Nadia Shamsedin

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Nadia Shamsedin is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host on the Republic Broadcasting Network and newspaper columnist. Nadia was born in Columbia, South Carolina and grew up as a Third Culture Kid. Her father, a Muslim Shiite and immigrant from Lebanon, and her mother, a Christian American, introduced Nadia to a life of challenge, education and international travel at an early age. In June, 1967, after living in Baghdad, Iraq for two years, the Six-Day War erupted, and American citizens were ordered to evacuate to Iran and later back to the United States. While in Lebanon in 1975 during its bloody civil war, Nadia’s family fled outbreaks of heavy artillery fire in Beirut. These would be her early experiences of turmoil in the Middle East and would later influence her work as a journalist. In 1978, after living in Kuwait for two years, Nadia enrolled at the University of South Carolina to major in Media Arts with an emphasis in fine art photography and filmmaking.

As part of a series of articles on Israeli economic reforms, Nadia interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu, and Benny Begin for publication in the Washington D.C.-based political journal New American View published by former CIA executive Victor Marchetti (The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence). Nadia also interviewed renowned Israeli whistleblower Barry Chamish, (The Fall of Israel, The Last Days of Israel) as part of an investigative story on Israeli government corruption.

While based in Washington, D.C., Nadia worked with renowned author Mark Lane (Rush to Judgment, Plausible Denial). As a member of the U. S. Senate & House of Representatives News Galleries, Nadia served as the News Producer for MBC (Middle East Broadcasting, Ltd) producing daily stories relating to U.S.-Middle East foreign policy. Nadia also reported from the White House and the State Department as the daily news correspondent for Dubai TV.

While stationed in Jerusalem, Nadia served as photographer and assistant to the producer for the PBS documentary Days of Rage. Subsequently, Nadia became the key news source for the explosive controversy surrounding that PBS film. Nadia provided the media with compelling evidence linking the PLO to the film’s producer. Nadia’s public testimony regarding the producer’s wholesale disregard for PBS’s funding guidelines generated a flurry of media attention. Nadia gave her story to U.S. News & World Report Senior Editor Steven Emerson who published the expose in The New Republic, and was also interviewed by the New York Times published September 1, 1989, with Jeremy Gerard.

Nadia received a full scholarship from the Lebanese Billionaire Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for aviation training at Emery Aviation College (Colorado Springs), American Flyers (Santa Monica), and American Aviation Academy and Squadron Aviation, (Washington, D.C.) earning her FAA Commercial/Instrument Pilot license. In 1995, Nadia was the only female commercial pilot participating in Flight for Peace, the exclusive celebration of the historic peace treaty signed between Jordan’s King Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Former FAA Administrator, King Hussein’s father-in-law, Najeeb Halaby, inspired and mentored Nadia’s flight training career.

Nadia is at work on a book entitled The Middle East I Knew; Growing up Arab-American. She is also writing a screenplay which publicizes the growing worldwide practice of honor killing.