Education
Council of Councils
Think Global Health
Online Store
About the Expert
Expert Bio
James M. Lindsay is senior vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he oversees the work of the more than six dozen fellows in the David Rockefeller Studies Program. He is a leading authority on the American foreign policymaking process and the domestic politics of American foreign policy.
Before returning to CFR in 2009, Lindsay was the inaugural director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the Tom Slick chair for international affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. From 2003 to 2006, he was vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair at CFR. He previously served as deputy director and senior fellow in the foreign policy studies program at the Brookings Institution. From 1987 until 1999, he was a professor of political science at the University of Iowa.
From 1996 to 1997, Lindsay served as director for global issues and multilateral affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. He has also served as a consultant to the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century (Hart-Rudman Commission) and as a staff expert for the United States Institute of Peace's congressionally mandated Task Force on the United Nations.
Lindsay has written widely on various aspects of American foreign policy and international relations. His most recent book, co-authored with Ivo H. Daalder, is The Empty Throne: America’s Abdication of Global Leadership. His previous book with Ambassador Daalder, America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy, was awarded the 2003 Lionel Gelber Prize, named a finalist for the Arthur S. Ross Book Award, and selected as a top book of 2003 by the Economist. Lindsay’s other books include Agenda for the Nation (with Henry J. Aaron and Pietro S. Nivola), which was named an "Outstanding Academic Book of 2004" by Choice Magazine, and Congress and the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy. He has also contributed articles to many major newspapers and magazines, including Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He writes the blog The Water's Edge, which discusses the politics of American foreign policy and the domestic underpinnings of American global power. He hosts the weekly podcast, The President’s Inbox, and co-hosts the weekly podcast, The World Next Week.
Lindsay holds an AB in economics and political science from the University of Michigan and an MA, MPhil, and PhD from Yale University. He has been a fellow at the Center for International Affairs and the Center for Science and International Affairs, both at Harvard University. He is a recipient of the Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs and CFR International Affairs Fellowship. He is a member of CFR.
Lindsay was born and raised in Massachusetts and lives in Washington, DC.
Featured
-
-
The annual summer entertainment recommendations from The World Next Week podcast.
-
The stories of six Americans who were awarded the Medal of Honor for making the ultimate sacrifice.
-
A comprehensive list of each episode of The President's Inbox organized by topic.
-
Vladimir Putin expected the invasion of Ukraine to divide the West. It did the opposite.
-
History suggests that control of Congress will change after November’s midterm elections.
-
Five questions about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will develop and what it means for the world.
-
President Biden delivers his first State of the Union speech tonight. Here are ten things you might not know about the tradition of having a president deliver an annual address.
-
President Biden delivers his first State of the Union speech tomorrow night. Can he use this perilous moment to begin to reverse the nation’s deep divisions?
-
In 1954, the Senate nearly passed a constitutional amendment to curtail the president’s authority to make international agreements. President Dwight D. Eisenhower avoided a major foreign policy loss thanks to an unusual ally.
-
TWE’s annual essay about the United States’ commanders-in-chief.
-
-
As 2021 comes to a close, here are five positive stories on the foreign policy front that happened in the past year.
-
Ten people who passed away this year who shaped world affairs for better or worse.
-
As 2021 comes to a close, here are ten influential U.S. foreign policy figures who passed away this year.
-
As 2021 comes to a close, here are five foreign policy news stories to follow in the coming year.
-
The newest branch of the U.S. military marks its second year of service.
-
As 2021 comes to a close, here are the top ten most notable world events of the past year.
-
Numerous countries will hold elections in 2022. Here are ten to watch.
-
As 2021 comes to a close, here are ten notable historical anniversaries to mark in 2022.
-
A list of all blog posts and videos reflecting on historical events from The Water's Edge.
-
Today we recognize those who have served in the United States’ armed forces.
-
The United States Marine Corps Marks 246 years of service.
-
Looking for something to read or watch? Here is a list of all the books and films recommended on The Water’s Edge.