I’m an Associate Professor of Political Science at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago, where I focus on American elections and political institutions, foreign policy and the international relations of the Middle East. Born and raised in New Jersey, I earned my PhD in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. In June 2020 I published The Kids Are All Left: How Young Voters Will Unite America with Melville House Publishing. My book on political reform in the United States, called It’s Time To Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics was published in April 2018 and was favorably reviewed in The New York Times, The Guardian and Politico. My first book, Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt (I.B. Tauris, 2013)– focused on the use of digital media by Egyptian opposition movements. With Babak Rahimi, I am the co-editor of and contributor to Social Media and Iran: Politics and Society After 2009 (SUNY Press). My academic work has been published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Policy, Arab Media & Society and Politique Etrangèr. I am currently working on a new book proposal about the Midwest and America’s future.
In addition to my academic work, I am a contributing writer at The Week, Slate, and Newsweek. I’ve published articles with Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Salon, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, NPR.org, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Daily News Egypt, the Philadelphia Citypaper, Morning Call, the Philadelphia Inquirer and more. I’ve been interviewed about my work by Vox, The Guardian, Slate, The Nation, Pacific Standard, Vice and Five Thirty Eight well as podcasts including Deconstructed with Mehdi Hassan, Chapo Trap House, The Benjamin Dixon Show, The Brad Friedman Show, The Political Philosophy Podcast, The Ben Joravsky Show, The David Pakman Show, the Nicole Sandler Show and more.
Outside of the classroom, you can probably catch me writing, hanging out with my amazing wife, partner and inspiration, Sheerine Alemzadeh and our kids, seeing a baseball game, toying with my fantasy baseball teams, making stews, running, watching B-grade sci-fi/horror, enjoying a game of poker or traveling.