Brenda Shaffer

Last updated

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. [1] According to the 2019 book Lobbying in the European Union: Strategies, Dynamics and Trends, published by Springer: "research shows that her [Shaffer's] entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership". [2]

Contents

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. [3] She received her Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University and a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. [4] She is on sabbatical from the University of Haifa, where she is a professor in the School of Political Science. [5]

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. [6] and was the research director of the Caspian Studies Project at Harvard Kennedy School, [7] 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, [8] 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. [9]

Short Bio

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. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] 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. [12] [15]

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. [16] [17]

Publications

Books

Book chapters and other publications

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". [24] [25]

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... [26]

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. [27] [2] 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. [28] This has drawn criticism in other notable news outlets. [29] [30] 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. [2] 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. [2] The book adds: "research shows that her [Shaffer's] entire career has benefitted from financial support from sources tied to Azerbaijan's leadership". [2]

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. [31] Discussing the incident, Eurasianet commented that "[t]o Caucasus watchers intrigued and depressed by the way Baku uses its oil wealth to buy praise and influence abroad, Shaffer is infamous." [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan</span> Country straddling West Asia and Eastern Europe

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline</span> Oil pipeline

The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline is a 1,768 kilometres (1,099 mi) long crude oil pipeline from the Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It connects Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and Ceyhan, a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, via Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It is the second-longest oil pipeline in the former Soviet Union, after the Druzhba pipeline. The first oil that was pumped from the Baku end of the pipeline reached Ceyhan on 28 May 2006.

The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, largely known by its abbreviation SOCAR, is a fully state-owned national oil and gas company headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company produces oil and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani segment of the Caspian Sea. It operates the country's only oil refinery, one gas processing plant and runs several oil and gas export pipelines throughout the country. It owns fuel filling station networks under the SOCAR brand in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania, Switzerland, and Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Azerbaijan</span>

The history of Azerbaijan is understood as the history of the region now forming the Republic of Azerbaijan. Topographically, the land is contained by the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in the north, the Caspian Sea in the east, and the Armenian Highlands in the west. In the south, its natural boundaries are less distinct, and here the country merges with the Iranian Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Bryza</span> American diplomat

Matthew James Bryza is a former United States diplomat. His last post in the United States foreign service was the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petroleum industry in Azerbaijan</span> Aspect of Azerbaijani industry

The petroleum industry in Azerbaijan produced about 33 million tonnes of oil and 35 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022. Azerbaijan is one of the birthplaces of the oil industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline</span> Proposed subsea pipeline

The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline is a proposed subsea pipeline between Türkmenbaşy in Turkmenistan, and Baku in Azerbaijan. According to some proposals it would also include a connection between the Tengiz Field in Kazakhstan, the Sangachal Terminal in Baku, and Türkmenbaşy. The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project would transport natural gas from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to European Union member countries, circumventing both Russia and Iran. It would do this by feeding the Southern Gas Corridor. This project attracts significant interest since it would connect vast Turkmen gas resources to major consumers Turkey and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan–European Union relations</span> Bilateral relations

The Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) have maintained a positive relationship through the years and have become more closely linked since 1991. Azerbaijan is currently part of the European Neighborhood Policy, the Eastern Partnership and the Council of Europe. The EU is the largest foreign grant donor to and investor in Azerbaijan, both in the government sector and civil society, making available over 600 million EURO of bilateral EU assistance since 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Russia and Azerbaijan are de facto and de jure allies in many different aspects, including military. Bilateral relations exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation. The Embassy of Azerbaijan is located in Moscow, Russia. The Embassy of Russia is located in Baku, Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Strong foreign relations exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom. The Embassy of United Kingdom in Baku opened in 1992. The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in London opened in 1994. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trend News Agency</span> Azerbaijani news company

Trend News Agency is an Azerbaijani news agency which focuses on current affairs in the Caucasus region and Central Asia. The agency is pro-government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vafa Guluzade</span> Azerbaijani diplomat

Vafa Guluzade was an Azerbaijani diplomat, political scientist and specialist in conflict resolution. He worked as Foreign Policy State Advisor for the President of Azerbaijan between 1990-1999.

The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute or CACI was founded in 1996 by S. Frederick Starr, a research professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. He has served as vice president of Tulane University and as president of Oberlin College (1983–1994) and the Aspen Institute. He has advised three U.S. presidents on Russian/Eurasian affairs and chaired an external advisory panel on U.S. government-sponsored research on the region, organized and co-authored the first strategic assessment of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Afghanistan for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1999, and was involved in the drafting of recent U.S. legislation affecting the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karabakh oilfield</span>

Karabagh is an offshore oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea, located 120 km (75 mi) east of Baku, Azerbaijan, in the northern part of Absheron archipelago. A risk service agreement (RSA) for the development of the Karabagh field was signed on 30 May 2018, between SOCAR and Equinor (Statoil). The Karabagh oilfield is located 120 kilometres east of Baku, close to the SOCAR operated Shallow Water Gunashli (SWG) field and the BP operated Azeri Chirag Gunashli (ACG) field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian Azerbaijanis</span> Ethnic group in Iran

Iranian Azerbaijanis are Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity. Most Iranian Azerbaijanis are bilingual in Azerbaijani and Persian. They are mainly of Iranian descent. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of and in smaller numbers, in other provinces such as Kurdistan, Qazvin, Hamadan, Gilan, Markazi and Kermanshah. Iranian Azerbaijanis also constitute a significant minority in Tehran, Karaj, and other regions. Some also have migrated to the Gulf GCC countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamil Hasanli</span> Azerbaijani historian, author and politician (1952)

Jamil Poladkhan oghlu Hasanli is an Azerbaijani historian, author and politician. He served as a professor at Baku State University in 1993–2011 and as a professor at Khazar University in 2011–2013. He was an advisor to the President of Azerbaijan in 1993 and served two terms in the Parliament of Azerbaijan between 2000 and 2010. He was the main opposition candidate in the 2013 Azerbaijani presidential election where he came in second with 5.53% of votes. He has been the leader of National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan since 2013.

Shireen Tahmaaseb Hunter is an independent scholar. Until 2019, she was a Research Professor at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with which she had been associated since 2005, as Visiting Fellow and then Visiting Professor. She became an honorary fellow of ACMCU in September 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobel Energy</span> UK based oil corporation

Nobel Energy is a group of companies concentrated in the energy industry providing integrated engineering, construction, procurement and supply chain management, and drilling services. Nobel Energy is a part of NEQSOL Holding, an international group of companies, acting in energy, telecommunications, high-technology, and construction industries in the UK, the USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and the UAE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Vatanka</span>

Alex Vatanka is a senior fellow and the founding director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. He specializes in Iranian domestic and regional policies. Born in Tehran and also raised in Denmark, he joined the Middle East Institute in 2007. He was formerly an analyst with Jane’s Information Group in London (UK) before moving to Washington D.C. He is also a senior fellow in Middle East Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School at Hurlburt Field and teaches as an adjunct professor at Wright-Patterson AFB.

References

  1. ↑ Coalson, Robert (18 September 2014). "Azerbaijan's Opinion-Shaping Campaign Reaches 'The New York Times'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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. ↑ 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.
  30. ↑ "Armenia's nuclear power plant is dangerous. Time to close it". Thebulletin.org. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  31. ↑ "Pro-Azerbaijan American urges Armenia to close nuclear plant | Eurasianet". Eurasianet.org. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.