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. From

2014-2015, Dr. Tankel served as a Senior Advisor at the

Department of Defense. During this 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. An expert on

terrorism, counterterrorism, and security and military affairs in

South Asia, Dr. Tankel frequently advises U.S. policymakers,

practitioners, and members of the Intelligence Community on these

issues. He has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Algeria,

Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, and the Balkans. 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 is also a senior editor of the web magazine War on the Rocks, associate editor of the Texas National Security Review, on the editorial boards of Terrorism and Political Violence and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and a frequent media commentator.