U.S. staying in power in the region, and how they are responding to the U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Danny Sharp — April 18, 2023

CSIS Babel

Saudi Arabia’s New Journey in Anime

As anime’s popularity grows, Saudi Arabia’s engagement in the production of Arabic anime content represents a new effort to shape the narrative at home and abroad.

Newsletter by Danny Sharp — February 21, 2023

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Hanna Notte: Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine

Jon Alterman speaks with Hanna Notte about Russia's interests in the Middle East and where they stand after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's growing economic and defense relationship with Iran, and how Arab states view Russia's war in Ukraine.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp — January 24, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Jihad Azour: The Middle East's Economic Outlook

Jon speaks with the Jihad Azour of the IMF about the Middle East's economic outlook and the political consequences of economic reforms.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp — January 10, 2023

CSIS Babel