About Amin Saikal
Born 1950. Amin Saikal is an Australian writer.
Amin Saikal (born in Kabul, Afghanistan), is emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, and Founding Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East & Central Asia), at the Australian National University. He is also adjunct professor of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia. Professor Saikal has specialised in the politics, history, political economy and international relations of the Middle East and Central Asia. He has been a visiting professor at Princeton University, Indiana University, Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Nanyang Technological University), Zayed University, and visiting fellow at Cambridge University and the Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex), as well as a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in International Relations (1983–1988). He is a member of many national and international academic organisations.
Professor Amin Saikal is a frequent commentator on radio and television , and has published numerous articles in international journals, as well as many feature articles in major international newspapers, including the International Herald Tribune, The New York Times and The Guardian. He is also a regular op-ed contributor to The Strategist and Project Syndicate.
Honours and recognition Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2006 Australia Day Honours for "service to the international community and to education through the development of the Centre for Arab and Islamic studies, and as an author and adviser". Elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. 2013. Peter Baume Award for Eminent Achievement and Merit of the Highest Order, Australian National University, 2017.
Writings
Saikal, Amin (2016). Iran at the Crossroads. Polity Press. . Saikal, Amin (2019). Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic. Princeton University Press. Saikal, Amin, and Maley, William (1991). Regime Change in Afghanistan: Foreign Intervention and the Politics of Legitimacy. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Piscatori, James, and Saikal, Amin (2019). Islam beyond Borders: The Umma in World Politics. Cambridge University Press. Nourzhanov, Kirill, and Saikal, Amin (2021). The Spectre of Afghanistan: Security in Central Asia. London: I.B. Tauris. Saikal, Amin, and Maley, William, editors (1989). The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan. Cambridge University Press. Saikal, Amin, and Maley, William, editors (1995). Russia in Search of Its Future. Cambridge University Press. Saikal, Amin, and Schnabel, Albrecht, editors (2003). Democratization in the Middle East: Experiences, Struggles, Challenges. New York: United Nations University Press. Hooker, Virginia, and Saikal, Amin, editors (2004). Islamic Perspectives on the New Millennium. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Saikal, Amin, and Acharya, Amitav, editors (2014). Democracy and Reform in the Middle East and Asia: Social Protest and Authoritarian Rule after the Arab Spring. London: I.B. Tauris. Saikal, Amin, editor (2016). The Arab World and Iran: A Turbulent Region in Transition. New York: Palgrave Mcmillan. Saikal, Amin, editor (2016). Weak States, Strong Societies: Power and Authority in the New World Order. London: I. B. Tauris. Saikal, Amin, and Nourzhanov, Kirill, editors (2016). Afghanistan and Its Neighbors after the NATO Withdrawal. New York: Lexington Books.
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Important facts
People in Amin Saikal's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Amin Saikal's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Amin Saikal?
Afghanistan-born Australian academic (born 1950)
When was Amin Saikal born?
Amin Saikal was born on 2 December 1950 in Kabul.
What is Amin Saikal's occupation?
Amin Saikal is a writer.
What nationality is Amin Saikal?
Amin Saikal is Australian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Amin Saikal. https://biography.guide/amin-saikal/
MLA: "Amin Saikal." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/amin-saikal/.
Chicago: "Amin Saikal." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/amin-saikal/.
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