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
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
May 12, 2008
Op-Ed
Newsweek
“If President George W. Bush truly wants to leave a legacy of peacemaking in the Middle East, he's looking in the wrong place,” writes Mohamad Bazzi. Instead, he claims, the U.S. should focus its efforts on restoring Israeli-Syrian negotiations.
See more in Middle East, Diplomacy
May 10, 2008
Op-Ed
The National
Lebanon’s political future is uncertain, the country is on the verge of civil conflict, and Hizbollah is playing an increasingly larger role, says Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Lebanon, Conflict Assessment
May 9, 2008
Podcast
CFR’s Mohamad Bazzi describes the scene in Beirut, where fierce fighting has broken out between Hezbollah fighters and supporters of Lebanon’s government.
See more in Lebanon, Conflict Assessment
May 7, 2008
Op-Ed
The National
Mohamad Bazzi explains why Washington and the Maliki government should should change the draft election law and keep relations with Muqtada al-Sadr.
See more in Iraq, Wars and Warfare, Society and Culture
Updated: May 2, 2008
Online Debate
Two Mideast experts weigh the merits of isolating or engaging the terrorist group.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, International Peace and Security
April 25, 2008
Op-Ed
The National Newspaper
Hamas had a historic opportunity this week. By sending Carter home essentially empty-handed, Hamas allowed Israel and the Bush Administration to declare his mission a failure—and squandered a crucial opening, says Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Iran, Israel, Syria, Terrorist Organizations
April 24, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Times
Mohamad Bazzi argues that “the Iraqi government is about to make a major mistake: excluding Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr from the political process.”
See more in Iraq, Wars and Warfare, Nation Building
April 20, 2008
Op-Ed
Star-Ledger
Mohamad Bazzi looks at the complexities surrounding Hamas, noting that “the longer Hamas remains isolated, the more it will depend on funding and support from Iran and Syria.”
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, Terrorism
April 7, 2008
Op-Ed
Christian Science Monitor
Sistani’s clout is diminishing, and Sadr is eyeing his spot, argues Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in United States, Iraq
February 14, 2008
Interview
Mohamad Bazzi, former Middle East correspondent for Newsday, says evidence suggests Israel’s intelligence agents as the most likely source of the bomb that killed Hezbollah terrorist chief Imad Mugniyah, but other scenarios also are feasible.
See more in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Terrorist Leaders
February 14, 2008
Article
Newsday
Imad Mughniyeh's killing “was the first major attack against a Hezbollah leader since Israel assassinated the group’s secretary-general in 1992,” reports Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Israel, Lebanon, Terrorist Leaders
February 12, 2008
Transcript
Mohamad Bazzi details the current conditions on the ground in Lebanon.
See more in Lebanon, Civil Reconstruction
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
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.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
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