home > the cfr think tank > experts > lydia khalil
International Affairs Fellow in Residence
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.212.434.9625
E-mail: lkhalil@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY and Boston, MA
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 85K)
One-page bio (PDF, 55K)
Former counterterrorism analyst for the New York Police Department and policy adviser for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. Working on a forthcoming book on the Middle East.
Expertise:Iraq, Egypt, Kurdish issues, Middle East politics and political reform; terrorism and counterterrorism, international terrorism and security, insurgency and counterinsurgency.
Experience:Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University, Center for Policing Intelligence and Counterterrorism (current); Nonresident Fellow, Lowy Institute for International Affairs (current); Visiting Fellow, Afghanistan Center for Peace and Security Studies, 2008; Counterterrorism Analyst, New York Police Department (NYPD) Counterterrorism Division (2007-2008); Senior Research Associate, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) (current); Political Advisor, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq (2003-2004); Whitehouse Office of Homeland Security (2003).
Languages:Arabic (fluent).
Honors:Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Medal, 2004.
Selected Publications:"Stability in Kurdistan - Reality or Mirage?" Brookings Institute, forthcoming; "Engaging the Enemy" ABC Unleashed; "Exploiting al Qaeda's Weaknesses" ASPI Strategic Policy Forum; "Authoritarian and Corrupt Governments" in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century: International Perspectives; "Turkey and the PKK" in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century: International Perspectives; "Public Perception and Homeland Security" in Homeland Security: Protecting America's Targets; Freedom in the World, 2007 and 2008, Freedom House; Jamestown Foundation (link to list of publications).
Interview:
"Iraq's Kurdish Elections" (TV interview; Al Jazeera English; July 31, 2009)
Related Links:
"Stability in Iraqi Kurdistan: Reality or Mirage?" (Lydia Khalil, Executive Summary, Brookings Institution, June 2009)
Current Research Projects
November 18, New York.
Transcript
Speakers discuss the decision by the Obama administration to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed-- the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and self-confessed organizer behind numerous other terrorist plots--and his co-conspirators in federal court in New York City.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Terrorism and the Law
November 18, 2009
Audio
Listen to John B. Bellinger III, Steven Simon, and Lydia Khalil consider the ramifications of the Justice department's controversial decision to proscute suspected September 11th mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and his four alleged co-conspirators.
See more in International Crime, Terrorist Leaders, Terrorist Attacks, Terrorism and the Law
October 30, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Lydia Khalil writes that because of their national background, a surprising number of Arabs are able to relate to the viewpoints of Fox News.
See more in Society and Culture, Ethnicity and National Identity, Media and Foreign Policy
October 28, 2009
Op-Ed
Small Wars Journal
Lydia Khalil writes that in the face of uncertainty in Afghanistan, President Obama should not forget the lessons learned in Iraq.
See more in Afghanistan, Iraq, Wars and Warfare
October 27, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Lydia Khalil analyzes the degree to which homegrown terrorism can be considered a real threat.
See more in Homeland Security, Counterterrorism, Terrorist Organizations
September 10, 2009
Expert Brief
New York City has developed a sophisticated local and global counterterrorism program since the 9/11 attacks, writes CFR's Lydia Khalil. Now the NYPD must determine from where the next terrorism threat will likely emerge and how best to deploy its resources to address it.
See more in United States, Counterterrorism
July 23, 2009
Op-Ed
New York Daily News
Lydia Khalil reviews NBC's "The Wanted."
See more in United States, Counterterrorism
June 29, 2009
Op-Ed
Christian Science Monitor
Lydia Khalil argues, "Reformers hope to fulfill the work they began 30 years ago."
June 12, 2009
Op-Ed
Foreign Policy
Lydia Khalil writes that Obama cannot truly influence politics in the Middle East if "citizens have no meaningful way to participate in their governments."
See more in Middle East, Presidency
April 14, 2009
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Lydia Khalil argues that President Obama need not lecture Iraqi leaders in order to convey U.S. support for Iraq's independence and sovereignty.
See more in Iraq, U.S. Strategy and Politics
March 2009
Article
Lowy Institute for International Policy
Lydia Khalil argues that domestic drivers in Iraq, rather than overhauled military or diplomatic strategy from without, will shape the nation's stability.
See more in Iraq, Civil Reconstruction
February 25, 2009
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Lydia Khalil argues that the Obama administration's message of hope can be an effective part of counterterrorism strategy if "forcefully articulated through a gradual swell of grass roots support."
See more in Counterterrorism, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Presidency
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
