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Expert Bio
Ray Takeyh is Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His area of specialization are Iran, U.S. foreign policy, and modern Middle East.
Takeyh is, most recently, the author of The Last Shah: America, Iran and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty. He is the coauthor of The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East and Revolution & Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran. He is author of three previous books, Guardians of the Revolution: Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs, Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic, and The Origins of the Eisenhower Doctrine: The US, Britain and Nasser’s Egypt, 1952-1957. He has written more than three hundred articles and opinion pieces in many news outlets including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Foreign Affairs. Takeyh has testified more than twenty times in various Congressional committees.
Prior to joining CFR he has served as a senior advisor on Iran at the State Department, fellow at the Yale University, Washington Institute of Near East Policy and Middle East Center at University of California, Berkeley. Takeyh has a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University.
Affiliations:
- Editorial board, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy
- Editorial board, Orbis: Journal of World Affairs
Featured
Current Projects
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News of Iran’s upcoming release of U.S. nationals and the unfreezing of Iranian assets has stirred speculation of a new nuclear deal. But there are many obstacles to such a breakthrough.
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Many in Iran’s women-led protests are calling for the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and an end to the Islamic Republic. Here’s what to know about Iran’s top political and religious authority.
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The Islamic Republic of Iran may be on an accelerated schedule for revolutionary decay, at least if compared to the USSR.
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The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked large-scale protests in Iran. But President Raisi’s speech at the UN General Assembly signals that the regime is not likely to soften its stance toward the Iranian people nor toward the West.
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Iran is facing international pressure over its nuclear program and assassinations of top officials. Meanwhile, its move to lift subsidies could stir public revolt.
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