Vali Nasr

Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011.

One of the leading experts on globalization, foreign relations, the Middle East and the Islamic world, Nasr has advised senior American policymakers, world leaders, and businesses, including the President, Secretary of State, senior members of the Congress, and presidential campaigns. Internationally renowned, he has influenced critical public debates and policy decisions on both sides of the Atlantic.

Nasr is the author of several books, including "The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat," "The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future" and "Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty" as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals. His works have been translated into Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Chinese, Hindi, and Urdu.

Nasr has written for publications such as the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post; provided expert commentary to media outlets such as CNN, BBC and National Public Radio; and has been a guest on programs such as "Meet the Press," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report."

He is a member of the International Board of Advisors of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, the International Board of Advisors at the American University of Beirut, and the Board of Advisors of Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He has been the recipient of grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council, and was named a 2006 Carnegie Scholar.

Nasr received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and his master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law, both in international relations, and his Ph.D. from MIT in political science.