Mohammed M. Obaid Shwani, a 2024 graduate of Bates College, has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar. The program, which is hosted at Tsinghua University in Beijing, brings together 150 scholars from 40 countries and 83 universities for a one-year, fully-funded master’s degree in global affairs. This year’s cohort was chosen from more than 5,800 applicants worldwide.
Shwani’s academic journey began when he was named an Iraqi Young Leader by the U.S. State Department in 2016. He later attended United World College in Bosnia on a scholarship before enrolling at Bates College in Maine. At Bates, Shwani received the Dana Award during his first year—the college’s highest honor for first-year students—and graduated summa cum laude with a major in politics and a minor in philosophy. He was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
After graduating from Bates, Shwani spent time studying law at the University of Oxford before returning to Iraqi Kurdistan to lead global partnerships at the Kurdistan Foundation. His work focuses on attracting investment and building strategic alliances for the region.
Reflecting on his experiences at Bates College, Shwani said: “Bates didn’t give me a single narrative. It gave me the tools to deconstruct them and form my own conclusions.”
He noted that Iraq’s growing economic ties with China make it important for future leaders to understand Chinese governance and culture: “For years, my country and I have oriented ourselves around ‘what will the U.S. do, and how does its system work?’ But my country is now actively engaging with another great power whose system we do not understand. We have strong economic ties with China, but almost no insight into its strategic culture, its governance model, or its long-term vision. Kurdistan and Iraq’s future leaders must understand and have connections with all sides to be able to navigate the country’s relationships in this new multipolar world.”
Stephen A. Schwarzman, founding trustee of Schwarzman Scholars, commented on this year’s cohort: “Our eleventh cohort is a truly impressive group that fills me with optimism. I am hopeful that their interest in China and global affairs, coupled with their leadership potential, will create opportunities for collaboration and dialogue at Schwarzman College and beyond.”
As he prepares to move to Beijing for the program, Shwani expressed enthusiasm about reconnecting with fellow Bates graduate Scarlett Wang ’23: “It’s been years since we were on campus together,” he said. “The idea that a Bates friend will be part of my first community in China makes this huge transition feel more like a homecoming. It reminds me that no matter where I go, the network and relationships from Bates are a permanent foundation.”
