Vali Nasr

Vali Reza Nasr
File:"Vali Nasr".jpg
8th Dean of Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Incumbent
Assumed office July 1, 2012 (2012-07-01)
Preceded by	Jessica P. Einhorn
Personal details
Born	Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr (1960-12-20) December 20, 1960 Tehran, Iran
Spouse	Darya Ahyaie
Children	3
Alma mater	Tufts University MIT
Profession	Professor
Website	SAIS Leadership

Vali Reza Nasr (Persian: ولی‌ رضا نصر, born 20 December 1960 in Tehran) is a leading expert on the Middle East, a best-selling author, Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings Institution, and contributor to Bloomberg View.

He taught at the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, University of San Diego and the Naval Postgraduate School and was a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard University, as well as Stanford University and University of California, San Diego prior to being appointed dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in March 2012.

Nasr is a member of the State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and served as senior advisor to the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, between 2009 and 2011. He is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Vali Nasr is one of America’s leading experts on the Islamic world and Middle East policies. He is internationally renowned and has influenced critical public debates and policy decisions in both the U.S. and Europe. He is the author of the book The Dispensable Nation (2013), which takes a hard look at strategic risk of a shrinking American role on the global stage. His two previous books, Shia Revival (2006) and Forces of Fortune (2009) correctly foretold of sectarian conflict following the Iraq War and the potential for an Arab Spring. He has testified before the U.S. Senate on issues relating to the Middle East, advised presidents, senior policy makers, and members of the Congress. He has been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, quoted by Senator John Kerry on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and described as a “national resource” by Richard Haass, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Nasr is a member of Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Board of Trustees of National Democratic Institute, Board of Directors of the Foundation for Iranian Studies, and the Fund Board of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA). He has received grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.

Biography

Son of renowned Iranian academic Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Vali Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960, went to school in England at age 16, and immigrated to the U.S. after the 1979 Revolution. He received his BA from Tufts University in International Relations summa cum laude. He earned his masters in International Economics and Middle East Studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1984, then went on to earn his PhD in Political Science from MIT in 1991.

Publications

Nasr is a political scientist by training and has focused on comparative politics and international relations of the Middle East. He is the author of The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat, Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It will Mean for Our World, The Shia Revival, The Islamic Leviathan, Democracy in Iran, The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jama`at-i Islami of Pakistan, and Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism. He has worked on U.S. foreign policy in the Muslim world, politics and Islamic activism in Pakistan, and on politics in Iran and the Arab world. His work on the role of states in Islamization and evolution of democratic ideas in the Muslim world presented new analysis. He has been engaged in debates in the Muslim world on Islam and democracy and accommodating modernity. His most influential work has been on the importance of sectarian identity in Middle East politics and the growing importance of Shia politics following the Iraq war, which he was one of the first to identify. His book Forces of Fortune focused on the importance of a new middle class to future of the Muslim world, which presaged the role of the middle class in democratic uprisings of 2011. Nasr has also written numerous articles in academic journals and encyclopedias, many of which have been translated into Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Chinese, Hindi and Urdu.

He has written for The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, Newsweek, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and has provided frequent expert commentary to CNN, BBC, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Frontline, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and has been a guest on the Charlie Rose Show and Meet the Press, Larry King Live, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report and Real Time with Bill Maher, GPS with Fareed Zakaria, and ABC News' This Week with Christiane Amanpour. His interviews have appeared in Al-Hayat, Al-Sharq al-Awsat and Al-Jazeera in the Middle East, Der Spiegel and Die Welt in Germany, La Repubblica, La Stampa, and Corriera della Sera in Italy, El Mundo in Spain, and Le Monde in France, as well as in leading media outlets in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Iran, Japan, Turkey, Sweden and Switzerland. He appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on 1 August 2006, the 22 September 2009, and the 25 April 2013.

Personal life

Nasr is married to Darya, a technology executive. They have three children, sons Amir and Hossein, and daughter Donia. They reside in Washington, DC.

Selected Publications

• Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat (Doubleday, 2013)[1]
• Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It will Mean for Our World (Free Press, 2009), also published under the titles The Rise of Islamic Capitalism: Why the New Middle Class is Key to Defeating Extremism [2] and Meccanomics: The March of the New Muslim Middle Class in the U.K.
• The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam will Shape the Future (W.W. Norton & Company, 2006) [3]
• Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty (coauthor, Oxford University Press, 2006) [4]
• The Islamic Leviathan: Islam and the Making of State Power (Oxford University Press, 2001)
• Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism (Oxford University Press, 1996)[6]
• The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jama`at-i Islami of Pakistan (University of California Press, 1994)[7]
• Oxford Dictionary of Islam (editor, Oxford University Press, 2003)[8]
• Expectation of the Millennium: Shi'ism in History (coeditor, State University of New York Press, 1989)[9]
• "When Shiites Rise" from Foreign Affairs
• "The Cost of Containing Iran" (coauthored with Ray Takeyh) from Foreign Affairs
• "Who Wins in Iraq? Iran" from Foreign Policy
• "The Rise of Muslim Democracy" from Journal of Democracy
• "The Conservative Consolidation in Iran" from Survival
• "The Regional Implications of Shi'a Revival in Iraq" from The Washington Quarterly
• "Iran’s Peculiar Election: The Conservative Wave Rolls On" from Journal of Democracy
• "The Democracy Debate in Iran" (coauthor) from Middle East Policy Journal
• "Military Rule, Islamism, and Democracy in Pakistan" from The Middle East Journal
• "Lessons from the Muslim World" from Dædalus

External links

• Nasr's SAIS bio
• Nasr's Bloomberg View bio
• Template:Worldcat id
• Nasr review in NYT
• New York Times Profile

Interviews

• Interview with Jon Stewart and Daily Show on Dispensable Nation http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-april-25-2013/vali-nasr
• Interview with Charlie Rose on Dispensable Nation http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/12922
• Interview with Newshour on Dispensable Nation http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june13/globalstage_05-24.html
• Interview with Newshour on China's turn to the Middle East http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/china-and-middle-east.html
• Interview with NPR's Morning Edition on Dispensable Nation http://www.npr.org/2013/04/16/177322311/is-the-united-states-a-dispensable-nation
• Interview with Time on Pakistan and Dispensable Nation [5]
• Interview with Council on Foreign Relations on crisis in US-Iran relations [6]
• Interview with Newshour on Are US and Iran Veering Towards War [7]
• Interview with Newshour on crisis in US-Pakistan relations [8]
• Interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show on U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan [9]
• Interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC News and Yahoo! Around the World on the threat of the Haqqani network [10]
• Interview with NPR's Morning Edition on Egyptian Military's resistance to democracy in comparative perspective [11]
• Appearance on ABC's This Week with Christiane Amanpour on U.S. Afghanistan and Pakistan policy [12]
• Appearance on ABC's This Week with Christiane Amanpour on the Arab Spring [13]
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Vali Nasr on Charlie Rose
• Vali Nasr at IMDb
• Big Differences Between Iranian and Egyptian Revolutions CFR Interview
• [14] The Rise of A New Middle Class
• MIddle Class Plays Role in Egypt NPR Interview
• Islam and the State Interview for the Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
• Saudi Time Bomb? Interview with Vali Nasr from PBS' Frontline.
• Showdown with Iran Interview with Vali Nasr from PBS' Frontline.
• Nasr on Jon Stewart's daily Show discussing his book Forces of Fortune.
• Webcast of Vali Nasr's interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show
• Webcast of Vali Nasr's interview on the Colbert Report
• Webcast of Vali Nasr at the World Economic Forum 2007
• Video of Vali Nasr interview on The Charlie Rose Show
• Webcast of Vali Nasr interview on PBS's Wide Angle
• Nasr gives some pointers to Americans who wish to better understand the Mideast, in conversation with Big Think.

Columns and Opinions

• Obama's Neglect of the Arab Spring Promises a Fallow Summer Analysis of Obama Administration's handling of the Arab Spring.
• Iran Outmaneuvers U.S. in Syrian Proxy War column on Iran's strategic gain following U.S. inaction in Syria.
• The Dangerous Price of Ignoring Syria opinion on why failure to lead in the Syria crisis puts U.S. regional interests at risk.
• U.S. Should Focus on Asia: All of Asia opinion on shortcomings of Pivot to Asia Strategy
• Why Iran May Be Ready for A Deal opinion by Vali Nasr on prospects for negotiations between U.S. and Iran
• Foreign Policy Magazine Excerpt from Dispensable Nation
• Killing From the Sky Is No Way to Defeat Terrorists column by Vali Nasr on US counterterrorism strategy
• Responding to Iran: It’s a matter of vision opinion by Vali Nasr on how second Obama administration should approach Iran question
• Syria After the Fall opinion by Vali Nasr on regional implications of the conflict in Syria
• No More Bullying Pakistan column by Vali Nasr on deteriorating U.S.-Pakistan relations and role of Hillary Clinton's role in restoring them
• What Pakistan Can Teach US About Egypt column by Vali Nasr on the Relevance of Pakistan and Turkey's Experiences to Developments in Egypt
• Pakistan Spring Emerging From Winter of Discontent column by Vali Nasr on unexpected developments in Pakistan
• Assadism Without Assad in Syria Could Prevent Sectarian Mayhem column by Vali Nasr on sectarian implications of the Syrian crisis
• Hard-line U.S. Policy Tips Iran Toward Belligerence column by Vali Nasr on U.S. Sanctions Encouraging Aggressive Iranian Behavior
• Dangerous mix: Iranian oil and U.S. sanctions column by Vali Nasr on Iran's Reaction to New U.S. Sanctions
• Making Real the Obama Iran Victories That Never Were Real column by Vali Nasr on shortcomings of Obama's Iran Policy
• Why Contain Iran When Its Own Aims Will Do That? column by Vali Nasr on managing Iranian policy after the Arab spring
• If True, Iran Plot a Giant, Dangerous Mistake opinion by Vali Nasr on the Alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's Ambassador
• Partnership, Not Pressure, Will Win Pakistan's Help column by Vali Nasr on the imperative stabilizing US-Pakistan relations
• Beyond Good Politics, Egypt Needs Economic Remodeling column by Vali Nasr on the imperative of economic reform in Egypt after the Arab Spring
• If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly opinion by Vali Nasr in New York Times on implications of the crisis in Syria for sectarianism in the broader Middle East
• Unrest in Syria Tests Turkey’s Role as Regional Power column by Vali Nasr in Bloomberg View on impact of unrest in Syria on Turkey
• Showdown in Tehran Opinion PIece by Vali Nasr in Foreign Policy on power struggle between Iranian leaders in 2011
• Draw Down Troops, Boost Diplomacy in Afghanistan column by Vali Nasr on imperative of diplomatic initiative in solving the Afghan crisis
• Will the Saudis Kill the Arab Spring? column by Vali Nasr in Bloomberg View on challenges facing the Obama Administration's decision in managing the Arab Spring
• Draw Down Troops, Boost Diplomacy in Afghanistan column by Vali Nasr in Bloomberg View on Obama Administration's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan
• America Must Hug Pakistan Ever Closer Opinion PIece by Vali Nasr in Financial Times on managing failing U.S.-Pakistan relations
• In Pakistan, No More Secrets Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr in Washington Post on U.S.-Pakistan relations after death of Osama bin Laden
• How to Squeeze Jihadi Culture Out of Pakistan Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr in The Christian Science Monitor on the challenges facing the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.
• Musharraf Fears Democracy Not Extremism Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr in The Christian Science Monitor on the challenges facing the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.
• Get Iran Inside the Tent Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh in International Herald Tribune on U.S.-Iran relations.
• The Iran Option That Isn't on the Table Opinion piece by Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh in the Washington Post on how the integration of Iran into the Global Economy is more important and effective in democratizing Iran than Containment and support of dissidents (February 8, 2007)
• What We Can Learn From Britain About Iran Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh in the New York Times on U.S.-Iran relation
• Sects and Violence Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr in the New York Times on sectarian violence in Iraq
• Foxes in Iran's Henhouse Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr and Ali Gheissari in the New York Times on political rise of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran
• Iran on Its Heels Opinion Piece by Vali Nasr in The Washington Post on Iran's role in Iraq
• Obama is Right About Talking to Iran in The Wall Street Journal on Implications of Engaging Iran for America's Russia Policy