Dr. Vali Nasr

Biography

Vali R. Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He previously served as the eighth Dean from 2012 to 2019 and was a Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, from 2009 to 2011. Professor Nasr has authored several influential books on Middle Eastern politics, including 'Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy Retreat' and 'The Shia Revival: Conflicts in Islam Shape the Future.' Additionally, he has contributed numerous articles to leading journals and has advised senior American policymakers and world leaders. He served as co-director of the SAIS Rethinking Iran Initiative, focusing on contemporary Iranian affairs. Nasr is an esteemed member of various academic boards and has received notable grants and fellowships including the Carnegie Scholar designation and the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress. He holds degrees from Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, as well as a PhD in Political Science from MIT.

Research Interests