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 Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Reza has written for a number of publications such as Foreign Policy, the Guardian, CNN’s Global Public Square, 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.