Vali Reza Nasr ( fa, ولی‌ رضا نصر, born 20 December 1960) is an

Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

academic and author, specializing in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and the

Islamic world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

. He is Majid Khaddouri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. He served as the eighth dean of the school from 2012 to 2019. Nasr is also a Non-Resident Fellow in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic pro ...

and is described by ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' as "a leading world authority on

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

Biography

Son of the Iranian academic, philosopher, and scholar of religion

Seyyed Hossein Nasr Seyyed Hossein Nasr (; fa, سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University. Born in Tehran, Nasr completed his education in Iran and the Unite ...

, Vali Nasr was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Imperial State of Iran Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, T ...

in 1960, went to school in England at age 16, and immigrated to the United States after the

1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

. He received his B.A. degree from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''. He earned his M.A. degree in

international economics International economics is concerned with the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. It seeks to explain the patterns and ...

and Middle East studies from

the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...

in 1984, then went on to earn his Ph.D. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from the

MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. The school has over 20 departments, department-level programs, and f ...

in 1991.

Career

He taught at

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Sch ...

, and the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD c ...

, and was a senior fellow at the

Belfer Center The Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, also known as the Belfer Center, is a research center located within the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, in the United States. From 2017 until his death in Oc ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

, as well as

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

and

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...

prior to being appointed dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in March 2012. Nasr was a member of the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and served as senior advisor to the U.S. special representative for

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

, Ambassador

Richard Holbrooke Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (April 24, 1941 – December 13, 2010) was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 ...

, between 2009 and 2011. He is a Life Member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...

Publications

Nasr is a

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

by training and has focused on

comparative politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...

and

of the Middle East. He is the author of several monographs on the study of Middle Eastern politics and societies, including ''The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jama`at-i Islami of Pakistan'' (1994), ''Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism'' (1997), ''The Islamic Leviathan'' (2001), ''Democracy in Iran'' (written with Ali Gheissari, 2006), ''The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future'' (2006), ''Meccanomics: The March of the New Muslim Middle Class'' (2010), ''Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It will Mean for Our World'' (2010), and ''The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat'' (2013). Nasr's writing has addressed politics and Islamic activism in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and throughout the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. He has highlighted the role of states in the process of

Islamization Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occurr ...

throughout the history of the Middle East and the importance of sectarian identity in Middle-Eastern politics, including the growing importance of Shīʿa Islam and its relation to the politics of Iran and other Middle-Eastern countries following the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

(1978–1979) and the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

(2003–2011). His book ''Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It will Mean for Our World'' (2010) focused on the importance of a new

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

for the future of the Muslim world. He appeared on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...

'' with Jon Stewart on 1 August 2006, 22 September 2009, and 25 April 2013. Due to the accuracy of his political predictions Nasr has been hailed as a "shrewd forecaster."

Personal life

Nasr is the son of

, a prominent Iranian academic, philosopher, and scholar of religion. He is married to a technology executive. They have three sons and one daughter.

Publications

* ''Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat'' ( Doubleday, 2013) * ''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'' 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) * ''Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty'' (coauthor,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 2006) * ''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) * ''The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jama`at-i Islami of Pakistan'' (

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facul ...

, 1994) * ''Oxford Dictionary of Islam'' (editor, Oxford University Press, 2003) * '' Expectation of the Millennium: Shi'ism in History'' (coeditor,

State University of New York Press The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

, 1989) * ''The Arab Moment Has Passed'' from ''

Foreign Policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

'' * ''The Impact of the Pandemic on Geopolitical in the MENA Region'' from in ''Navigating the Pandemic: The Challenge of Stability and Prosperity in the Mediterranean'' '' MED'' * ''A Nuclear Deal Won’t Secure the Middle East, But Regional Cooperation Could, and Washington Should Support It'' from ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...

'' * ''Iran Among the Ruins: Tehran’s Advantage in a Turbulent Middle East'' from ''

'' * ''Business, Not As Usual'' from '' Finance and Development'' * ''When Shiites Rise" from ''

'' * "The Cost of Containing Iran" (coauthored with

Ray Takeyh Ray Takeyh is an Iranian-American Middle East scholar, former United States Department of State official, and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Early life Ray Takeyh was born to an Assyrian family in Tehran, Iran in 1966. Hi ...

) 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 Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

'' * "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 ''Journal of Democracy'' is a quarterly academic journal established in 1990 and an official publication of the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies. It covers the study of democracy, democratic regim ...

'' * "The Democracy Debate in Iran" (coauthor) from '' Middle East Policy Journal'' * "Military Rule, Islamism, and Democracy in Pakistan" from ''

The Middle East Journal ''The Middle East Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Middle East Institute (Washington, D.C.). It was established in 1947 and covers research on the modern Middle East, including political, economic, and soc ...

'' * "Lessons from the Muslim World" from '' Dædalus''

References

External links

* *
Nasr's SAIS bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasr, Vali 1960 births 20th-century American educators 20th-century Iranian educators 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam 21st-century American educators 21st-century Iranian educators 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam Academics of Iranian descent American Islamic studies scholars American politicians of Iranian descent American political scientists American Shia Muslims Harvard Fellows Harvard Kennedy School staff Historians of Afghanistan Historians of Iran Historians of Pakistan Historians of the Middle East Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian expatriate academics Iranian political scientists Johns Hopkins University faculty Living people MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences alumni Muslim historians of Islam Naval Postgraduate School faculty People from Tehran Shia scholars of Islam The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni The Fletcher School at Tufts University faculty Tufts University alumni

Biography

Career

Publications

Personal life

See also

Publications

References

External links