home > the cfr think tank > experts > mohamad bazzi
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.212.998.3613
E-mail: mbazzi@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 700K)
One-page bio (PDF, 59K)
Journalism professor at New York University. Former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday. Currently working on a project about Hezbollah and the Shiite community in Lebanon.
Expertise:Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Islamic militancy, Shiite politics.
Experience:Assistant Professor, New York University (2007-present); Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (2007-2008); Middle East bureau chief, Newsday (2003-2007); United Nations bureau chief, Newsday (2002); staff writer, Newsday (1998-2001).
Selected Publications:“Lebanon’s Bloody Summer,” The Nation (July 10, 2007); “How Bush’s War Bolstered Syria,” Salon.com (May 31, 2007); “The CIA’s Italian Job,” The Nation (April 9, 2007);"Blowback in Lebanon,” The Nation (January 31, 2007); “People’s Revolt in Lebanon,” The Nation (January 8, 2007).
Interviews and Blogs:
Current Research Projects
November 12, 2009
Interview
CFR's Mohamad Bazzi says while a new unity government in Lebanon after months of political uncertainty is welcomed by Washington, inclusion of Hezbollah poses potential challenges.
See more in Lebanon, Diplomacy, Society and Culture
November 8, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Times
Deep seated sectarian differences are the root of political instability in Lebanon, writes Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Lebanon, Minorities, Diversity and Foreign Policy, International Peace and Security
November 5, 2009
Op-Ed
The National
"What is wrong with Lebanon and why is it so hard for elected politicians to form a government?" asks Mohamad Bazzi, citing an obsolete political system as a reason for government instability.
See more in Lebanon, Minorities, Diversity and Foreign Policy, International Peace and Security
October 22, 2009
Op-Ed
The National
Mohamad Bazzi analyses the methods and motivations of Syria’s attempts to rejoin the Arab political order after years of isolation.
See more in Middle East, Syria
October 14, 2009
Interview
CFR's Mohamad Bazzi says Syria continues to "meddle" in the business of many states in the Mideast but could be a useful partner for the United States in the region.
September 22, 2009
Op-Ed
GlobalPost
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations will actually be aimed towards improving his reputation in the Muslim community as a "Third World hero," writes Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Iran, International Organizations, Religion
September 10, 2009
Interview
As part of the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th Anniversary initiative current and former fellows discuss the stories that have had the most impact and present ideas for sustaining serious international journalism. Former fellow Mohamad Bazzi looks back to his early coverage of the Iraq war and what it taught him about the importance of having many different news outlets covering the same story. For more on the initiative, visit cfr.org/murrow.
See more in Information & Communication, Media and Foreign Policy
September 9, 2009
Audio
Listen to former Edward R. Murrow press fellows analyze the difficulties associated with reporting from war zones based on their experiences.
This session was part of the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th Anniversary Event, which was made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation and Time Warner, Inc.
See more in Media and Foreign Policy
September 9, 2009
Video
Watch former Edward R. Murrow press fellows analyze the difficulties associated with reporting from war zones based on their experiences.
This session was part of the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th Anniversary Event, which was made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation and Time Warner, Inc.
See more in Wars and Warfare, Media and Foreign Policy
September 9, 2009, New York
Transcript
Council on Foreign Relations fellows discuss the role of the foreign correspondent in covering war zones at the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th Anniversary Event.
See more in Information & Communication, Media and Foreign Policy
August 23, 2009
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Mohamad Bazzi argues, "Internal problems won't stop Tehran from stirring up trouble abroad."
See more in Middle East, Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 18, 2009
Article
New York Times
Mohamad Bazzi reviews The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday, by Neil MacFarquhar.
June 8, 2009
Interview
Following the Lebanon's parliamentary elections, CFR's Mohamad Bazzi says a crucial question for the new government is whether it can operate without allowing Hezbollah and its allies to retain their veto power in the cabinet.
See more in Lebanon, Elections
June 2, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR experts Mohamad Bazzi and Steven Cook discuss the June 7, 2009 parliamentary elections and the future of Lebanon.
See more in Lebanon
June 2, 2009, Washington D.C.
Transcript
In this teleconference with Steven A. Cook, Mohamad Bazzi provides an overview of the upcoming elections in Lebanon, and puts forward several post-election scenarios.
See more in Lebanon, Elections
June 18, 2008
Op-Ed
The National
Syria’s improving relations with its Arab neighbors, its consent to indirect talks with Israel and its influence in the region have created ripe circumstances for the U.S. to revive a dialogue with Damascus, says Mohamad Bazzi
June 4, 2008
Op-Ed
Chicago Tribune
Whether Americans like it or not, Hamas represents a significant part of the Palestinian population. So why shouldn’t the United States engage them, asks Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Middle East, Diplomacy
May 20, 2008
Op-Ed
The Nation
Mohamad Bazzi criticizes the Bush Administration’s “flawed understanding of basic forces in the Middle East,” by pointing out his inaccurate grouping of Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah in his speech to the Israeli Knesset. This is not the first time the President has made this mistake, says Bazzi. In his January 2007 State of the Union, he lumped Sunni and Shiite extremists as the same “totalitarian threat” with the “same wicked purposes.”
See more in Middle East, Conflict Assessment
May 20, 2008
Op-Ed
Christian Science Monitor
Mohamad Bazzi argues that while some of the blame for the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon can be placed on their “external masters” like the U.S. and Iran, most of the blame rests with the Lebanese themselves and their antiquated power-sharing pact.
See more in Lebanon
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
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jhill@cfr.org
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