CFR Welcomes Ed Husain Back as Senior Fellow

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to welcome Ed Husain back as a senior fellow. He was previously a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies from 2010 to 2013 and an adjunct senior fellow from 2014 to 2015. His 2013 Policy Innovation Memorandum on countering violent extremism helped spur the creation of a Geneva-based global fund to combat political violence.

At CFR, Husain will focus on issues pertaining to U.S. policy toward the Middle East, China’s role in the Middle East, and global Islamist terrorism. Husain is also a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he teaches courses on global security, Arab-Israeli peace, and the shared intellectual roots of the West and Islam. 

In his role from 2023 to 2024 as director of the N7 Initiative, a strategic partnership between the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation and the Atlantic Council, Husain led an international summit in Tel Aviv. This summit marked the first high-level gathering of Arab, Muslim, and Israeli government ministers, financiers, and global leaders. 

“I am delighted to welcome Ed back to the Council. Ed is a recognized authority on Islamism and and has a wealth of experience across the Middle East,” said CFR President Michael Froman. 

Husain served from 2014 to 2017 as a senior adviser to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and has worked with various European and Middle Eastern governments on counterterrorism issues.  

Husain is the author of three acclaimed books, The Islamist (2007), House of Islam (2018), and Among the Mosques (2021). His writings have been featured in prominent publications such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and he has appeared on major news networks including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC. 

Husain holds a BA in history and an MA in Middle Eastern studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.

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