YANIV BARZILAI is a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. Yaniv graduated with highest honors and highest distinction from the University of North Carolina in 2011 with a B.A. in Peace, War, and Defense and a minor in Arabic. In 2013, Yaniv received an M.A. in International Relations with honors from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he concentrated in Strategic Studies and International Economics.Yaniv has worked for the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. and the Special Representative for Somalia at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. He has also worked as a desk officer in the Office of Afghanistan Affairs at the State Department. He was awarded the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship from the U.S. Department of State in 2009.Yaniv has a passion for military history, diplomacy, national security, and technology. He is 25 years old and currently lives in Washington, D.C.