About Kian Tajbakhsh
Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh (Ph.D., Columbia 1993) is a scholar of geopolitics, global governance, and international urban development policy. He has more than two decades of experience in democratization, development, and public sector reform with leading international organizations and is widely recognized as an authority on Iran, the Middle East, and Islamist politics. His most recent book, Creating Local Democracy in Iran: State-Building and the Politics of Decentralization (Cambridge University Press, 2022), has been praised for its depth and originality. Foreign Affairs called it “a deeply researched account of how contemporary politics in Iran actually works,” while historian Ervand Abrahamian described it as “the most thorough, empirical, and innovative work on the obstacles to democracy in Iran since 1979.”
He writes frequently for major outlets, providing timely analysis of Middle Eastern politics and world order. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic, Project Syndicate, Wall St. Journal, and others. Following the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran, he published a widely circulated set of essays and interviews, collected in his Substack post: “Reflections on a Crisis: My Recent Writing and Commentary on the Israel–Iran Conflict” (link). His commentary has also reached broader audiences through appearances on BBC World Service, GloboTV (Brazil), PBS, NY1, and other networks.
He is currently developing three larger writing projects: a book for young readers on the stakes of the evolving world order; Post-Colonialism Reconsidered, critiquing contemporary postcolonial theories (building on his essay “Albert Memmi and the Problem of Postcolonialism”); and Tales of My Two Cities, a comparative study of paradiplomacy and urban challenges in the Global South and North.
Academic Roles
Dr. Tajbakhsh joined NYU's Program in International Relations (Arts & Sciences) in 2024 following nine years as a Presidential Fellow and Lecturer at Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought. At NYU, he teaches the required core survey course 'Introduction to International Relations' and the electives 'Deglobalization and the Problems of World Order' and 'Security Studies and the Problem of War.' At Columbia from 2016-2025 he taught the core Global Governance course in the Global Thought MA program as a Fellow and served as the Coordinator of the Committee on Forced Migration. He also held faculty roles as Visiting Professor of Urban Planning and Adjunct Professor of Urban Policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
His teaching is shaped not only by scholarship but also by lived experience: he spent nearly eight years a political prisoner in Iran. That ordeal deepened his commitment to liberal values and democratization. Students in his courses engage both the intellectual frameworks of international relations and the real-world stakes of power, freedom, and governance.
Professional Background
Born in Iran and educated in the United Kingdom, Dr. Tajbakhsh earned a BA in Civil Engineering from Imperial College London and an MA in Urban Economic Development from University College London. After emigrating to the United States in 1984, he completed his PhD in Urban Planning, Politics and Policy at Columbia University in 1993 under the mentorship of renowned scholars Ira Katznelson and Saskia Sassen. His first book, The Promise of the City (2001), argues for pragmatism and liberalism as alternatives to Marxian urbanism, blending theoretical rigor with practical insight to bridge academia and policy-making.
Dr. Tajbakhsh has also contributed to shaping international policy through high-profile roles. He has served as a strategic consultant for NATO’s Middle East Analysis Division, where he provided in-depth geopolitical analysis to enhance the organization's understanding of regional dynamics. Additionally, as an advisor to the U.S. Intelligence Community, he has delivered critical insights on Iran and Middle East geopolitics, influencing policy formulation.
Career in International Development
Dr. Tajbakhsh transitioned from academia to international development to study and influence major reforms in Iran’s domestic state system. Between 1999 and 2016, he gained over 15 years of international experience in urban policy, local government reform, and democracy and human rights enhancement. His notable projects include leading World Bank initiatives on municipal management and local economic development in Iran, coordinating an EU-funded public diplomacy program fostering collaboration between Dutch and Iranian local government officials, and directing a three-year project promoting participatory governance practices in Iran. He also played a pivotal role in capacity-building projects in Central and South Asia, collaborating with institutions such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Municipal Association of Nepal.
Advocacy and Public Engagement
A committed advocate for liberal values and democratization, Dr. Tajbakhsh represented the Open Society Foundations in Iran during the 2000s, spearheading initiatives to strengthen civil society, women’s rights, and NGOs. His pro-democracy efforts made him a target of the Iranian regime, leading to his arrest during the 2009 Green Movement protests. After years of house arrest and imprisonment, he was released in 2016 as part of negotiations tied to the Iran nuclear deal. His experiences have been widely covered in international media, including The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, and PBS.
Dr. Tajbakhsh’s writings have also gained significant attention in prominent outlets. His recent article, "Iran Is Not a 'Normal' Country," published in The Atlantic in 2024, exemplifies his ability to provide sharp and nuanced perspectives on Iran’s geopolitical landscape. His essay "A Cowed Normality: On daily life in a fascist America and Iran" (The New Republic) provided a nuanced interpretation of the commonalities and differences of real existing fascism in Iran and its potential in the U.S. Additionally, his writings on Iran's 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" movement were widely cited and appeared in various outlets, including NPR and the Wall Street Journal.
Through his teaching, research, and advocacy, Dr. Tajbakhsh continues to explore and address the complexities of geopolitics, urbanization, and global governance, offering a unique and impactful voice in international relations.