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{{short description|American scholar}}
{{Infobox_Person
'''Brenda Shaffer''' (born c. 1965) is an American scholar who holds positions as Fellow with the ] and professor at ] (on ]). Shaffer was the former research director of the Caspian Studies Program at ] and past president of the Foreign Policy Section of the ]. She specializes on energy in ] and ] in the ] and has written or edited several books of these topics, including "Energy Politics" and "Beyond the Resource Curse." Shaffer has also written a number of books on the topic of identity and culture in the ] including explorations of ] literature and culture. She has been accused of lobbying for ] and failing to disclose conflicts of interest.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-lobbying-western-media-brenda-shaffer/26592287.html|title=Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=18 September 2014 |last1=Coalson |first1=Robert }}</ref> According to the 2019 book ''Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends'', published by ]: "research shows that her entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership".<ref name="Bruckner"/>
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'''Dr. Brenda Shaffer''' is an ] writer. She is currently a research fellow at ], before that she had been educated in ]. Her main research interests include: ], ], the ], ], the ] in Iran, ethnic politics and regime stability in Iran, the connections and influences between the ] and ] of the ], energy, the U.S. policy in the Caspian region .


==Biography== == Biography ==
Shaffer was born in the ] in about 1965. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, attending ]. In 1982, while still at high school, she made her first visit to the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/events/security-economic-and-human-rights-dimensions-us-azerbaijan-relations|title=The Security, Economic and Human Rights Dimensions of US-Azerbaijan Relations|date=19 May 2016|website=Csce.gov|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref> She received her Ph.D. from ] and a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/brenda-shaffer/|title=Brenda Shaffer|website=Atlanticcouncil.org|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref> She is on sabbatical from the University of Haifa, where she is a professor in the School of Political Science.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lecturer.haifa.ac.il/showen/1232 |title=Lecturers: Prof. Brenda Shaffer, School of Political Sciences|access-date=2016-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227090023/http://lecturer.haifa.ac.il/showen/1232|archive-date=2015-02-27|url-status=dead }}</ref>
Dr. Shaffer received her Ph.D. from ] and has worked for a number of years as a researcher and policy analyst for the Government of ]; and served in the ] (IDF). She reads a number of languages, including Turkish, Azerbaijani, Russian, and Hebrew.


Previously, Shaffer taught at the department of Asian Studies and at the Graduate School of Management, division of natural resources management, at the University of Haifa.<ref name="haifa">{{Cite web |url=https://marvel.haifa.ac.il/univ/on_p_view_lec_heb_v1.main?p_lec_id=1232 |title=University of Haifa. School of Political Sciences - Faculty: Dr. Brenda Shaffer |access-date=2013-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929123118/https://marvel.haifa.ac.il/univ/on_p_view_lec_heb_v1.main?p_lec_id=1232 |archive-date=2013-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was the research director of the Caspian Studies Project at Harvard Kennedy School,<ref name="belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu">{{Cite web |url=http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/283/brenda_shaffer.html |title=Brenda Shaffer - Harvard - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs |access-date=2008-08-16 |archive-date=2008-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009210805/http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/283/brenda_shaffer.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> where she had been a ] fellow at the International Security Program. Shaffer has also held positions as president of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association, researcher and policy analyst for the Government of ] and visiting professor with the ],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://biweekly.ada.edu.az/facultyresearch/faculty/brenda_shaffer |title=Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy |access-date=2013-09-08 |archive-date=2013-09-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130908111554/http://biweekly.ada.edu.az/facultyresearch/faculty/brenda_shaffer |url-status=dead }}</ref> and she provides energy industry research and consulting to businesses and governments.
Dr. Shaffer was a ] fellow<ref>http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/person.cfm?program=CORE&item_id=312</ref> (a temporary research position held by anyone who has completed his/her doctoral studies) at the International Security Program of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She was the former Research Director of the Caspian Studies Project at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.


Shaffer is the author or editor of a number of books and has given congressional testimonies on several occasions in front of the ] on issues related to U.S. policy in the Caspian region.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings/view/?1481 |title=Hearing Details - House Committee on Foreign Affairs |access-date=2013-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215201521/http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings/view/?1481 |archive-date=2013-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*2001-2004 Post-doctoral Fellow, “Young Truman Scholar” three-year fellowship in the field of Middle East Studies, Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the ] (Israel). <ref>http://east-asia.haifa.ac.il/staff/bshaffer.htm</ref>

*2000-2001 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Relations & Middle East Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).
===Short Bio===
*1999-2005 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (USA).
*Currently nonresident senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council; on sabbatical from the University of Haifa.
*1996-1999 Ph. D. School of History, Tel Aviv University (Israel). Dissertation topic: “The Formation of Azerbaijani Collective Identity: in Light of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Soviet Breakup.”
*2001-2004 Post-doctoral Fellow, "Young Truman Scholar" three-year fellowship in the field of Middle East Studies, Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the ] (Israel).
*1986-1989 MA in Political Science (with specialization in Russian Studies)' Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). (MA thesis topic: “Soviet Power Projection— the View of the Military”).
*2000-2001 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Relations & Middle East Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).
*1999-2005 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Security Program, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (USA).
*1996-1999 Ph.D. School of History, Tel Aviv University (Israel). Dissertation topic: "The Formation of Azerbaijani Collective Identity: in Light of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Soviet Breakup."
*1986-1989 MA in Political Science (with specialization in Russian Studies) Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). (MA thesis topic: "Soviet Power Projection— the View of the Military").
*1983-1986 BA in Political Science and International Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). *1983-1986 BA in Political Science and International Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).


== Lobbying for Azerbaijan ==
==Reviews and Criticism==
Shaffer has been called a lobbyist on behalf of Azerbaijan, and has faced criticism over her writing of political articles and books related to Azerbaijan while hiding her commercial ties to the Azerbaijani government.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Bruckner|first1=Till|last2=ContributorTranspariMED|last3=Transparify|date=2015-06-25|title=Foreign Lobbyist Gets Free Platform at Georgetown University, Atlantic Council|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brenda-shaffer-oil-gas_b_7654646|access-date=2020-09-29|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=OCCRP|title=How Azerbaijan Built a Stealth Lobbyist|url=https://www.occrp.org/en/announcements/41-press-box/4081-how-azerbaijan-built-a-stealth-lobbyist|access-date=2020-09-29|website=Occrp.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|title=Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-lobbying-western-media-brenda-shaffer/26592287.html|access-date=2020-09-29|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=18 September 2014 |language=en|last1=Coalson |first1=Robert }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Sparks Fly Over Scholar's Azerbaijani Ties At Columbia University Event|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-columbia-shaffer-socar-adviser/26654044.html|access-date=2020-10-07|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=24 October 2014 |language=en|last1=Schreck |first1=Carl }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Azerbaijan and Think Tanks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/07/us/07thinktank-docs4.html|access-date=2020-10-07|website=The New York Times|date=6 September 2014 |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, she failed to disclose her ties to the ] when she wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about Russia's role in the ] conflict, prompting the newspaper's editors to add a note after its publication.<ref name="NYT"/><ref>{{cite web | title=Corrections: September 17, 2014 | website=The New York Times | date=2014-09-17 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/pageoneplus/corrections-september-17-2014.html | ref={{sfnref|The New York Times|2014}} | access-date=2024-12-24}}</ref>
=== By Professor Camron Michael Amin ===
According to Camron Michael Amin, "Shaffer has captured the complicated cultural trends in modern Azerbaijani society on both sides of the Araz and offered an excellent framework in which to interpret those trends. And, as is the case with all the best pioneering efforts, she has also created a promising point of departure for further inquiry". Amin herself admits:" Indeed, Shaffer's effort to forge a coherent modern history of the Azerbaijani people is especially impressive when one considers the absence of certain source" <ref></ref>


The ] (OCCRP) described Brenda Shaffer as a Lobbyist, who "used oil money to build her academic credentials" and in exchange promoted pro-Azerbaijani positions, for example concerning ], and lobbied for Baku's agendas through multiple newspaper op-eds and media appearances, congressional testimony, countless think tank events and scholarly publications.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-06-22|title=How to Build Yourself a Stealth Lobbyist, Azerbaijani style|url=https://www.occrp.org/en/corruptistan/azerbaijan/2015/06/22/profile-of-an-undercover-lobbyist-for-azerbaijan.en.html|access-date=2023-07-17|website=OCCRP|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-05-09|title=Svante Cornell’s dealings in Azerbaijan despite funding from MFA of Sweden|url=https://blankspot.se/svante-cornells-dealings-in-azerbaijan-despite-funding-from-mfa-of-sweden/|access-date=2023-07-17|website= Blankspot|language=en}}</ref>
=== By Professor ] ===
Dr. Atabaki (a Professor of International Institute of Social History, ], ]) strongly criticises the book, ''Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity'', for its lack of academic values and its unbalanced and sometimes even biased political appraisal. Atabaki also criticises Shaffer for her vivid shortcomings in the methodology, and her lack of academic accuracy in the data she offers.

Atabaki in his review says “With Brenda Shaffer's Borders and Brethren one would expect a contribution to our understanding of future developments in Iran as well as in the neighboring countries. Within the first two chapters, however, the reader becomes disappointed with the unbalanced and sometimes even biased political appraisal that not only dominates the author's methodology but also shapes her selective amnesia in recalling historical data." Atabaki concludes his review by stating "Borders and Brethren is an excellent example of how a political agenda can dehistoricize and decontextualize history".<ref>http://www.azargoshnasp.net/recent_history/atoor/atabakishaffer.pdf</ref>

=== ] ===

], of the prestigious Harpers Magazine, in an article titled "Academics for Hire", comments:

{{cquote|Harvard's program is led by Brenda Shaffer, who is so eager to back regimes in the region that she makes Starr look like a dissident. A 2001 brief she wrote, “U.S. Policy toward the Caspian Region: Recommendations for the Bush Administration,” commended Bush for “intensified U.S. activity in the region, and the recognition of the importance of the area to the pursuit of U.S. national interests.” Shaffer has also called on Congress to overturn Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which was passed in 1992 and bars direct aid to the Azeri government. The law has not yet been repealed, but the Bush Administration has been waiving it since 2002, as a payoff for Azeri support in the “war on terrorism.”''

Harvard's Caspian Studies Program receives a lot of money from both the oil companies and from some of the governments.” I share Starr's concerns here, and since I briefly mentioned Harvard in my original story, and since several readers asked for more details, let me provide it here. As I had previously reported, the Caspian Studies Program (CSP) was launched in 1999 with a $1 million grant from the United States‒Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) and a consortium of companies led by ExxonMobil and Chevron. The program's other funders include Amerada Hess Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Unocal, and Glencore International...<ref></ref>}}

=== By The Journal for International Security Affairs ===
According to James C. MacDougall, Principal Director for Eurasia, Office of International Security Policy, Department of Defense in The Journal for International Security Affairs, “By examining Azerbaijani identity in the context of Iranian domestic and inter-ethnic relations, Borders and Brethren makes a valuable con¬tribution to both the academic and the practical debate on the historical importance and future significance of this identity”.<ref></ref>

=== ] ===
The American historian Ralph E. Luker echoes Silversteins article, saying:

{{cquote|Silverstein's second article also implicates Harvard historian Brenda Shaffer, who is research director of the University's Caspian Studies Program, in similar apologias. These programs appear to be largely funded by regional regimes, American oil and industrial investors in the region, and right-wing foundations in the United States.<ref>[http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/25951.html History News Network</ref>}}

=== By Professor ] ===
Evan Siegel (a Professor of ]) in his review of Shaffers book, ''Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity'', states "The book suffers from some general weaknesses. Its author is prone to make plausible generalizations which, however, are underdocumented when they are documented at all. At one point she claims, in the second half of the nineteenth century, some Azerbaijanis espoused Pan-Islamic ideology, and many of the supporters of Pan-Islam identified with Iran at this time. In addition, many Azerbaijanis were interested in their Turkic identity in a cultural sense, but few supported political unity with other Turkic peoples. The source she cites for this says nothing of the sort."

Evan Siegel strongly criticizes the book for being full of mistakes, inaccuracies, misinterpretation, and misquoting of sources and the book's failure to provide documentations to support Shaffer’s observations.

In conclusion Evan Siegel adds "Brethren and Borders is a highly political book on an emotional subject which needs careful, dispassionate analysis. Its chapters on the historical background is full of inaccuracies. Its chapters on current events and trends include a few interesting observations which don’t appear in the literature, but most of it is readily available elsewhere."<ref>http://www.azargoshnasp.net/recent_history/atoor/bookreviewsiegel.htm</ref>

===By Professor ]===
A citation on her own web-page is claimed to be from Ronald Grigor Suny. But there is no link to the original source, nor is it mentioned where the original source can be found.
Ronald Grigor Suny, Professor of Political Science in the University of Chicago, allegedly in his review {{Fact|date=November 2007}} of Shaffers book, ''Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity'', states that "one of the few works that looks seriously at Iranian Azerbaijan, Shaffer's book is a major contribution to the history of both Iranian and Soviet nationality policies." <ref></ref>


==Publications== ==Publications==
===Books=== ===Books===
*Co-editor of ''Beyond the Resource Curse'' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14997.html|title=Beyond the Resource Curse &#124; Brenda Shaffer, Taleh Ziyadov|website=Upenn.edu}}</ref>
*Author of "Partners in Need: The Strategic Relationship of Russia and Iran" (the Washington Institute for Near East Policy).
*Author of ''Energy Politics'' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14628.html|title=Energy Politics &#124; Brenda Shaffer|website=Upenn.edu}}</ref><ref>Scott Pegg. "Review of Brenda Shaffer, Energy Politics", Perspectives on Politics, March 2011, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 129-132</ref>
*Author of "Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity" (MIT Press, 2002).
*Editor of "The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy" (MIT Press, 2006). *Editor of ''The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy'' (MIT Press, 2006)
*Author of ''Partners in Need: The Strategic Relationship of Russia and Iran'' (the Washington Institute for Near East Policy).
*Author of ''Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity'' (MIT Press, 2002).<ref>{{Cite web |url=
https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=8007|title=Camron Michael Amin. "Review of Brenda Shaffer, Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity," H-Gender-MidEast, H-Net Reviews, August, 2003.Zwebsite=H-net.org | date=August 2003 |access-date=2021-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype%3D2%26tid%3D8713 |title=Borders and Brethren - the MIT Press |access-date=2012-09-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721123854/http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=8713 |archive-date=2010-07-21 }}</ref> The book was also published in Turkish (Bilgi University Press, Istanbul, 2008) and in Persian (Ulus Press, Tehran, 2008).


'''Book chapters:''' ===Book chapters and other publications===
*"Energy Resources in the Eastern Mediterranean: Prospects for energy markets and regional developments" in Michael Leigh (ed.), Eastern Mediterranean Energy: Fuel for conflict or cooperation? (D.C.: German Marshall Fund, 2012).
*"US Policy and the Strategic Caucasus" in Frances Burwell and Svante E. Cornell, eds., The Transatlantic Partnership and Relations with Russia (Washington: Atlantic Council of the United States and Institute for Security and Development Policy, 2012).
*"Ethnic Politics in Iran," in Reuven Pedatzur (editor), Iran and Regional Hegemony (S. Daniel Abraham Strategic Dialogue Center in association with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2010).
*"The Islamic Republic of Iran: Is It Really?" in Brenda Shaffer (ed.), The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press, 2006).
*"Iran’s Internal Azerbaijani Challenge: Implications for Policy in the Caucasus," in Moshe Gammer (ed.), The Caucasus (London: Frank Cass, 2004).
*"U.S. Policy in the South Caucasus," in Dov Lynch (ed.) The South Caucasus: a challenge for the EU (Chaillot Paper 65, EU ISS, December 2003).
*"Azerbaijan" in Waisman and Vasserman (ed.), Political Organizations in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Sources and Documents (London: Frank Cass, 2003).
*"Azerbaycan Cumhuryetinin Kurulusu: Iran’daki Azeriler Uzerinde Etkisi", in Emine Gursoy-Naskali and Erdal Sahin (eds.) Turk Cumhuriyetleri (Amsterdam/Istanbul, SOTA Publications, 2002)(in Turkish).
*"Statement on The Caucasus and Caspian Region: Understanding U.S. Interests and Policy", Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Europe of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, October 10, 2001, Serial No. 107–51.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa75632.000/hfa75632_0f.htm|title=The Caucasus and Caspian Region: Understanding U.S. Interests and Policy|website=commdocs.house.gov}}</ref>
*"U.S. Russian Relations: Implications for the Caspian Region", Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, June 2001.
*"Postscript" in David Menashri (ed.), Central Asia Meets the Middle East (London: Frank Cass, 1998).


=== Criticisms ===
*“Iran’s Internal Azerbaijani Challenge: Implications for Policy in the Caucasus,” in Moshe Gammer (ed.), The Caucasus (London: Frank Cass, 2004).
Shaffer's book, "Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity" received criticism from ], a professor of social history at the ] and a senior research fellow at the ], who wrote that "''Borders and Brethren'' is an excellent example of how a political agenda can dehistoricize and decontextualize history".<ref name="AtabakiR">Touraj Atabaki, Review of "Brenda Shaffer, Borders and Brethren, Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijan Identity", In ''Slavic Review'', 63:1 (2004)</ref><ref>, azargoshnasp.net</ref>
*“U.S. Policy in the South Caucasus,” in Dov Lynch (ed.) The South Caucasus: a challenge for the EU (Chaillot Paper 65, EU ISS, December 2003).
*“Azerbaijan” in Waisman and Vasserman (ed.), Political Organizations in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Sources and Documents (London: Frank Cass, 2003).
*“Azerbaycan Cumhuryetinin Kurulusu: Iran’daki Azeriler Uzerinde Etkisi”, in Emine Gursoy-Naskali and Erdal Sahin (eds.) Turk Cumhuriyetleri (Amsterdam/Istanbul, SOTA Publications, 2002)(in Turkish).
*“Postscript” in David Menashri (ed.), Central Asia Meets the Middle East (London: Frank Cass, 1998).


Shaffer's article "U.S. Policy toward the Caspian Region: Recommendations for the Bush Administration" has also created controversy with regards to the objectivity of Harvard's Caspian Studies Program. ], of ], in an article titled "Academics for Hire", wrote that "Harvard's Caspian Studies Program receives a lot of money from both the oil companies and from some of the governments... As I had previously reported, the Caspian Studies Program (CSP) was launched in 1999 with a $1 million grant from the United States‒Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) and a consortium of companies led by ] and ]. The program's other funders include ], ], ], and ]...<ref name=harpers>{{Cite web |url=http://www.harpers.org/archive/2006/05/sb-followup-starr-2006-05-30-29929 |title=Academics for Hire - Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |access-date=August 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801051736/http://www.harpers.org/archive/2006/05/sb-followup-starr-2006-05-30-29929 |archive-date=August 1, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Articles, Papers, etc===
Dr. Shaffer's articles have appeared in a number of newspapers and journals, including an article in Current History entitled “Is there a Muslim Foreign Policy?” and “Iran at the Nuclear Threshold” (Arms Control Today; November 2003). Her Opinion Editorials have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune, and The Jerusalem Post. <ref>http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication_list_by_person.cfm?item_id=312</ref>


Shaffer has also drawn criticism for writing on geostrategic issues regarding Azerbaijan under her academic affiliations, while working as a consultant to the President of ], the State Oil Company of ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Energy Charter Secretariat|title=WORKSHOP ON CONTRACTUAL ISSUES RELATED TO ENERGY TRADE|url=http://www.encharter.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Conferences/2013_March_20/Budapest_workshop_agenda.pdf|access-date=17 September 2014|date=20 March 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917203615/http://www.encharter.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Conferences/2013_March_20/Budapest_workshop_agenda.pdf|archive-date=17 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="Bruckner">{{cite book |last1=Bruckner |first1=Till |editor1-last=Dialer |editor1-first=Doris |editor2-last=Richter |editor2-first=Margarethe |title=Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends |date=2019 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3319988009 |page=331 |chapter=Navigating the Grey Zones of Third-Party Lobbying via Nonprofits: Transparity's Experiences with Think Thanks and Fake News}}</ref> On September 17, 2014, '']'' published an editor's note to highlight that Shaffer did not disclose her affiliation to SOCAR when publishing an Op-Ed in its pages about the conflict in ].<ref name=ShafferOpED_NYT>{{cite news|title=Disclosure Update|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/opinion/russias-next-land-grab.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0#addendums|access-date=17 September 2014|newspaper=]|date=September 17, 2014}}</ref> This has drawn criticism in other notable news outlets.<ref name=RFE_Link>{{cite news|last1=Robert|first1=Coalson|title=Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/azerbaijan-lobbying-western-media-brenda-shaffer/26592287.html|access-date=30 September 2014|agency=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-foreign-policy-manipul_b_5842272|title=U.S. Foreign Policy Manipulation via Media Is Systemic, Warns Expert|last=Bruckner|first=Till|date=November 22, 2014|website=Huffington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922155524/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-foreign-policy-manipul_b_5842272 |archive-date=2020-09-22 |access-date=}}</ref> In the 2019 book ''Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends'', Shaffer is mentioned as an example of a scholar who has been caught moonlighting as a lobbyist, which in turn has damaged the reputation of the ], of which Shaffer continues to serve as a Nonresidential Senior Fellow.<ref name="Bruckner"/> The book explains that Shaffer, whilst a member of the Atlantic Council and without her disclosure of being on SOCAR's payroll, has consistently tried to present Azerbaijan as supposedly being on the verge of becoming a democratic country, and has persistently tried to convince the US government to provide support for the ruling Aliyev regime of Azerbaijan.<ref name="Bruckner"/> The book adds: "research shows that her entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership".<ref name="Bruckner"/>
==See also==

* ]
In 2021, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published an essay by Shaffer arguing that Armenia, with which Azerbaijan had just fought a war, should close its only nuclear power plant. The essay did not disclose Shaffer's financial interests.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thebulletin.org/2021/03/armenias-nuclear-power-plant-is-dangerous-time-to-close-it/|title=Armenia's nuclear power plant is dangerous. Time to close it.|website=Thebulletin.org|date=5 March 2021|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref> Discussing the incident, Eurasianet commented that "o Caucasus watchers intrigued and depressed by the way Baku uses its oil wealth to buy praise and influence abroad, Shaffer is infamous."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eurasianet.org/pro-azerbaijan-american-urges-armenia-to-close-nuclear-plant|title=Pro-Azerbaijan American urges Armenia to close nuclear plant &#124; Eurasianet|website=Eurasianet.org|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref>
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
==External links==
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* (A panel of American and Israeli Scholars/experts discuss the rights and wrongs of Iran having a nuclear program).


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffer, Brenda}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffer, Brenda}}
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Latest revision as of 19:03, 24 December 2024

American scholar

Brenda Shaffer (born c. 1965) is an American scholar who holds positions as Fellow with the Atlantic Council and professor at University of Haifa (on sabbatical). Shaffer was the former research director of the Caspian Studies Program at Harvard Kennedy School and past president of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association. She specializes on energy in international relations and energy policy in the Caspian region and has written or edited several books of these topics, including "Energy Politics" and "Beyond the Resource Curse." Shaffer has also written a number of books on the topic of identity and culture in the Caucasus including explorations of Azeri literature and culture. She has been accused of lobbying for Azerbaijan and failing to disclose conflicts of interest. According to the 2019 book Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends, published by Springer: "research shows that her entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership".

Biography

Shaffer was born in the United States in about 1965. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, attending Burlingame High School (California). In 1982, while still at high school, she made her first visit to the USSR. She received her Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University and a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. She is on sabbatical from the University of Haifa, where she is a professor in the School of Political Science.

Previously, Shaffer taught at the department of Asian Studies and at the Graduate School of Management, division of natural resources management, at the University of Haifa. and was the research director of the Caspian Studies Project at Harvard Kennedy School, where she had been a postdoctoral fellow at the International Security Program. Shaffer has also held positions as president of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association, researcher and policy analyst for the Government of Israel and visiting professor with the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, and she provides energy industry research and consulting to businesses and governments.

Shaffer is the author or editor of a number of books and has given congressional testimonies on several occasions in front of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on issues related to U.S. policy in the Caspian region.

Short Bio

  • Currently nonresident senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council; on sabbatical from the University of Haifa.
  • 2001-2004 Post-doctoral Fellow, "Young Truman Scholar" three-year fellowship in the field of Middle East Studies, Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).
  • 2000-2001 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Relations & Middle East Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).
  • 1999-2005 Post-doctoral Fellow, International Security Program, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (USA).
  • 1996-1999 Ph.D. School of History, Tel Aviv University (Israel). Dissertation topic: "The Formation of Azerbaijani Collective Identity: in Light of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Soviet Breakup."
  • 1986-1989 MA in Political Science (with specialization in Russian Studies) Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). (MA thesis topic: "Soviet Power Projection— the View of the Military").
  • 1983-1986 BA in Political Science and International Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).

Lobbying for Azerbaijan

Shaffer has been called a lobbyist on behalf of Azerbaijan, and has faced criticism over her writing of political articles and books related to Azerbaijan while hiding her commercial ties to the Azerbaijani government. In 2014, she failed to disclose her ties to the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan when she wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about Russia's role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, prompting the newspaper's editors to add a note after its publication.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) described Brenda Shaffer as a Lobbyist, who "used oil money to build her academic credentials" and in exchange promoted pro-Azerbaijani positions, for example concerning Nagorno-Karabakh, and lobbied for Baku's agendas through multiple newspaper op-eds and media appearances, congressional testimony, countless think tank events and scholarly publications.

Publications

Books

  • Co-editor of Beyond the Resource Curse (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012)
  • Author of Energy Politics (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009)
  • Editor of The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (MIT Press, 2006)
  • Author of Partners in Need: The Strategic Relationship of Russia and Iran (the Washington Institute for Near East Policy).
  • Author of Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity (MIT Press, 2002). The book was also published in Turkish (Bilgi University Press, Istanbul, 2008) and in Persian (Ulus Press, Tehran, 2008).

Book chapters and other publications

  • "Energy Resources in the Eastern Mediterranean: Prospects for energy markets and regional developments" in Michael Leigh (ed.), Eastern Mediterranean Energy: Fuel for conflict or cooperation? (D.C.: German Marshall Fund, 2012).
  • "US Policy and the Strategic Caucasus" in Frances Burwell and Svante E. Cornell, eds., The Transatlantic Partnership and Relations with Russia (Washington: Atlantic Council of the United States and Institute for Security and Development Policy, 2012).
  • "Ethnic Politics in Iran," in Reuven Pedatzur (editor), Iran and Regional Hegemony (S. Daniel Abraham Strategic Dialogue Center in association with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2010).
  • "The Islamic Republic of Iran: Is It Really?" in Brenda Shaffer (ed.), The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press, 2006).
  • "Iran’s Internal Azerbaijani Challenge: Implications for Policy in the Caucasus," in Moshe Gammer (ed.), The Caucasus (London: Frank Cass, 2004).
  • "U.S. Policy in the South Caucasus," in Dov Lynch (ed.) The South Caucasus: a challenge for the EU (Chaillot Paper 65, EU ISS, December 2003).
  • "Azerbaijan" in Waisman and Vasserman (ed.), Political Organizations in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Sources and Documents (London: Frank Cass, 2003).
  • "Azerbaycan Cumhuryetinin Kurulusu: Iran’daki Azeriler Uzerinde Etkisi", in Emine Gursoy-Naskali and Erdal Sahin (eds.) Turk Cumhuriyetleri (Amsterdam/Istanbul, SOTA Publications, 2002)(in Turkish).
  • "Statement on The Caucasus and Caspian Region: Understanding U.S. Interests and Policy", Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Europe of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, October 10, 2001, Serial No. 107–51.
  • "U.S. Russian Relations: Implications for the Caspian Region", Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, June 2001.
  • "Postscript" in David Menashri (ed.), Central Asia Meets the Middle East (London: Frank Cass, 1998).

Criticisms

Shaffer's book, "Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity" received criticism from Touraj Atabaki, a professor of social history at the University of Amsterdam and a senior research fellow at the International Institute of Social History, who wrote that "Borders and Brethren is an excellent example of how a political agenda can dehistoricize and decontextualize history".

Shaffer's article "U.S. Policy toward the Caspian Region: Recommendations for the Bush Administration" has also created controversy with regards to the objectivity of Harvard's Caspian Studies Program. Ken Silverstein, of Harper's Magazine, in an article titled "Academics for Hire", wrote that "Harvard's Caspian Studies Program receives a lot of money from both the oil companies and from some of the governments... As I had previously reported, the Caspian Studies Program (CSP) was launched in 1999 with a $1 million grant from the United States‒Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) and a consortium of companies led by ExxonMobil and Chevron Corporation. The program's other funders include Amerada Hess Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Unocal, and Glencore International...

Shaffer has also drawn criticism for writing on geostrategic issues regarding Azerbaijan under her academic affiliations, while working as a consultant to the President of SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan. On September 17, 2014, The New York Times published an editor's note to highlight that Shaffer did not disclose her affiliation to SOCAR when publishing an Op-Ed in its pages about the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. This has drawn criticism in other notable news outlets. In the 2019 book Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends, Shaffer is mentioned as an example of a scholar who has been caught moonlighting as a lobbyist, which in turn has damaged the reputation of the Atlantic Council, of which Shaffer continues to serve as a Nonresidential Senior Fellow. The book explains that Shaffer, whilst a member of the Atlantic Council and without her disclosure of being on SOCAR's payroll, has consistently tried to present Azerbaijan as supposedly being on the verge of becoming a democratic country, and has persistently tried to convince the US government to provide support for the ruling Aliyev regime of Azerbaijan. The book adds: "research shows that her entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership".

In 2021, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published an essay by Shaffer arguing that Armenia, with which Azerbaijan had just fought a war, should close its only nuclear power plant. The essay did not disclose Shaffer's financial interests. Discussing the incident, Eurasianet commented that "o Caucasus watchers intrigued and depressed by the way Baku uses its oil wealth to buy praise and influence abroad, Shaffer is infamous."

References

  1. Coalson, Robert (18 September 2014). "Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  2. ^ Bruckner, Till (2019). "Navigating the Grey Zones of Third-Party Lobbying via Nonprofits: Transparity's Experiences with Think Thanks and Fake News". In Dialer, Doris; Richter, Margarethe (eds.). Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends. Springer. p. 331. ISBN 978-3319988009.
  3. "The Security, Economic and Human Rights Dimensions of US-Azerbaijan Relations". Csce.gov. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  4. "Brenda Shaffer". Atlanticcouncil.org. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  5. "Lecturers: Prof. Brenda Shaffer, School of Political Sciences". Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  6. "University of Haifa. School of Political Sciences - Faculty: Dr. Brenda Shaffer". Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  7. "Brenda Shaffer - Harvard - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs". Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  8. "Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  9. "Hearing Details - House Committee on Foreign Affairs". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  10. Bruckner, Till; ContributorTranspariMED; Transparify (2015-06-25). "Foreign Lobbyist Gets Free Platform at Georgetown University, Atlantic Council". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-09-29. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  11. OCCRP. "How Azerbaijan Built a Stealth Lobbyist". Occrp.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  12. ^ Coalson, Robert (18 September 2014). "Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  13. Schreck, Carl (24 October 2014). "Sparks Fly Over Scholar's Azerbaijani Ties At Columbia University Event". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  14. "Azerbaijan and Think Tanks". The New York Times. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  15. "Corrections: September 17, 2014". The New York Times. 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  16. "How to Build Yourself a Stealth Lobbyist, Azerbaijani style". OCCRP. 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  17. "Svante Cornell's dealings in Azerbaijan despite funding from MFA of Sweden". Blankspot. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  18. "Beyond the Resource Curse | Brenda Shaffer, Taleh Ziyadov". Upenn.edu.
  19. "Energy Politics | Brenda Shaffer". Upenn.edu.
  20. Scott Pegg. "Review of Brenda Shaffer, Energy Politics", Perspectives on Politics, March 2011, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 129-132
  21. "Camron Michael Amin. "Review of Brenda Shaffer, Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity," H-Gender-MidEast, H-Net Reviews, August, 2003.Zwebsite=H-net.org". August 2003. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  22. "Borders and Brethren - the MIT Press". Archived from the original on 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  23. "The Caucasus and Caspian Region: Understanding U.S. Interests and Policy". commdocs.house.gov.
  24. Touraj Atabaki, Review of "Brenda Shaffer, Borders and Brethren, Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijan Identity", In Slavic Review, 63:1 (2004)
  25. Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity, azargoshnasp.net
  26. "Academics for Hire - Tuesday, May 30, 2006". Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  27. Energy Charter Secretariat (20 March 2013). "WORKSHOP ON CONTRACTUAL ISSUES RELATED TO ENERGY TRADE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  28. "Disclosure Update". The New York Times. September 17, 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  29. Robert, Coalson (September 18, 2014). "Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  30. Bruckner, Till (November 22, 2014). "U.S. Foreign Policy Manipulation via Media Is Systemic, Warns Expert". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22.
  31. "Armenia's nuclear power plant is dangerous. Time to close it". Thebulletin.org. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  32. "Pro-Azerbaijan American urges Armenia to close nuclear plant | Eurasianet". Eurasianet.org. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
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