Dr Norman Ricklefs has worked in the Middle East for almost 30 years, and in Iraq for more than two decades. He served in Iraq from 2005 to 2010 with the Australian and US governments. Dr Ricklefs served as a branch chief providing analytical support to the commanding general Coalition Forces during the period of national elections in 2005 through the period of sectarian civil war in 2006; then as political advisor to the Australian commanding general Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007; as advisor to the deputy head of the Iraqi Defense Ministry during the battle of Basrah in 2008; and finally as senior advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Interior from 2009-2010 during the period of transition as US forces withdrew from the cities and Iraq held its national election. Dr Ricklefs worked and traveled all over Iraq in his official duties. For his service in Iraq, Dr Ricklefs was awarded the US Department of Defense's Outstanding Civilian Service medal, the US Department of Defense’s Commander's Public Service medal and the Operational Service medal with clasp from the Australian Department of Defence.


After leaving government service in 2011, Dr Ricklefs founded a consultancy and lobbying group in Dubai called Iraq Advisory Group and has been advising and lobbying on behalf of the oil and gas sector, banking sector, defense and security industry and also advising the US Government and Congress. IAG is mostly focused on lobbying the highest levels of the Iraqi Government. For example, IAG was responsible for preventing the expulsion of the foreign private security companies in 2012, it has negotiated and supported large US defense deals with Iraq, and in 2014 successfully negotiated a joint venture on behalf of the Iraqi Ministry of Transport.

In 2013 and 2014, Dr. Ricklefs took a sabbatical from IAG to serve as advisor to the Libyan Prime Minister, on behalf of U.S. Embassy Tripoli.

In 2015, after returning from Libya, Dr Ricklefs established NAMEA Group, initially envisaged to be an advisory firm that focuses on the Arab and Islamic world, from Morocco to Indonesia, but which has now expanded in reach and scope.

Dr Ricklefs has a PhD in history. He is a member of Chatham House and an honorary associate of the department of Ancient History at Macquarie University. Prior to his government service he taught history and philosophy at university level and worked as an archaeologist and historian – conducting fieldwork in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt and publishing on the Middle East during the Roman period. More recently he has published in The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Al Monitor, History Today, and the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies.