Stephen Tankel

Stephen Tankel is an associate professor in the School of International Service at American University and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

An expert on terrorism, counterterrorism, and security and military affairs in South Asia, Dr. Tankel has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, and the Balkans. He frequently advises U.S. policymakers, practitioners, and members of the Intelligence Community.

From 2014-2015, Dr. Tankel served as a Senior Advisor at the Department of Defense. During his time there, he led a review of U.S. defense policy in South and Central Asia, and helped to coordinate efforts to counter the flow of foreign fighters from South, Central, and Southeast Asia to Iraq and Syria.

Dr. Tankel is the author of numerous works, including With Us And Against Us: How America’s Partners Help and Hinder the War on Terror and Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Policy, and numerous other outlets. Dr. Tankel is also senior editor and columnist for the web magazine War on the Rocks, an associate editor at the Texas National Security Review, and a member of the editorial boards of Terrorism and Political Violence and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. He received his PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, has an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BS from Cornell University.