Featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal; quoted by Senator John Kerry on the floor of the U.S. Senate; and described as a national resource by Richard Haass, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Vali Nasr is one of Americas leading experts on globalization, foreign relations, the Middle East and the Islamic world. Internationally renowned, he has influenced critical public debates and policy decisions on both sides of the Atlantic, and advised presidents, kings, prime ministers, and business leaders.

Nasr served as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2009 to 2011. He is currently Professor of International Politics at the world-renowned Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, Senior Advisor at Kissinger Associates, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, and a columnist for Bloomberg View. He has previously served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Senior Fellow at the Belfar Center of the Kennedy school of Government at Harvard University.

Nasr is the author of The Rise of Islamic Capitalism: Why the New Muslim Middle Class is Key to Defeating Extremism; The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future; and co-author of Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty; as well as numerous articles in academic journals and encyclopedias. His works have been translated into Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Chinese, Hindi, and Urdu. He is the recipient of numerous awards, and was a Carnegie Scholar for 2006.

Nasr has written for the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, Newsweek, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and has provided frequent expert commentary to CNN, BBC, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Frontline, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and has been a guest on the Charlie Rose Show, GPS with Fareed Zakaria, Meet the Press, Larry King Live, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and Real Time with Bill Maher. His interviews have appeared in leading media outlets in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

At the podium, Nasr masterfully articulates the complex economic, social, religious and cultural issues affecting change and growth in the Middle East. One of the few Washington insiders with first-hand knowledge of the economic obstacles facing the Middle East, Nasr discusses how one of the fastest growing populations in the world is impacting global economics, from Dubai to domestic business.

Nasr also speaks on globalization, emerging markets and the rise of China and Latin America in the global economy. A renowned advisor to policy-makers and business leaders alike, Nasr outlines where China is heading and what unforeseen obstacles may influence its path. As a pivotal player on the front lines of U.S. international relations, Nasrs up-to-the minute insights explore the fascinating intersection of politics, economics and diplomacy.

Born in Tehran, Nasr now resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife and three children.