Professional Experience
I'm an American freelance investigative journalist, a City Journal contributing editor, a Senior Fellow for Turkey of the American Foreign Policy Council, travel writer, biographer, and novelist who lives in Istanbul with a menagerie of adopted stray animals. I'm the author of two works of non-fiction and two spy novels. I specialize in the kind of reporting that results in death threats and marriage proposals, sometimes from the same person. Please contact me for political, cultural and economic reporting from Turkey and Middle East.
Expertise
Book Author
10 Years
Reporter
4 Years
Researcher
22 Years
Specialty
International
24 Years
Politics
24 Years
War & Conflicts
17 Years
Industries
Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
17 Years
Online/new media
2 Years
Academia Teaching
2 Years
Total Media Industry Experience
24 Years
Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)
City Journal (6-10), Ricochet (10+), Gatestone International Policy Council (10+)
Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)
Gerson Lehrman Group (1-2)
Other Work History
My journalism has been published in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, First Post, the Oxford International Review, Gatestone International Policy Council, the Guardian, The American, Asia Times, the Claremont Review of Books, City A.M, the Globe and Mail, the New York Sun, The Weekly Standard, the Middle East Journal of International Affairs, the National, National Review, the National Interest, the Financial Times, the Spectator, Policy Review, Penthouse, Radio Free Europe, Standpoint, World Affairs Journal, Azure, Traveler's Tales, Tablet, Travel & Leisure, Arabies Trends, and numerous anthologies and encyclopedias. I'm an occasional guest on local and international radio and television shows. I've also worked as an editor for Asia Times and Ricochet, and as a private consultant to clients with an interest in Turkish domestic politics, the Turkish economy, and Turkish foreign policy.
Technical Skills
Cat chewed through your expensive Mac power cord? Give me five minutes, a pair of tweezers, a Bic lighter and some electrical tape and you'll be good as new. In fact, if you're feeling lucky, we can skip the electrical tape. And the lighter.
Foreign Language Skills
Fluent French, mangled Turkish, some Thai, can usually manage to communicate in any Indo-European language.
Computer Skills
No programming skills to speak of, but I can manage pretty much everything a journalist needs to do--Mac or Windows, it doesn't matter.
Equipment
Mac OSX, TC1100 Tablet (beats the iPad, by the way), Canon PowerShot SD750, digital recorder, notebook, pens.
Work Permits & Visas
Turkish residency permit, indefinite.
References
“Among the journalists who cover Turkey and the broader region, Claire is, by far, the sharpest observer of political, social and economic events. Her analysis and writing are analytical, incisive and objective. She has a keen eye for nuances in untangling political landscape in a rapidly changing region.
---Tanju Yurukoglu, Managing Principal, Eurasia Policy Associates.
“I had the chance to work/collaborate with Claire Berlinski numerous times over the years. To put it succinctly, she is one of the - if not THE - best international journalist reporting out of Turkey. You should also read her books. She is an exceptional writer.” --Okan Altiparmak, President, NiMBUS PRODUCTIONS
For further references, please consult my profile on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/claire-berlinski/6/b7/355
Awards
Rotary International Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
British Overseas Studentship
Moody Grant, Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation
Balliol College Jenkyns Prize for outstanding performance in final exams