Trita Parsi

He is a quiet smiling young man. Only when he starts to talk, you realize how much passion he has for his subject.

Standing at the podium, he spoke eloquently on how he came to write his book, The Treacherous Alliance. He talked about trips to Iran and Israel to interview high-level decision makers. How initially people thought it was an impossible task: how could both sides talk to you? But he went ahead and found it not that hard. He interviewed 40 high-level officials in Iran and then easily got meetings in Israel by promoting his Iran visit.

A typical book promotion tour is also a call for peace and action. By telling people about what’s behind Iran and Israel relationship, Parsi raises awareness and give people most needed knowledge to make a decision. An articulate speaker, he holds your attention by telling you stories of these two nations over a time period of 40 years. His deep knowledge and the analysis based on geopolitical viewpoint are very illuminating.

As the president of National Iranian-American Council, Parsi leads the policy advocacy group in Washington DC. He builds alliance with 50 other organizations to try to influence the policy making. He is not seeking his own glory but the service for a group. His selfless spirit shines through. In him I see what is giving, courage and excellence.