Ilan I. Berman

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). 

Congressional Testimony

• May 24, 2017 | Nuclear Deal Fallout: The Global Threat of Iran | Statement before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
• Februrary 11, 2016 | The Future of Iranian Terror and Its Threat to the U.S. Homeland | Testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
• July 28, 2015 | The Iran-North Korea Strategic Alliance | Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade; Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and; Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
• July 22, 2015 | The Iran Nuclear Deal and its Impact on Terrorism Financing | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing
• Februrary 11, 2015 | State Sponsor of Terror: The Global Threat of Iran | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
• March 26, 2014 | U.S. Disengagement from Latin America: Compromised Security and Economic Interests | Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
• July 9, 2013 | Threat to the Homeland: Iran's Extending Influence in the Western Hemisphere | Testimony before the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency
• March 20, 2013 | The Iranian Cyber Threat, Revisited | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
• May 17, 2012 | Iran's Inroads Into Latin America | Briefing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
• April 26, 2012 | The Iranian Cyber Threat To The U.S. Homeland | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
• February 16, 2012 | Iran's Influence And Activity In Latin America | Testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs
• July 7, 2011 | Hezbollah In The Western Hemisphere | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
• November 14, 2007 | Regional and Global Consequences of U.S. Military Action in Iran | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs
• October 23, 2007 | Iran Sanctions and International Security | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
• July 26, 2007 | The 2007 Turkish Election: Globalization and Attaturk's Legacy | Briefing before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
• September 28, 2006 | Hezbollah: Made In Tehran | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation and Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
• September 14, 2006 | The Impact Of The Sino-Iranian Strategic Partnership | Testimony before the U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission
• July 25, 2006 | The Economics Of Confronting Iran | Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress 
• June 20, 2006 | The Iranian Nuclear Impasse: Next Steps | Testimony before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security
• Februrary 1, 2006 | Confronting A Nuclear Iran | Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services
• March 9, 2005 | The Russian-Syrian Connection: Thwarting Democracy In The Middle East And The Greater OSCE Region | Testimony before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

For a comprehensive listing of Ilan's work, visit www.ilanberman.com