CSIS Middle East Program Names Vali Nasr as Non-Resident Senior Adviser and Joseph Farsakh as Non-Resident Senior Associate

WASHINGTON, DC – January 8, 2026 – The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced the appointments of Vali Nasr as non-resident senior adviser and Joseph Farsakh as non-resident senior associate with the CSIS Middle East Program.

Nasr is a world-leading scholar of political and social change in the Middle East. He serves as the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Between 2012 and 2019, he served as the dean of SAIS. Prior to his roles at SAIS, Nasr served as senior adviser to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

Farsakh is a tech leader and former U.S. government official. He served as a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Department of State, where he focused on peace negotiations to end the civil war in Yemen, developed and executed U.S. foreign policy related to the Gulf, and advanced political and diplomatic efforts with Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf. He is a cofounder and the current president of Helios, a venture capital–backed technology company.

“I am thrilled to welcome Vali and Joseph to the Middle East Program at CSIS. Vali is one of the world’s preeminent experts on Iran, political Islam, and geopolitics in the Middle East. He deepens our growing roster of renowned experts on political change in the region,” said Mona Yacoubian, director and senior adviser of the CSIS Middle East Program. “Joseph’s experiences in government and the private sector further augment our Gulf expertise, with a focus on the critical role of technology and AI.”

“I am delighted to be joining a team of stellar experts at CSIS at a time when the Middle East is facing significant challenges and is going through profound change,” said Nasr. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues at CSIS to provide greater understanding of the forces that are shaping the region and its implications for the United States in a changing world order.”

“Arab Gulf states are leading an economic and technological renaissance across the Arab world,” said Farsakh. “I look forward to working with CSIS to explore how U.S. long-term interests align with the Arab Gulf’s vision for a secure and economically vibrant region.”

CSIS’s Middle East Program conducts cutting-edge research and analysis in response to emerging trends, opportunities, and pressures in the Middle East and North Africa and contributes to the policy debate in the United States and abroad. To learn more and read recent analysis from the CSIS Middle East Program, visit here.

For media inquiries, please contact Sofia Chavez (SChavez@CSIS.org).