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Vali Nasr

Professor of International Politics, Tufts University

Vali Nasr is an Iranian-American political commentator and scholar of contemporary Islam. Born in Iran, Nasr and his family immigrated to the United States following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Nasr received a BA from Tufts University in 1981 and a masters from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1984. He earned his PhD from MIT in political science in 1991.

Known for his view that wars within Islam will shape the future, Nasr has testified before Congress and has advised the President and Vice-President regarding sectarian violence in Iraq. Nasr is the author The Shia Revival, Democracy in Iran, and The Islamic Leviathan.

He has taught at the University of San Diego and the Naval Postgraduate School, and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard and Professor of International Politics at Tufts. A Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Nasr has been published in Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, Time, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among others. He is an editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Islam and has appeared on CNN, the BBC, National Public Radio, and not least of all The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.

Vali Nasr: What inspires you?

“I strive to make the Middle East much more understandable to a broader American public.”

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Vali Nasr: What can Americans do to better understand the Middle East?

“I think actually Americans can understand Middle Easterners much more than they think.”

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Vali Nasr: Should the U.S. talk to Iran?

“I think there is no harm in talks.”

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Vali Nasr: Should the U.S. be involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Historically, the U.S. has been involved for a very long time.

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Vali Nasr: What forces have shaped Israel?

The Holocaust, Nasr says.

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Vali Nasr: Is the U.S. headed for war with Iran?

Nasr says that many countries, in addition to the US, agree that a nuclear Iran is not an acceptable option.

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Vali Nasr: Is there really a clash of civilizations?

“I think the most significant issue is whether the U.S. will continue to look at military options as the primary vehicle for protecting and promoting its interest in the Middle […]

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How should the U.S. have dealt with Pakistan post 9/11?

Vali Nasr: “The Pakistan military has helped with the fight against terrorism, but not wholeheartedly.”

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Vali Nasr: Is Democracy the answer for the Middle East?

“In the long run democracy has to be the answer.”

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Vali Nasr: What roles does fundamental Islam play in the Middle Eastern politics?

Nasr says it is multi-tiered, and varies from country to country.

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Vali Nasr: Is there a place for religion in politics?

“There is a big difference about American secularism or European secularism.”

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Vali Nasr: Growing Up in Iran

Nasr as born and raised in Iran, and lived and studied in England and America.

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Vali Nasr: How do you break out of the ivory tower?

When traveling for academic rearch, Nasr’s advice is, to have a broader perspective of where..your little country or your little area fits in much broader trends in the world.”

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Vali Nasr: How can America restore its standing in the world?

“We face two problems actually in the Muslim world. One is anger at our policies. The other is now lack of respect for our abilities.”

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Vali Nasr: What is the nature of the Iranian threat?

Iran has emerged, Nasr says, as a great power in the region.

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