Anatol Lieven is a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington DC. In September 2007, he joins the department of war studies at King's College, London as chair of international relations and terrorism studies. Among his books are The Baltic Revolution (Yale University Press, 1993), Chechnya: tombstone of Russian power (Yale University Press, 1998), and America Right or Wrong: an anatomy of American nationalism (Oxford University Press, 2004). His latest book is book (co-written with John Hulsman) is Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World (Pantheon, 2006).

Recent articles

The epicentre of Pakistan's crisis is a redoubt of political Islamists in the country's capital city. Anatol Lieven visits the Lal Masjid, talks to its leading cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, and assesses an unfolding drama that challenges Pervez Musharraf and western policy in the region alike.

Should the United States open talks with Iran to help ease its crisis over Iraq? As the prospect of Washington-Tehran dialogue moves up the political agenda, Anatol Lieven takes issue with the view of the former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi.

An agreed, just settlement of the core conflict between Israel and the Palestinians – not punitive Israeli expeditions – is the only way to peace in the middle east, says Anatol Lieven.

“We must keep firmly in mind that democracies can fail.” The barriers to democratic progress in the world today are far deeper than Anthony Barnett & Isabel Hilton allow, while Roger Scruton’s depiction of “the west and the rest” is equally flawed, argues Anatol Lieven.

George W Bush’s language of freedom is not benevolent idealism but ideological weapon, says Anatol Lieven.