On May 12, 2004, Building Bridges: Middle East – US welcomed Professor Nasser Hadian to Norwich, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire. A group of Building Bridges board members and supporters had lunch with him that day, and heard about his academic career and life story. In the afternoon, Dr. Hadian gave a talk, entitled ‘Islam and Democracy’, at Dartmouth College. This was co-sponsored by the Tucker Foundation as one of their Social Justice Series lectures. Both the Dartmouth community and interested citizens of the Upper valley of Vermont and New Hampshire heard a fascinating presentation of religious and political theory and how it affects the lives of Middle Eastern peoples.

Dr. Nasser Hadian is a professor of Political Science at the Tehran University, where he also served as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Law and Political Science. He received his Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Tennessee.  From 1992 to 1995, Dr. Hadian was Director of the Political Development Program at the Center for Strategic Research.  He appears often on Iranian and international television and radio news programs and has been frequently quoted in numerous publications. Dr. Hadian speaks throughout the Unites States and other countries about Iranian politics and Islam.  He recently authored an article on the nuclear debate in Iran for the Nixon Center. Dr. Hadian is currently a Visiting Professor at the Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures Department of Columbia University.