Ilan Berman
Encyclopedia
Ilan I. Berman is Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council
, a non-profit U.S. foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. He focuses on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation. Lou Dobbs
of CNN described him as "one of the [U.S.]'s leading experts on the Middle East and Iran."
, an MA in International Politics from American University
, and a JD from Washington College of Law
.
, and a member of the Associated Faculty at Missouri State University
's Department of Defense and Strategic Studies. He also serves as a member of the Committee on the Present Danger
, writes a monthly column for Forbes.com, and is an Editor of The Journal of International Security Affairs. He has also advised the United States Department of Defense
, agencies of the U.S. government including the CIA, and offices of congressmen on matters of foreign policy
and national security
.
of al-Qaeda terrorists in Yemen,
He wrote in his 2005 book Tehran Rising: Iran's Challenge to the United States and has said in speeches that in displacing Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq which had been an enemy of Iran, and the Taliban in Afghanistan which had been a rival, the United States had unintentionally taken away two significant checks on the power of Iran in the Middle East.
In August 2006 he noted that to that point in time, the U.S. had had a lot of difficulty in convincing especially Russia and China, to support sanctions on Iran for its moving forward with its uranium enrichment program, and that "both Moscow and Beijing are major strategic partners of the Islamic republic and have a vested interest in protecting their investments in the Iranian regime." In July 2008 he observed: ""The Iranians are playing a colossal game of chicken with us," and asked: "Does the international community have the will to take the short-term pain and disarm these guys, or accept the long-term pain of a region completely dominated by this regime? I think the world community has essentially come to grips with the fact that Iran is going to go nuclear."
In October 2009, Berman noted: "The Iranian strategy has been pretty consistent all along; to keep the West talking while they work on their nuclear program." In March 2010, commenting on Iran's warning to Europe not to sanction it, he observed:"The Iranians have a pattern of warning anyone threatening to get tough with them, basically saying, ‘Don’t do this, because there will be consequences. What’s notable here is that they are singling out Europe. It’s a sure sign Europe is being more activist [about curtailing economic ties to Iran] than it normally is."
American Foreign Policy Council
The American Foreign Policy Council is a conservative non-profit U.S. foreign policy think tank operating in Washington, D.C., since 1982...
, a non-profit U.S. foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. He focuses on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation. Lou Dobbs
Lou Dobbs
Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
of CNN described him as "one of the [U.S.]'s leading experts on the Middle East and Iran."
Education
Berman has a BA in Politics from Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, an MA in International Politics from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, and a JD from Washington College of Law
Washington College of Law
American University Washington College of Law is the law school of American University. It is located on Massachusetts Avenue in the Spring Valley neighborhood of northwest Washington. WCL is ranked 50th among law schools by US News and World Report...
.
Career
Berman is Adjunct Professor for International Law and Global Security at the National Defense UniversityNational Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
, and a member of the Associated Faculty at Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
's Department of Defense and Strategic Studies. He also serves as a member of the Committee on the Present Danger
Committee on the Present Danger
The Committee on the Present Danger is an American foreign policy interest group. Its current stated single goal is "to stiffen American resolve to confront the challenge presented by terrorism and the ideologies that drive it" through "education and advocacy"...
, writes a monthly column for Forbes.com, and is an Editor of The Journal of International Security Affairs. He has also advised the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, agencies of the U.S. government including the CIA, and offices of congressmen on matters of foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
and national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
.
Views
In November 2002, Al Ahram Weekly quoted him as remarking with regard to the U.S.'s targeted killingTargeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
of al-Qaeda terrorists in Yemen,
It is too early to tell whether this event alone will precipitate a shift toward explicit support of such tactics as employed by Israel on Washington's part. What does seem clear, however, is that the United States and Israel are gravitating toward increasingly similar perceptions, and possibly strategies, in the war on terrorism.
He wrote in his 2005 book Tehran Rising: Iran's Challenge to the United States and has said in speeches that in displacing Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq which had been an enemy of Iran, and the Taliban in Afghanistan which had been a rival, the United States had unintentionally taken away two significant checks on the power of Iran in the Middle East.
In August 2006 he noted that to that point in time, the U.S. had had a lot of difficulty in convincing especially Russia and China, to support sanctions on Iran for its moving forward with its uranium enrichment program, and that "both Moscow and Beijing are major strategic partners of the Islamic republic and have a vested interest in protecting their investments in the Iranian regime." In July 2008 he observed: ""The Iranians are playing a colossal game of chicken with us," and asked: "Does the international community have the will to take the short-term pain and disarm these guys, or accept the long-term pain of a region completely dominated by this regime? I think the world community has essentially come to grips with the fact that Iran is going to go nuclear."
In October 2009, Berman noted: "The Iranian strategy has been pretty consistent all along; to keep the West talking while they work on their nuclear program." In March 2010, commenting on Iran's warning to Europe not to sanction it, he observed:"The Iranians have a pattern of warning anyone threatening to get tough with them, basically saying, ‘Don’t do this, because there will be consequences. What’s notable here is that they are singling out Europe. It’s a sure sign Europe is being more activist [about curtailing economic ties to Iran] than it normally is."
Books
- Winning the Long War: Retaking the Offensive Against Radical Islam, (Rowman & LittlefieldRowman & LittlefieldRowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books and journals for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns a book distributor, National Book Network...
, 2009) - Tehran Rising: Iran's Challenge to the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
- Dismantling Tyranny: Transitioning Beyond Totalitarian Regimes, co-editor, with J. Michael Waller (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
- Taking on Tehran: Strategies for Confronting the Islamic Republic, editor (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007)
Select articles
- "To Stop Iran, Lean On China", The New York Times, Op-Ed, November 8, 2011
- "The Islamist Flirtation; Mohamed ElBaradei's growing ties to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood call into question his commitment to liberal reform", Foreign Policy, April 2, 2010
- "Our Missile-Defense Race Against Iran; The Bush-era plan was the best of the realistic alternatives", The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, September 21, 2009 - "How to Engage Iran (If You Must); Tehran has mastered the dark arts of deception and delay. Here’s how Obama can cut through the diplomatic fog and get results", Foreign Policy, September 8, 2009
- "Review of Iran and the Bomb", Middle East QuarterlyMiddle East QuarterlyMiddle East Quarterly is a peer reviewed quarterly journal, a publication of the American conservative think tank Middle East Forum founded by Daniel Pipes in 1994. It is devoted to subjects relating to the Middle East and Islam and analyzes the region "explicitly from the viewpoint of American...
, 2009 - "Chill wind blows over claims to Arctic lands", Jane's Defence WeeklyJane's Defence WeeklyJane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
, 2008 - "Toward an Economic Strategy against Iran", Comparative Strategy, 2008
- "The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Latest Developments and Next Steps", AFP Council, 2007
- "The Logic Behind Sino-Iranian Cooperation", The China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, 2006
- "The Bear Is Back. Russia's Middle Eastern adventures", National Review Online, February 18, 2005
- "The new battleground: Central Asia and the Caucasus", The Washington Quarterly, 2004
- "Israel, India, and Turkey: Triple Entente?", Middle East Quarterly, 2002
Statement before Congress
- "The Economics of Confronting Iran", Statement Before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, July 25, 2006