. His policy work focuses on Iran and Syria, sanctions, and on the use of technology to encourage democratic change.
Mark is head of FDD's Iran Energy Project, which provides research and analysis on Iran energy sanctions and tracks the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran's energy sector. He directs FDD's Iran Human Rights Project which provides research on Iranian human rights abuses and on sanctions designed to hold accountable Iranian officials and international companies supporting these abuses. Mark co-leads FDD's work on Syria sanctions against the regime of Bashar al-Assad and is a founding member of the FDD Syria Working Group.
As a former technology executive and venture capitalist, Mark also researches the role of technology in supporting anti-regime democracy movements in the Middle East.
Mark appears frequently on Iran, Syria and technology issues in major media. He is a regular contributor to Forbes and The Huffington Post (Canada). His writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, Politico, Slate, The Hill, The Weekly Standard, National Review, The National Post, and The Financial Times (Germany). He is the co-author of Iran's Energy Partners: Companies Requiring Investigation Under U.S. Sanctions Law (FDD Press, August 2010) and Iran's Chinese Energy Partners: Companies Eligible for Investigation Under U.S. Sanctions Law (FDD Press, September 2010). He is the co-author of four confidential studies provided by FDD to the U.S. government on: (1) the oil market impact of sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran; (2) the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Iranian crude oil supply chain; (3) the role of the IRGC in the refined petroleum trade; and, (4) the creation of the United States as an “Iranian-Oil-Free Zone” to prohibit the importation into the U.S. of refined petroleum products derived from Iranian crude.
Mark has testified before Congress on Iran sanctions issues and briefed the military, government and counterterrorism officials on a range of national security and terrorism-related concerns.
Mark previously worked in the venture capital industry focused on fundraising for early-stage technology companies. He also worked in software management as Director of International Business Development at Doubleclick (purchased by Google) and as Director of Corporate Development and General Manager, European & Asian Operations, at FloNetwork (purchased by Doubleclick).
Mark has lived in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa and speaks three languages. He graduated with honors with a masters in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. Mark also has JD and MBA degrees from the University of Toronto.
Selected publications
- Fatah Members, in Their Own Divided Words, The Jerusalem Post
- Palestine’s Web 2.0, The National Interest
- Put China To A Choice: Tehran Or Texas, Forbes
- Will Obama Follow Through on Iran Sanctions?, The Weekly Standard
- Iran's European Helpers, The Wall Street Journal
- Report on Iran's Chinese Energy Partners, FDD Press
- To Pressure Iran, Squeeze Russia and China, The Wall Street Journal
- The Iran-Houston Connection, Forbes (
- FDD Report on Iran's Energy Partners, FDD Press
- Tightening the Sanctions Noose on Tehran, The Wall Street Journal Europe (
- Beyond Gasoline: Congress Targets Iran's Access to Critical Energy Know-How, Forbes
- The Dangers Of Doing Business With Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Forbes
- Disrupt Iran's Oil Trade, Aid the Green Movement, Slate
- Plug the Sanctions Hole on Iran, The Hill
- Inside Shell's Iran Game, Forbes
- It's Smart Business To Get Out Of Iran, Forbes
- Fix Iran Energy Loophole, Politico (
- The Case for Gasoline Sanctions on Iran, The Wall Street Journal
- Hitting The Mullahs At Their Pumps, The New York Post (
- The Sanctions on Iran Are Working, Foreign Policy (
- Out of Gas, Foreign Policy (
- The Code is The Code is Mightier than The Sword, The National Post (Canada) (
- Australia's Terror TV, Wall Street Journal ((08/24/2009)
- Smart Sanctions Can Work Against Iran, Wall Street Journal (
- Standing Up to Iran: Turn off Tehran's Gas, National Post
- Hitting Tehran Where It Hurts, Wall Street Journal Europe (
- Jihad TV in Europe, Wall Street Journal
- Sounds of Silence, Wall Street Journal (
- Hezbollah's German Helpers, The Wall Street Journal (
- A Deadly Stumbling Block Named the PKK, Financial Times - Germany (
- The Hamas Network, Wall Street Journal Europe (
- Watching al-Manar, National Review Online (