Reza H. Akbari is a Program Manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting* and a PhD candidate at American University where he studies the history of modern Middle East, modern Iran, and critical theory. Reza conducts research on state-society relations, social movements, political parties, Iranian domestic politics, political transition, and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. He has previously served as a Research Associate for the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute and a Research Assistant at the Woodrow Center.
Reza’s commentary has appeared on The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, CBS MoneyWatch, and L'Orient-Le Jour. Reza has written for a number of publications such as Foreign Policy, the Guardian, PBS – Tehran Bureau, Jadaliyya, Gulf News, Al Monitor, and LobeLog.
Reza holds an M.A. in Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from the State University of New York at Fredonia. His master’s thesis (PDF) explores the potential for political reconciliation in Bahrain.
* This is a personal weblog. The writings and opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer or any other affiliated organizations.