Draft:El Mostafa Rezrazi

El Mostafa Rezrazi (born 1964 in Safi) is a Moroccan expert in strategic studies and counter-terrorism.

Early life and education
Rezrazi was born in 1964, in Safi, Morocco. He pursued his early education in Morocco, simultaneously studying psychology and law. In 1997, Rezrazi earned his Ph.D. in Regional and International Affairs from the University of Tokyo. He later obtained a second doctorate in Clinical and Pathological Psychology from Mohammed V University in 2014, with a thesis titled 'The Psychological Dynamics of Suicide Bombers.'

Academic and professional career
Dr. Rezrazi began his academic career as a research assistant at the University of Tokyo, where he completed his Ph.D. He subsequently held positions at Tohoku University and served as a Visiting Fellow at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Rezrazi also lectured at Mohammed V University in Rabat.

Over the years, Rezrazi has held several distinguished academic positions. He served as a Distinguished Professor at the Faculty of Law at Sapporo Gakuin University and as Professor and Deputy Director at the Institute of International Relations at Hagoromo University. His research contributions extended to his roles as a researcher at the National Center of Area Studies in Minpaku, Osaka, and as an Associate Researcher[3] at the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions (CISMOR) at Doshisha University. As of 2024, Rezrazi is an Affiliate Professor at FGSES, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, and a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South.

Research and publications
Dr. Rezrazi has extensive contributions in the fields of international relations, strategic studies, forensic clinical psychology, and counter-terrorism. His research often intersects these disciplines, focusing on the psychological dynamics and profiles of violent extremism, the mental and physical representations of displaced populations, including refugees and diaspora, and public panic management in disaster risk reduction. His contributions to counter-terrorism strategies and deradicalization processes are particularly notable. He has published numerous articles and books, including 'Pan-Asianism and the Japanese Islam: Hatano Uho: From Espionage to Pan-Islamist Activity' (1997), 'The Strategy of Language’s Islamization' (1999), 'Psychological Profiling of Suicide Bombers' (2005), and 'The Psychological Dynamics of Suicide Bombers' (2014). His recent work includes deradicalization and rehabilitation programs to countering violent extremism.

Professional expertise
Rezrazi has made significant contributions to the field of strategic studies and security. He has worked as a political analyst at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi. He is involved with several organizations focused on security and counter-terrorism, including serving as the Executive President of the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence. He is the co-chair of the Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Returnees, part of the EU-MENA Information Sharing and Analysis (EMISA) Network CT-INFLOW, and chairs the scientific committee of the Moussalaha Center, a national center for deradicalization, disengagement, and rehabilitation.

In addition to his work in strategic studies and counter-terrorism, Dr. Rezrazi has a strong background in clinical psychology. He served as the vice-president of the Moroccan Society of Clinical Psychologists from 2012 to 2015 and as the secretary-general of the Asian Forum of Psychoanalysis from 2017 to 2020. His clinical work includes training in clinical psychology at Mohammed V University and Ibn Sina University Hospital and further training in clinical psychology and counseling at Waseda University Graduate School of Clinical Psychology in Tokyo, Japan Professional Counseling Association in Osaka, Paris Descartes University, Ikebukuro Counselling Center, and Hozumi Hospital in Tokyo.

Awards
Dr Rezrazi was made Officer of the Order of the Throne by the King Mohammed VI of Morocco during His Official Visit to Japan in November 2005, and the Mahdi Elmandjra Prize for North-South Cultural Communication in 1998.