Professor Vitaly Naumkin was born in Russia, received training in Cairo, Egypt, and completed his doctoral studies in the subjects of Arab and Islamic history and Sciences at Moscow State University. He is an internationally renowned scholar about the Arab and Muslim world, from ancient to modern times, and is known for his scholarship in such areas as international relations, strategic studies, Islamic Studies, conflict management and resolution, and Eurasian Studies. Since 1991 he has been president of the International Center for Strategic and Political Studies. In addition he holds the positions of: Director of the Center for Arab Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; Editor-in Chief of “Vostok-ORIENS;” and Chair of the faculty of World Politics, Moscow State University.
Professor Naumkin has lectured at many universities in the United States, Europe, the Arab world and Asia. In 2003 he was visiting professor at the Political Science Department of the University of California, Berkeley. He is also an editorial board member of several international journals, and has organized and participated in many international conferences. His major awards include the Order of Friendship (Republic of Tajikistan), and the Order of Honor from the Council of Muftis of Russia (for his cooperation with the Islamic institutions in Russia and Islamic scholarship). Professor Naumkin has written over four hundred books, chapters, and articles in Russian, Arabic, English, French, German and other languages.