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Lydia Khalil was an international affairs fellow in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Khalil, a specialist in Middle East politics and international terrorism, has worked in the United States and abroad for the U.S. government, international organizations, private companies, and think tanks on a variety of international political and security issues. Khalil was recently appointed as a visiting fellow at MacQuarie University in Sydney, Australia, as part of the Centre on Policing, Intelligence, and Counterterrorism. She is also a nonresident fellow at the Lowy Institute as part of the West Asia Program. Prior to her appointments in Sydney, Khalil was a counterterrorism analyst for the New York Police Department, focusing on international terrorism trends and terrorism cases in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Previously, she worked in Iraq as a policy adviser for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, where she worked closely with Iraqi politicians on political negotiations and constitutional drafting. Prior to her assignment in Iraq, she was appointed to the White House Office of Homeland Security as a White House intern.
Khalil holds a BA in international relations from Boston College and a MA in international security from Georgetown University. She has published extensively on issues relating to Middle East politics, terrorism, and other international security issues. She is also working on a forthcoming book on the Middle East. Lydia was born in Cairo, Egypt, and is a native Arabic speaker.
Lydia Khalil says that while terrorist attacks motivated by Islamic extremism receive large scale attention, the growing threat of homegrown radicalism tends to be "put on the back-burner."
See more in Homeland Security, Counterterrorism, Terrorist Attacks, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Lydia Khalil provides a guide to al-Qaeda's organization.
See more in Terrorism, Terrorist Organizations
Lydia Khalil asks, "What, if anything, does an association with al-Qaeda mean today?"
See more in Terrorism, Terrorist Organizations
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
Listen to John B. Bellinger III, Steven Simon, and Lydia Khalil consider the ramifications of the Justice department's controversial decision to prosecute 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
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 Public Opinion
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
Lydia Khalil analyzes the degree to which homegrown terrorism can be considered a real threat.
See more in Homeland Security, Counterterrorism, Terrorist Organizations
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
Lydia Khalil reviews NBC's "The Wanted."
See more in United States, Counterterrorism
Lydia Khalil argues, "Reformers hope to fulfill the work they began 30 years ago."
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
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
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
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
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