home > the cfr think tank > experts > micah zenko
Fellow for Conflict Prevention
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.212.434.9845
E-mail: mzenko@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 28K)
One-page bio (PDF, 53K)
Political scientist with expertise in national security issues. Currently researching and writing on the prevention of violent conflict and turning his dissertation on limited uses of military force into a book.
Expertise:Conflict prevention; U.S. national security policy; military planning and operations; nuclear weapons policy.
Related Links:
"RE: The Predator War: A Letter in Response to Jane Mayer's Article" (The New Yorker; November 16, 2009)
"Don't rush the Afghan debate" (Christian Science Monitor; October 30, 2009)
"Iraq To U.S. Troops: Thanks, But No Thanks " (The Wonk Room; July 21, 2009)
"Why Expedite Cheney’s Request For Memos?" (The Wonk Room; April 27, 2009)
Micah Zenko discusses the rules of engagement that can minimize civilian casualties (The New York Times, Room for Debate; March 20, 2009)
CFR's Program on International Institutions and Global Governance
Current Research Project
Past Research Project
October 30, 2009
Op-Ed
Christian Science Monitor
Micah Zenko writes that although many are growing impatient waiting for President Obama to launch an Afghanistan strategy, it is prudent to let the deliberations play out so that he can get the strategy right.
See more in Afghanistan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 2009
Council Special Report No. 48
Council Special Report
The United States can ill afford the burden of additional foreign policy challenges, making it imperative that the U.S. government find ways to identify, delay, and avert international crises that could harm U.S. interests or even lead to military engagement. In this report, the authors provide an actionable road map for how the U.S. government should revamp its existing U.S. prevention architecture to make it more effective in dealing with potential crises abroad.
See more in United States, Conflict Prevention
August 30, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Micah Zenko makes the case, "Unless Tehran responds by late September to international proposals on its nuclear program, history strongly suggests the Israelis will act alone."
See more in Iran, Israel, Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction
August 2009
Article
Journal of Strategic Studies
Micah Zenko discusses President Bush's deferred attack on Khurmal, Iraq, before the 2003 war.
See more in Iraq, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 11, 2009
Interview
CFR Fellow Micah Zenko says U.S. air strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas are ineffective as a counterinsurgency tool. He recommends that Washington create oversight mechanisms for its covert operations in the tribal areas and develop a comprehensive national strategy toward Pakistan.
See more in Pakistan, Counterterrorism, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 30, 2009
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
Micah Zenko argues, "The U.S. military wants to minimize civilian deaths from airstrikes in Afghanistan, but conditions on the ground won't let it.'
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 15, 2009
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
Micah Zenko argues that the adjustment of Predator operations in Pakistan is a "creative and unprecedented arrangement" that will benefit the battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
See more in Pakistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 4, 2009
Op-Ed
Christian Science Monitor
Micah Zenko discusses several considerations the United States should make before using unmanned aerial drones in Pakistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Wars and Warfare
April 23, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Micah Zenko argues that given the ineffectiveness of recent U.S. operations in Somalia, airstrikes against Somali pirates would be militarily and politically unsuccessful.
See more in Somalia, International Peace and Security
April 1, 2009
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
Micah Zenko argues that the agreement between the United States and Russia to negotiate an arms control treaty within three months will be a historic first step toward nuclear disarmament.
See more in Russian Fed., Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament, U.S. Strategy and Politics
March 19, 2009
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
Micah Zenko argues that increased Predator drone strikes in Pakistan would be counterproductive to antiterrorism efforts in the region.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Defense Strategy, Terrorism
March 12, 2009
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
Micah Zenko argues that instituting a no-fly zone over Darfur is not the appropriate response to the ongoing genocide in Sudan.
See more in Sudan, International Organizations, Humanitarian Intervention
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
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