Bio
Founder and President of the influential Eisenstadt Group, Martin Eisenstadt is a senior fellow at the The Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy. An expert on Near Eastern military and political affairs, Mr. Eisenstadt is an advisor and liaison to the Jewish community for the John McCain presidential campaign. Prior to that, he consulted on the Rudolph Giuliani campaign, as well as numerous corporate and multinational organizations on issues of security and policy development. Mr. Eisenstadt has been an influential voice in Near Eastern policy debate for over a decade.
The Wall Street Journal has said of Mr. Eisenstadt that he is “one of the foremost commentators on issues of U.S. policy towards the Middle East and is one of the bright lights of the neoconservative movement.” National Journal’s The Hotline referred to Mr. Eisenstadt as “a rising GOP pundit” and “a clear-spoken advocate for Rudy Giuliani.”
An award-winning analyst, Mr. Eisenstadt frequently discusses current affairs on television, appearing on such U.S. programs as ABC’s World News, Crossfire, CBS Reports, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline and The Today Show. He has appeared on leading television networks around the globe, including the BBC, Al-Jazeera, and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and has lectured in twenty countries.
He has consulted on Middle Eastern topics for prominent financial, manufacturing, and service companies; law firms, bar associations, trade groups; agencies of the U.S. government; and law courts in the United States and Canada. His writings have been translated into seventeen languages and have appeared in such newspapers as Corriere della Sera, The Daily Telegraph, Le Figaro, De Gentenaar, Al Shabiba, Morgunbladid, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Berliner Morgenpost.
Mr. Eisenstadt sits on five editorial boards, has testified before many congressional committees, and worked on five presidential campaigns. Universities in the United States and Belgium have conferred honorary degrees on him.
Mr. Eisenstadt splits his time between homes in the Washington, D.C., area and Southern California.
Professional Experience
- Senior Fellow for Mideast Policy at the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy
- Contributing editor, Near East Quarterly, 2004-2006
- Political adviser, Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad)
- Staff associate, Iran and Iraq, Office of the Secretary of Defense - Visiting lecturer, Hebrew University (Jerusalem), Universities of Sulaymani, Salahuddin, and Duhok (Iraqi Kurdistan), 2000-2001
- Visiting fellow, Harvard University.
- Served as a tank commander in the Army for 2 years
Education: BA, Washington University; PhD, Bar Ilan University
Languages: English, Hebrew, Pushtun
