Hillel Fradkin

Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World

At A Glance:

Hillel Fradkin is a senior fellow and director of the Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World at Hudson Institute.

Biography

Hillel Fradkin is a senior fellow and director of the Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World at Hudson Institute. He is founder and co-editor with Husain Haqqani and Eric Brown of the center's Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, the leading journal on contemporary Islamism (sometimes known as militant or radical Islam).

Dr. Fradkin is currently completing a book on the character and history of the dispute between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Its title is The Best of Communities Created for Man: The Contemporary Sunni Shiite Conflict in Historical Perspective. He is also often a director and participant in collaborative projects on the future dynamics of the order of the greater Middle East and the future dynamics of Islamism in Muslim politics done for the US Department of Defense. Recently, he has published articles on the Six Day War of June 1967 as well as the situation of the state of Israel in the presently evolving new world order. He will soon be undertaking a new book on the subject of nationalism and universalism as seen in the perspective of the Hebrew Bible.

Dr. Fradkin received his PhD in Islamic studies from the University of Chicago in 1978 for work done under the direction of the late Pakistani theologian Fazlur Rahman and was also a student of Dr. Muhsin Mahdi of Harvard University. His graduate studies included work on the history of Jewish thought. He received a BA in government from Cornell University.

Prior to joining Hudson in 2004, Dr. Fradkin was a fellow at several other research institutes. He was a member of the faculties of the University of Chicago (1986–98) and Columbia University/Barnard College (1979–86). He has taught at Yale University and Georgetown University. He was vice president of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and director of its grant-making program in public policy research (1986-1998). He served in the US Army from 1969 to 1972 and was a member of the National Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

He writes on both classical and contemporary Islam as well as Middle Eastern politics, American foreign and security policy, and international relations, and has lectured widely both in the US and abroad, including in France, Great Britain, Germany, Morocco, Turkey, and Israel, before academic, public, and governmental audiences. In addition to work on Islamic history and thought, he has also written on the history of the problematic relationship of religion and politics as well as the history of Jewish thought.

His foreign languages include Hebrew, French, and Arabic.

10
December 2018
Past Event
Needed Now More Than Ever: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
Featured Speakers:
Samuel Brownback
Frank R. Wolf
Thomas L. Gallagher
Nina Shea
Kristina Arriaga
Paul Marshall
Hillel Fradkin
Elizabeth Prodromou
Erin Rodewald
Lou Ann Sabatier
Katrina Lantos Swett
(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
10
December 2018
Past Event
Needed Now More Than Ever: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

Experts discuss the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Samuel Brownback
Frank R. Wolf
Thomas L. Gallagher
Nina Shea
Kristina Arriaga
Paul Marshall
Hillel Fradkin
Elizabeth Prodromou
Erin Rodewald
Lou Ann Sabatier
Katrina Lantos Swett
26
March 2018
Past Event
US in a Post-ISIS Iraq and Syria: Realigning Allies and Constraining Adversaries
Featured Speakers:
Michael Pregent
Hillel Fradkin
Jennifer Cafarella
Dr. Nahro Zagros
Dr. Ammar Kahf
Turkey, Free Syrian Army take complete control of Afrin.
26
March 2018
Past Event
US in a Post-ISIS Iraq and Syria: Realigning Allies and Constraining Adversaries

Hillel Fradkin, Michael Pregent, Jennifer Cafarella, Nahro Zagros, and Dr. Ammar Kahf discuss the Post-ISIS middle east.

Turkey, Free Syrian Army take complete control of Afrin.
Featured Speakers:
Michael Pregent
Hillel Fradkin
Jennifer Cafarella
Dr. Nahro Zagros
Dr. Ammar Kahf
23
October 2017
Past Event
Countering Violent Extremism: Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood
Featured Speakers:
Hillel Fradkin
Secretary Leon E. Panetta
Lally Weymouth
Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA)
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA)
General Charles “Chuck” Wald, US Army (Ret.)
Ambassador Alberto Fernandez
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
Ray Takeyh
William Wechsler
Hillel Fradkin
Lally Weymouth
General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.)
Representative Don Bacon (R-NE)
Ambassador Dennis Ross
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK)
Catherine Herridge
Representative Robert Pittenger (R-TX)
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
Hillel Fradkin
Stephen K. Bannon
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
(Image credit: 200mm)
23
October 2017
Past Event
Countering Violent Extremism: Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood

Countering Violent Extremism: Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood

(Image credit: 200mm)
Featured Speakers:
Hillel Fradkin
Secretary Leon E. Panetta
Lally Weymouth
Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA)
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA)
General Charles “Chuck” Wald, US Army (Ret.)
Ambassador Alberto Fernandez
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
Ray Takeyh
William Wechsler
Hillel Fradkin
Lally Weymouth
General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.)
Representative Don Bacon (R-NE)
Ambassador Dennis Ross
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK)
Catherine Herridge
Representative Robert Pittenger (R-TX)
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
Hillel Fradkin
Stephen K. Bannon
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
Ambassador Husain Haqqani
29
September 2017
Past Event
Iran's Land Bridge: Countering a Growing Influence in the Middle East
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Pregent
Hillel Fradkin
Ilan Berman
Photo credit: wsfurlan
29
September 2017
Past Event
Iran's Land Bridge: Countering a Growing Influence in the Middle East

Ilan Berman, Michael Pregent, Hillel Fradkin, and Lee Smith discuss Iran's strategic posture in the Middle East and its land bridge from Syria to Iraq

Photo credit: wsfurlan
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Pregent
Hillel Fradkin
Ilan Berman
02
June 2017
Past Event
Six Days of Fire: Israel and the June 1967 War, Fifty Years On
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Liel Leibovitz
At the end of the Six Day War, Israeli soldiers hug and kiss the stones of the Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, June 11, 1967 (Dan Porges/Getty Images)
02
June 2017
Past Event
Six Days of Fire: Israel and the June 1967 War, Fifty Years On

Michael Doran, Hillel Fradkin, Liel Leibovitz, and Lee Smith on the impact of the June 1967 War in Israel and its importance today to the Middle East

At the end of the Six Day War, Israeli soldiers hug and kiss the stones of the Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, June 11, 1967 (Dan Porges/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Liel Leibovitz
27
July 2016
Past Event
Geostrategic Ramifications of the Crisis in Turkey
Featured Speakers:
Peter Rough
Craig Kennedy
Eric Brown
Hillel Fradkin
27
July 2016
Past Event
Geostrategic Ramifications of the Crisis in Turkey

Craig Kennedy, Eric Brown, Peter Rough, and Hillel Fradkin discuss the geostrategic ramifications of the failed coup and political crisis in Turkey

Featured Speakers:
Peter Rough
Craig Kennedy
Eric Brown
Hillel Fradkin
28
July 2015
Past Event
Can the P5+1's Vienna Deal Prevent an Iranian Nuclear Breakout?
Featured Speakers:
Senator Tom Cotton
Michael Doran
William Tobey
Hillel Fradkin
Lee Smith
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28
July 2015
Past Event
Can the P5+1's Vienna Deal Prevent an Iranian Nuclear Breakout?

Senator Tom Cotton, Michael Doran, Lee Smith, William Tobey, and Hillel Fradkin discuss the Iran nuclear deal.

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Featured Speakers:
Senator Tom Cotton
Michael Doran
William Tobey
Hillel Fradkin
Lee Smith
09
December 2014
Past Event
The Future of the Middle East: Regional Scenarios Beyond the Obama Years
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Shmuel Bar
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
09
December 2014
Past Event
The Future of the Middle East: Regional Scenarios Beyond the Obama Years

Shmuel Bar, Michael Doran, Hillel Fradkin, and Lee Smith explore U.S. policy in the Middle East with respect to future regional strategy.

Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Shmuel Bar
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
19
November 2014
Past Event
Weighing the Costs and Benefits of a Prospective U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
David Albright
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Ray Takeyh
19
November 2014
Past Event
Weighing the Costs and Benefits of a Prospective U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal

Lee Smith lead a panel discussion with David Albright, Michael Doran, Hillel Fradkin and Ray Takeyh on the impact of a nuclear deal with Iran.

Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
David Albright
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Ray Takeyh
14
August 2014
Past Event
Which Poses the Bigger Threat to U.S. National Security—Iran or Non-State Sunni Extremism?
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Brian Katulis
14
August 2014
Past Event
Which Poses the Bigger Threat to U.S. National Security—Iran or Non-State Sunni Extremism?

On August 14, Hudson Institute hosted a panel on whether al Qaeda or Iran constitutes the major strategic threat to US interests in the Middle East

Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Brian Katulis
31
January 2014
Past Event
The United States, Iran, and the Post-Geneva Middle East: What's Next After the Joint Plan of Action Is Implemented?
Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Ray Takeyh
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31
January 2014
Past Event
The United States, Iran, and the Post-Geneva Middle East: What's Next After the Joint Plan of Action Is Implemented?

A Hudson Institute panel discussion on the "Joint Plan of Action" nuclear agreement with Iran, and the future of American Middle East security policy.

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Featured Speakers:
Lee Smith
Michael Doran
Hillel Fradkin
Ray Takeyh
22
October 2013
Past Event
Power Shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Emerging Strategic Relationship of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus
Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Seth Cropsey
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL)
H.E. Christos Panagopoulos
H.E. George Chacalli
Eli Groner
Douglas J. Feith
Hillel Fradkin
David Wurmser
Joshua Walker
Alexandros Petersen
Charles Ellinas
Nicholas Karambelas
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22
October 2013
Past Event
Power Shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Emerging Strategic Relationship of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus

The discovery of massive quantities of hydrocarbons in both the Israeli and Cypriot exclusive economic zones, and the selection of the Trans Adriatic

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Featured Speakers:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Seth Cropsey
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL)
H.E. Christos Panagopoulos
H.E. George Chacalli
Eli Groner
Douglas J. Feith
Hillel Fradkin
David Wurmser
Joshua Walker
Alexandros Petersen
Charles Ellinas
Nicholas Karambelas
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (2nd R) on Sept. 15, 2020.
Caption
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (2nd R) on Sept. 15, 2020.
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Former Senior Vice President
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Commentary
7 Min Read
Cartoon published in the British newspaper the INDEPENDENT in which the Ayatollah Khomeini is throwing a copy of THE RIGHTS OF MAN by Tom Paine onto a bonfire stoked with copies of THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie. (Terry Smith/The LIFE Images Collect
Caption
Cartoon published in the British newspaper the INDEPENDENT in which the Ayatollah Khomeini is throwing a copy of THE RIGHTS OF MAN by Tom Paine onto a bonfire stoked with copies of THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie. (Terry Smith/The LIFE Images Collect
Default Expert Image
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Commentary
10 Min Read