Interview with Ilan Berman and Bijan Kian

Ilan Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. An expert on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation, he has consulted for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as well as the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, and has also provided assistance on foreign policy and national security issues to a range of governmental agencies and congressional offices. He has been called one of America's "leading experts on the Middle East and Iran" by CNN.

Mr. Berman is a member of the Associated Faculty at Missouri State University's Department of Defense and Strategic Studies. A frequent writer and commentator, he has written for the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, Foreign Policy, the Washington Post and USA Today, among many other publications.

Mr. Berman is the editor of six books: Dismantling Tyranny: Transitioning Beyond Totalitarian Regimes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), co-edited with J. Michael Waller; Taking on Tehran: Strategies for Confronting the Islamic Republic (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007); Iran's Strategic Penetration of Latin America (Lexington Books, 2015), co-edited with Joseph Humire; The Logic of Irregular War: Asymmetry and America’s Adversaries (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017); Digital Dictators: Media, Authoritarianism, and America’s New Challenge (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018); and, most recently, Wars of Ideas: Theology, Interpretation and Power in the Muslim World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021).

He is also the author of six others: Tehran Rising: Iran's Challenge to the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), Winning the Long War: Retaking the Offensive Against Radical Islam (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), Implosion: The End of Russia and What It Means for America (Regnery Publishing, 2013); Iran's Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic's Quest for Global Power (Encounter Books, 2015); The Fight for Iran: Opposition Politics, Protest, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Nation (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) and, most recently, Challenging Moscow’s Message: Russian Disinformation and the Western Response (AFPC Press, 2023). 

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Bijan R. Kian was twice confirmed by the United States Senate, The Honorable Bijan R. Kian has served as a senior official under three presidents from both major political parties, including President George W. Bush, President Barrack Obama, and President Donald Trump.

Kian is recognized around the world as a senior executive in global trade and international security.

He has served as:

* Deputy Lead on the Office of Director of National Intelligence for the Presidential Transition Team.

* Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

* Member of White House Business Council.

* Director of Foreign Investment for the State of California.

* Senior Fellow for global public policy at the United States Naval Postgraduate School.

* Member of the Board of Directors at National Defense University Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Brighton in 1979, Kian continued his education at Oxford, Harvard Kennedy School, and MIT. He’s a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom and is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which has also been awarded to seven presidents of the United States.