Vali Nasr

Vali Nasr is a distinguished scholar in Middle East studies and international affairs, transitioning from academic leadership to advising global policymakers and contributing extensively to public discourse. After directly advising U.S. policymakers as Senior Advisor to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, from 2009 to 2011, Vali Nasr went on to serve as the eighth Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) from 2012 to 2019.

He earned a B.A. in International Relations summa cum laude from Tufts University, an M.A. in International Economics and Middle East Studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1984, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT in 1991.

Earlier in his academic career, he taught at institutions including The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the University of San Diego, and the Naval Postgraduate School, also holding senior fellowships at research centers like Harvard University’s Belfer Center and Stanford University. Nasr authored numerous influential books, beginning with ‘Vanguard of Islamic Revolution: Jama’at-i Islami of Pakistan’ (1994), ‘Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism’ (1996), and ‘Islamic Leviathan, Islam and the Making of State Power’ (2001). His pivotal work, ‘The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future’ (2006), earned him a Carnegie Scholar award the same year and cemented his reputation as a leading voice on regional dynamics. He also co-authored ‘Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty’ (2006) and published ‘Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Middle Class and How it Will Change Our World’ (2009).

Kluge Center at the Library of Congress.