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Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.202.509.8432
E-mail: rtakeyh@cfr.org
Location:
Washington, DC
Media downloads:
One-page bio (PDF, 53K)
Video clip (MP4, 1.4 MB)
Video clip (WMV, 817K)
Author of The Guardians of the Revolution: Iran's Approach to the World (Oxford University Press, May 2009). Served as senior adviser to the special adviser for the Gulf and Southwest Asia at the U.S. Department of State.
Expertise:Iran; Persian Gulf and U.S. foreign policy.
Experience:Senior adviser to special adviser for Gulf and Southwest Asia, Department of State; Contributing Editor, National Interest; Professor of National Security Studies, National War College; Professor and Director of Studies, Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Fellow in International Security Studies, Yale University; Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Languages:Persian (fluent); Arabic (working knowledge).
Honors:John M. Olin Fellowship; Sir Raymond Carr Award; Arnold Bryce and Read Award in Modern History, Oxford University.
Selected Publications:Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic (Henry Holt, 2006); The Receding Shadow of the Prophet: The Rise and Fall of Radical Political Islam (Praeger Publishers, 2004); The Origins of the Eisenhower Doctrine: The United States, Britain and Nasser’s Egypt, 1953-1957 (St. Martin's Press, 2000); articles published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, National Interest, Survival, Washington Quarterly, Orbis, World Policy Journal, Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune.
Current Research Projects
March/April 2010
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
Despite international pressure, Iran appears to be continuing its march toward getting a nuclear bomb.
See more in United States, Iran
February 21, 2010
Op-Ed
Washington Post
James M. Lindsay and Ray Takeyh state that in efforts to contain a nuclear Iran, "military options should not be taken off the table."
See more in Iran, Proliferation
February 11, 2010
Interview
CFR Iran expert Ray Takeyh argues that a stronger U.S. stand in favor of political reform in Iran can work in tandem with efforts to limit Iran's nuclear program.
See more in Iran, Proliferation, Political Movements
December 31, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Ray Takeyh writes: "As the United States and its allies wrestle with the issue of Iran's nuclear program, they would be wise to recognize the changes to the context in which their policy was framed."
See more in Middle East, Iran, Proliferation, U.S. Strategy and Politics
December 21, 2009
Interview
CFR's Ray Takeyh examines the unsettled nature of Iranian politics, pointing to a fractured opposition and a regime divided on how to proceed on talks over its nuclear program.
See more in Iran, Democracy and Human Rights
December 17, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh examines the reasons behind the actions of the major political players in Iran and their view towards a potential nuclear deal with the United States.
See more in Iran, Proliferation, Culture and Foreign Policy
November 12, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh argues that many critics of the Afghanistan war are wrong to compare it to Vietnam and that such comparisons are "absolutely toxic," in the way that they are limiting progress in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment, Foreign Policy History
November 11, 2009
Interview
CFR's Iran expert Ray Takeyh says Washington's Iran policy needs to frame the nuclear development question within the context of a broader range of diplomatic issues, and that Iran's domestic turmoil hinders negotiations on its nuclear program.
See more in Iran, Diplomacy, Proliferation, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 5, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Ray Takeyh writes that the Iranian administration is diverting attention to its nuclear program as a way to avoid scrutiny of its attempts to squash democratic dissent within Iran.
See more in Iran, Democracy and Human Rights, Proliferation
October 7, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh writes that although the Obama administration's diplomacy has not always yielded the desired results, it is crucial to building international support for American policies.
See more in International Peace and Security, Diplomacy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 27, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Ray Takeyh writes "for the Obama administration, which has made engaging with adversarial states a principle of its foreign policy, one of the biggest challenges will not be a belligerent Iran, but a disingenuous one."
See more in Iran, Proliferation
September 22, 2009
Audio
Listen to Ray Takeyh, CFR's senior fellow for middle eastern studies, and James Lindsay, CFR's director of studies, discuss nuclear proliferation and Iran's nuclear program in advance of high-level talks at the United Nations.
See more in Iran, UN, Proliferation
September 22, 2009
Transcript
Ray Takeyh and James M. Lindsay discuss Iran and nonproliferation.
See more in Iran, Proliferation
September 8, 2009
Interview
Amid Tehran's fresh assertions of its right to pursue uranium enrichment, CFR's Ray Takeyh says the widening split in Iran's political system casts greater doubt on prospects for nuclear talks with the West.
See more in Iran, Weapons of Mass Destruction, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 2009
Book
For over a quarter-century, Iran has been one of America's chief nemeses. But as Ray Takeyh shows in this accessible and authoritative history of Iran's relations with the world since the revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
December 29, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Ray Takeyh looks at what Iran would hope to achieve through talks with the United States.
See more in Middle East, Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 6, 2008
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh and Nikolas Gvosdev argue that "Russia’s assault on Georgia may produce no measurable change of its Iran policy."
See more in Russian Fed., Iran
September 5, 2008
Transcript
Symposium on Iran focusing on policy options and recommendations for the next administration.
See more in Iran, Economics, Society and Culture
September 5, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts discuss current U.S. policy toward Iran and options for the next administration.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
September 5, 2008
Video
Watch experts discuss current U.S. policy toward Iran and options for the next administration.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
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Complete list of Council Special Reports
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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
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org