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Robin Wright      

Foreign Policy Analyst, Journalist & Author of "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion across the Islamic World"

Robin Wright, a seasoned foreign policy analyst, author, and journalist, is a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. With a rich background in journalism, Wright has reported from more than 140 countries on seven continents for prominent publications such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. She is a former diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post and her insightful writing also appears in The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, and Foreign Affairs. Wright has covered dozens of wars, revolutions, and uprisings worldwide.

Wright’s book "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World" is noted for its profound impact, winning the 2012 Overseas Press Club Award for the best book on international affairs. Her bibliography includes several influential titles such as "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," "The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran," and "Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam." Her latest works, "Flashpoints: Promise and Peril in a New World," and "In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade," further establish her expertise in Middle Eastern affairs.

Wright has received multiple accolades for her journalism, including the U.N. Correspondents Association Gold Medal, the National Magazine Award for reportage from Iran, and the National Press Club Award for diplomatic reporting. The American Academy of Diplomacy honored her as the journalist of the year for her distinguished reporting and analysis of international affairs. Beyond her prolific writing career, Wright is a recognized voice in media, frequently appearing on television programs like Meet the Press, Face the Nation, PBS Newshour, and Real Time with Bill Maher. Her contributions to public discourse are enriched by her extensive lecturing across the United States.

Speech Topics

The Future of the Middle East

Wright takes a look at the activists and movements now struggling to change the world's most volatile region. Two decades after the 9/11 attacks, a wide array of characters – from feminists and bloggers, thinkers and judges, religious leaders and students – are rejecting extremism while also challenging the status quo in unusual ways.

On Iran

On Iran, thirty years after its Islamic revolution, Iran is more of a challenge than ever before because of its controversial nuclear program. Bush opted to use military might in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2015, Obama negotiated a nuclear deal between the world’s six major powers and Iran, which Trump abandoned in 2018. How will Biden deal with the challenge of Iran, which has emerged as the superpower of the Middle East?

Women of the World

Women are one of the two most important engines of change worldwide in the 21st century. From a woman born into a Moroccan harem to a South African doctor taking on poverty and an Iranian human rights lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize, an eclectic array of women are redefining society’s goals. Hear their stories from someone who has met them and can analyze what they mean for countries around the world.

Washington’s World

The most powerful democracy faces extraordinary challenges in a polarizing world, with an ambitious China, an aggressive Russia, an increasingly well-armed Iran and an unpredictable North Korea. Wright explores America’s role in the world and its policies in handling the crises of our times.

Global Trends: What You Need to Know to Live and Adapt to our Historic Times

As a journalist and author who has lived or traveled in over 140 countries on all seven continents, Wright takes a look at political, economic, societal and military trendlines around the world in the 21st century—what you need to know to live and adapt to our historic times.

News

Tehran’s Promise The revolution’s midlife crisis and the nuclear deal.
Crisis in Iraq: Robin Wright, CFR's Les Gelb: Video - Bloomberg
We are joined by journalist and author Robin Wright and Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. (Source: Bloomberg)
Obama, be upfront on Iraq - LA Times
RELATED: Obama vows 'justice' after militants kill U.S. journalist James Foley ... Robin Wright, author of "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the ...
Crisis in Iraq: Robin Wright, CFR's Les Gelb - Businessweek
... is steadily losing control of its territory. Journalist and author Robin Wright and Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, comment.

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