Join an exclusive group of policy leaders, subject matter experts, investigative journalists, and activists to hear about Iran's network of proxies throughout the Middle East. From Lebanon to the Red Sea, Tehran’s proxy Islamist militias are today engaged in a controlled campaign of aggression against western targets. The Iranian nuclear program, meanwhile, is continuing apace. Yet at home, the Iranian regime is clearly deeply unpopular, and its management of the Iranian economy and society show a long record of incompetence. |
Alireza Nader is a widely recognized expert on Iran and U.S. policy in the Middle East. As a former senior researcher at the RAND Corporation and a senior fellow at FDD, he authored numerous reports and studies on Iran, the Middle East, and U.S. strategy. Alireza has advised the U.S. government on Iran throughout his career and is regularly asked to share his analysis with senior policy makers. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and is often interviewed by the media. He has lectured at the George Washington University and has conducted research and analytical courses for U.S. Special Forces and Department of Defense analysts. He obtained his BA in political science from UC Santa Barbara and his MA in International Relations from George Washington University.
Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics.The longtime managing editor of Lebanon's NOW news website, Ghaddar shed light on a broad range of cutting-edge issues, from the evolution of Hezbollah inside Lebanon's fractured political system to Iran's growing influence throughout the Middle East. In addition, she has contributed to a number of U.S.-based magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times and Foreign Policy. Prior to joining NOW in 2007, Ghaddar wrote for the Lebanese newspapers As-Safir, An-Nahar, and Al-Hayat, and also worked as a researcher for the United Nations Development Program regional office. A native of Al-Ghazieh, Lebanon, Ghaddar holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and a master's degree in Middle East studies, both from the American University of Beirut.
Saeid Golkar is a UC Foundation associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Concurrently, he is a senior advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and a Senior Fellow on Middle East Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Golkar received his PhD in political science from Tehran University in 2008 before moving to the U.S. in 2010. Since then, he has held a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University and researched and taught at Northwestern University. he also served as a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His research focuses on the politics of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Golkar is an authority on the Basij militia and the IRGC, and his first book, Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Post-revolutionary Iran (Columbia University Press, 2015), was awarded the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Silver Medal Prize. He has also published several peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals such as Middle East Journal, Armed Forces & Society; Politics, Religion & Ideology; Middle East Policy, Journal of Contemporary Islam, and Middle East Quarterly. In addition, he has frequently written for, been interviewed by, and quoted in major media outlets, such as Times, Telegraph, Reuters, Foreign Policy, Newsline, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, and various television networks.
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Special thanks to our host committee
Pat and Richard Irving, Committee Chairs Talia and Ron Carner Mr. Michael P. Levy, Chair of NextGen Outreach Judith Friedman Rosen and Stuart Rosen Dr. and Mrs. George Violin |
