Mehrdad Izady
Encyclopedia
Mehrdad Michael R.S.C. Izady (born 1963), is a contemporary writer on ethnic and cultural topics, particularly the Greater Middle East
, and Kurds. He was born to a Kurdish
father and a Belgian
mother, and spent much of his youth in Iraq
, Iran
, Afghanistan
and Korea
, as his diplomat parents moved from one assignment to another. He received his BA degree in History
, Political Science
and Geography
from Kansas University, and then attended Syracuse University
where he received two masters degrees in Remote Sensing
-Cartography
and in International Relations
. He received his PhD at the department of Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Columbia University
in 1992. He taught for six years in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University
and in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and History at the Joint Special Operations University
in Florida. He has testified before two US Congressional Committees and has authored many books and articles on Middle East and Southeast European subjects. He has been a part-time faculty at the Department of History at Fordham University
and Pace University
since 2001. He also continues his educational services to the US military, diplomatic corps
and the NATO. Since 1997, he has also been a Master Adjunct professor at the Joint Special Operations University
, Florida.
Izady is also a cartographer who has produced work on ethno-cultural topics of the Old World
. His annotated cartographic works have been used by the atlases, authors, the international media—to include the National Geographic, The Economist
as well as the US military, the UN and various other entities. His work can be found at Columbia University
School of International and Public Affairs
, Gulf 2000 Project
web site.
Greater Middle East
The Greater Middle East is a political term coined by the Bush administration to group together together various countries, pertaining to the Muslim world, specifically Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Various Central Asian countries are sometimes also included. Some speakers may use the...
, and Kurds. He was born to a Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
father and a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
mother, and spent much of his youth in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, as his diplomat parents moved from one assignment to another. He received his BA degree in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
from Kansas University, and then attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
where he received two masters degrees in Remote Sensing
Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
-Cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
and in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. He received his PhD at the department of Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1992. He taught for six years in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and History at the Joint Special Operations University
Joint Special Operations University
The Joint Special Operations University is the designated agency within USSOCOM to conduct joint Special Operations Force education and thus is tasked with and directed to provide relevant, realistic, leading-edge education opportunities to military and civilian special operations forces...
in Florida. He has testified before two US Congressional Committees and has authored many books and articles on Middle East and Southeast European subjects. He has been a part-time faculty at the Department of History at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
and Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
since 2001. He also continues his educational services to the US military, diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
and the NATO. Since 1997, he has also been a Master Adjunct professor at the Joint Special Operations University
Joint Special Operations University
The Joint Special Operations University is the designated agency within USSOCOM to conduct joint Special Operations Force education and thus is tasked with and directed to provide relevant, realistic, leading-edge education opportunities to military and civilian special operations forces...
, Florida.
Izady is also a cartographer who has produced work on ethno-cultural topics of the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
. His annotated cartographic works have been used by the atlases, authors, the international media—to include the National Geographic, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
as well as the US military, the UN and various other entities. His work can be found at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
School of International and Public Affairs
School of International and Public Affairs
The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University is one of the most prestigious graduate schools of public policy in the world. Located on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus in the Borough of Manhattan, in New York City, the School has 15,000 graduates in more than 150...
, Gulf 2000 Project
Gulf 2000 project
The Gulf/2000 Project is a cultural and academic project created in 1993 with backing and sponsorship by Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs...
web site.
Books
- The Kurds: A Concise Handbook, 268 pp., Taylor & Francis Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0844817279
- The Sharafnâma, Or, The History of the Kurdish Nation, 1597, By Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi, translated into English and annotated by M. Izady, 302 pp., Mazda Publishers, 2005. ISBN 1568590741
Book Chapters
- Between Iraq and a Hard Place: The Kurdish Predicament, pp. 71–99 in "Iran, Iraq and the Legacies of War", Edited by Lawrence G. Potter, Gary G. Sick, 224 pp., Pekgrave Macmillan, 2006. ISBN 1403976090
- Kurds, Encyclopedia of the Developing World, 1759 pp., Rouledge Publishers, 2006. ISBN 1579583881
- Kurds and the Foundations of the State of Iraq, 1917-1932, pp. 95–109, in "The Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921", Edited by Reeva S. Simon, Eleanor Harvey Tejirian, 181 pp., Columbia University Press, 2004. ISBN 0231132921
- Gulf and Indian Ocean Basin Ethnic Diversity: An Evolutionary History in "Security in the Persian Gulf: Origins, Obstacles and the Search for Consensus", Edited by G. Sick and L. Potter, 284 pp., Palgrave Press, 2002. ISBN 0312239505.
- The Geopolitical Realities of Kurdistan vs. Hopes for a New World Order in "Altered States: A Reader in the New World Order", Edited by Phyllis Bennis, Michel Moushabeck, 538 pp., Interlink Pub Group Inc, 1998. ISBN 1566561124
- The Kurdish Demographic Revolution and Its Socio-Political Implications in "Contrasts and Solutions in the Middle East", Edited by Ole Høiris, Sefa Martin Yürükel, Aarhus University Press, 562 pp., 1997. ISBN 8772886919
- E uno plurium?: A Projection on the Future of the National Minorities and their Identity in the 21st-Century in "The Transnationalization of Ethnicity and World Politics", Edited by J. Cole and E. Skinner, Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University, 1995.
