Professor, International Security Program Manager, Director for the Center of Security Policy Studies
Contact Information
elaipson@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-4161
Mason Square, Van Metre Hall, Room 530
3351 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
MSN: 3B1
Biography
Ellen Laipson is the director of theMaster's in International Securitydegree program and theCenter for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at AV. She joined Mason after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15).
Laipson serves on a number of academic and other nongovernmental boards related to international security and diplomacy, and is a columnist for worldpoliticsreview.com. Her last post in government was vice chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997-2002). Laipson also served on the State Department's policy planning staff, the National Security Council staff, and the Congressional Research Service. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she serves on the Advisory Councils of the Chicago Council on Global Affairsand Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.
Laipson served on the board of the Asia Foundation (2003-15) and the Council of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (2009-19). She was a member of the CIA External Advisory Panel from 2006-09, President Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board from 2009-13, and on the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board 2011-14.
She received a MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studiesand an AB from Cornell University.
Curriculum Vitae
View Ellen Laipson's CV
Director, International Security Program
Director, Center for Security Policy Studies
Schar School of Policy and Government AV
Founders Hall Room 530
Elaipson@gmu.edu
703-993-4161
202-907-1149(cell)
President Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow 2015 - present
Columnist for World Politics Review2015 -present
Past Positions
President and CEO, The Stimson Center April 2002- October 2015
Distinguished Fellow, Iran Strategy Project, Atlantic Council, Jan-June 2016
Vice Chairman, National Intelligence Council (1997-2002)
Special Assistant to the US Permanent Representative to the UN (1995-1997)
Director, Near East and South Asian Affairs, NSC (1993-1995)
National Intelligence Officer, Near East and South Asia, National Intelligence Council (1990-1993)
Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Congressional Research Service (1979-1990)
- Member, Policy Planning Staff, Department of State (1986-1987)
- Analyst, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State (1980) Legislative Aide, Office of Senator Joseph Biden (1977-1979)
CurrentAffiliations
Asia Foundation Board of Trustees (2003-2015, Emeritus)
Advisory Council, Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2014-)
Advisory Council, Georgetown Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (2015-)
Member, American Academy of Diplomacy
Member, Council on ForeignRelations
RecentAffiliations
International Council of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (2009-2019)
American Diplomacy Center Board of Trustees (2012-19)
Education for Employment Foundation Board (2003-2011)
USIP Iraq Study Group Experts’ Panel (2005-2006)
CIA External Advisory Board (2006-2009)
President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (2009-2013)
Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board (2011-2014)
Education
MA Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (1978)
AB Cornell University (1974)
LanguagesFrench,Hebrew, Arabic
Publications
Monographs
ANewStrategyforUS-IranRelationsinTransition,(AtlanticCouncilStrategy Paper, Washington, D.C.: October 2016)
RevisitingMarshall:PrivateSectorDevelopmentintheMiddleEast (StimsonCenter, Washington, D.C.: 2015)
Seismic Shift: Understanding Change in the Middle East (Stimson Center, Washington, D.C.: May2011) Project director, Editor and Contributing Author
IraqandAmerica:Choices andConsequences(StimsonCenter,Washington,D.C.:Jan 2011) Co-editor with Maureen Steinbruner and Contributing Author
OntheMove:MigrationChallengesintheIndianOcean Littoral(StimsonCenter, Washington, D.C., 2010)Co-editor with Amit Pandya and Contributing Author
The Indian Ocean:Resource and Governance Challenges(Stimson Center, Washington,D.C.:2009)Co-EditorwithAmitPandya andContributingAuthor
USIntelligenceAfterSeptember11:ClosingtheGaps(TheEmiratesCenterfor Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi, UAE: 2003)
Congressional-ExecutiveRelations andtheTurkish ArmsEmbargo.Congress and Foreign Policy Series No. 3(Committee on Foreign Affairs, US House of Representatives,US Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D.C.:June 1981)
Turkey’s Problems and Prospects: Implications for US Interests.Report for the SubcommitteeonEurope andtheMiddleEast,USHouseofRepresentatives.US Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.: March 3, 1980.
JournalArticles
“IranandtheNuclearAgreement:StalemateorontheRoadtoWar?” in TheSAIS Review of International Affairs(Vol. 39, No. 2) Summer-Fall 2019
“Prospects for Middle East Security Sector Reform”, in Survival (Vol. 49, No.2) Summer2007
“WhileAmericaSlept,” inForeignAffairs(Vol.82,No.1.Jan/Feb2003)
“TheMiddleEast’s DemographicTransition”,inJournalofInternationalAffairs(Vol. 56, No. 1) Fall 2002
Chapters in Books
“America and the Mediterranean: an Arena for Transnational Threat Management,” in IeMED Mediterranean Yearbook, 2018.
“From Somnolence to Turbulence: The Global Awakening,” in Managing Conflict in a World Adrift (USIP Press and CIGI, Washington, D.C., January, 2015).
“The Indian Ocean: An Evolving US Policy Agenda,” in Converging Regions: Global Perspectives on Asia and the Middle East (Ashgate Press, Singapore 2014).
“Think Tanks: Supporting Cast Players in the National Security Enterprise,” in The National Security Enterprise: Navigating the Labyrinth, Roger George and Harvey Rishik of, Editors. (Georgetown University Press, 2011, revised 2017).
“Syria: Can the Myth be Maintained without Nukes?” in The Nuclear Tipping Point: Why States Reconsider their Nuclear Choices, Kurt Campbell, Robert Einhorn and Mitchell Reiss, Editors. (Brookings Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 2004).
Op-Eds and Weekly Columns at World PoliticsReview
“How COVID-19 Is Impairing U.S. Security Cooperation Overseas,” (4/9/20)
Trump and Congress Don’t See Eye-to-Eye on Turkey. That’s Nothing New.” (11/19/19)
“As the Migration Crisis Evolves, the Wealthiest Countries Still Aren’t Doing Enough,” (8/27/19)
“From Iran to Israeli-Palestinian Peace, Trump’s Economic Focus Misses thePoint,” (6/18/19)
“Mounting Pollution at Home Threatens South Korea’s Leadership on Climate Policy,” (6/7/19)
Taking the Long View on the Arab Spring, After Bouteflika’s Resignation inAlgeria,” (4/5/19)
“The Army’s Iraq War Study Shows Truth-telling is Still Possible in Washington,” (02/14/19)
“A Glimmer of Hope for Science over Denialism over Climate Բ,”(12/13/18)
“What does Disarray in the Gulf mean for the GCC?” (11/6/18)
“Foreign Aid is the Latest Casualty of American Retrenchment under Trump,” (10/5/18)
“Looking Back on Three Years of ‘Measured Response,’(06/12/18)
“How South Koreans are Coping with the Chaos of Trump’s High-Risk Diplomacy,” (06/05/18)
“The Danger and Irrelevance of the Libya and Iran Analogies to KoreaDiplomacy,” (05/29/18)
“Is the US Expecting Too Much out of Iraq’s Elections?” (05/22/18)
How do you Solve a Problem like Gina Haspel?” (05/15/18)
“Is Democracy Really Dead in the Arab World?” (05/08/18)
“Taking out Yemen’s Houthi Leaders is no Path to Peace,”(05/01/18)
“How the Fate of the Iran Deal Could Affect Talks with North Korea,” (04/24/18)
“Bombing Assad Won’t Change Resentments in the Middle East over American Power,” (04/17/18)
“Today, the Marshall Plan’s Virtues are the Stuff of History andNostalgia,” (04/10/18)
“Making Sense of Trump at War: Ramping up in Afghanistan, Scaling Back in Syria,” (04/03/18)
“The Lessons of Israel’s 2007 Strike on a Suspected Syrian NuclearReactor,” (03/27/18)
“Saudi Crown Prince’s US Tour will Surely Avoid the Ongoing Rift in the Gulf,” (03/20/18)
“Below the Radar, the US is Making Steady Progress on the Climate Security Nexus,” (03/13/18)
“Reforming US Security Aid is Unlikely to Transform the Most Difficult Partnerships,” (03/06/18)
“Will the Spirit of Korean Reunification Linger after the Olympics?” (02/27/18)
“What Iraq’s Reconstruction Conference Revealed about its New Friends and Partners,” (02/20/18)
“Why Libya Shouldn’t be Lumped in with Iraq as a US Foreign PolicyFailure,” (02/13/18)
“Think Tanks Step up in a Polarized Washington where Government Trustis ǻ徱Բ,”(02/06/18)
“Trump found the Sweet Spot where “America First” and the Davos World Meet,” (01/30/18)
“Are Climate Change and the Environment Driving Protests in Iran andTunisia?” (01/22/18)
“Why Trump’s Fixation on Friendships with World Leaders couldBackfire,” (01/16/18)
“The Foreign Policy Aftermath of the Iran Protests, in Tehran andWashington,” (01/09/18)
“Is Trump’s National Security Strategy a Useful Guide to the Biggest Threats in 2018?” (01/02/18)
“Is the Gulf Cooperation Council Dead? Will it Matter if it is?” (12/19/17)
“How will Emerging Cyber Threats Change the way We Think about Conflict?” (12/12/17)
“In the Effort to Reduce Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Glass Looks HalfEmpty,” (12/05/17)
“The Rise of an Upstart Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia Splits AmericanExperts,” (11/28/17)
“From Conflict to Climate Change, Are Policy Responses to Food Insecurity Getting Smarter?” (11/21/17)
“US Intelligence Faces Challenges from Tech, Bad Actors – and thePresident,” (11/14/17)
“North Korea Tops Trump’s Agenda in Asia. But Can He Deal with theGeopolitics?” (11/07/17)
“Palestinian Anguish and Quiet Israeli Celebration on the Balfour Declaration’s Centennial,” (10/31/17)
“Does Anyone Want to Replace the US as the Great Power in the MiddleEast?” (10/24/17)
“Troubling Insights from Asia about the Durability of Gender-basedViolence,” (10/17/17)
“Jalal Talabani’s Approach to Leadership and Identity in Iraq – andBeyond,” (10/10/17)
“Are US Diplomacy and Deterrence Working at Cross Purposes with NorthKorea?” (10/03/17)
“Is Kurdish Independence from Iraq Impossible? Or Inevitable?” (9/26/17)
“The Risks of Giving the CIA Expanded Drone Strike Authority,” (09/19/17)
“US Diplomacy is on the Defensive, on Several Fronts at Home and Abroad,” (09/12/17)
“Finding Links between the Flooding in Texas and Asia,” (09/05/17)
“What would a regional strategy for Afghanistan actually look like?” (08/29/17)
“Are the US and its Allies on the Same Page on North Korea, Russia and Iran?” (08/15/17)
“Trump’s Disruption-Lite Waffling Makes for Less Reliable USLeadership,” (08/08/17)
“As Stalemate in the Gulf Crisis Continues, the Costs for the Region Grow,” (08/01/17)
“Safeguarding Tunisia’s Success Highlights Congress’ Critical Foreign Policy Role,” (07/25/17)
“After the Liberation of Mosul, Where’s the Good News for Iraq?”(07/18/17)
“State Department Workforce Hopes Tillerson will not Sacrifice Mission for Reforms,” (07/11/17)
“What Obama’s Response to Russian Election Interference Really Reveals,” (06/27/17)
“Is the Iran Nuclear Deal in Trouble Again?”(06/20/17)
"Will the Gulf Cooperation Council Survive the Saudi-Qatar Crisis?” (06/13/17)
“How the Hobbesian Trump Team will Cope with Climate, Terrorism and Nukes,” (06/06/17)
“The Fierce Resolve and Strategic Wisdom of Zbigniew Brzezinski,” (05/30/17)
“African States Top the Fragility List, but Major Powers are No Longer Immune,” (05/23/17)
“Saudi Arabia and Israel Face the Uncertainties of Trump’s Upcoming Visit,” (05/16/17)
“Rex Tillerson’s Downsized Vision for US Diplomacy,”(05/09/17)
“Is Trump Changing His Approach to Dealing with his Fellow Leaders?”(05/02/17)
“Does Trump Think US-Iran Relations Have to Get Worse to Get Better?” (04/25/17)
“Trump Might be Learning to Trust Expert Opinion. Will his Followers FollowSuit?” (04/18/17)
“The Danger of Reading Too Much into the US Attack on Syria,”(04/11/17)
“The Reality of Middle East Conflicts Catches up with the Trump Administration,” (04/4/17)
“Are Iraq and the US Ready to Win the Peace after the Liberation ofMosul?” (03/28/17)
“Is Iran Actually Losing Ground in the Shifting Geopolitics of the Middle East?” (03/21/17)
“Is Tillerson to Blame for Foggy Bottom’s Funk or is it Deeper Institutional Issues?” (3/14/17)
“In Asia, Many see Opportunities and some Risks in Trump’s Foreign Policy,” (3/7/17)
“Why Trump’s Bilateral Approach to Foreign Policy is Necessary but notSufficient,” (2/28/17)
“Are Saudi Arabia and Iran Beginning to Back Away from Confrontation?” (2/21/17)
“Is international cooperation on Terrorism a Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?” (2/14/17)
“On Migration and Security, there are actually three MediterraneanStories,” (2/7/17)
“Trump’s Muslim Ban Pours Fuel on the Fire of the ‘Clash ofCivilizations’,” (1/31/17)
“The Bureaucracy and the Trump Administration are Off to a Rough Start,” (1/24/17)
“On Iran, can Trump make the Transition from Campaign Rhetoric to Policy?” (1/1717)
“How to Read the National Intelligence Council’s Latest Global Trends Report,” (1/10/17)
“Thinking Beyond Worst Case Scenarios for 2017,”(1/3/17)
“Is a Coherent Worldview Emerging from Trump’s Cabinet Appointments?” (12/20/16)
“Can the Gulf States Overcome their Dependence on the US for Regional Security?” (12/13/16)
“Why Trump’s Taiwan Call Might be the Least of Traditional Diplomacy’s Worries,” (12/6/16)
“Will the Iran nuclear deal survive under Trump – and at What Cost?”(11/29/16)
“Where Europeans see Catastrophe in Trump’s Victory, Asians See Chancefor Բ,”(11/22/16)
“How will Trump Deal with the Big Three Threats to InternationalSecurity?” (11/15/16)
“Can the US be a Model for State-Religion Relations for the Arab World?” (11/8/16)
“Taking the Long View on the Changing Status of Women in the Middle East,” (11/1/16)
“What would Victory in Mosul mean for Iraq’s Neighbors?” (10/25/16)
“What Comes after Liberating Mosul from ISIS will Determine Iraq’s Future,” (10/18/16)
“Can the Norm of Atrocity Prevention Survive the Syrian War?”(10/11/16)
“When Doing Less to Stabilize Fragile States is the Least Bad Option,”(10/4/16)
“Can US Intelligence Restore Public Trust on Balancing Security andOpenness?” (9/27/16)
“Will Obama Re-link US-Israel Security Relations with Palestine Peace?”(9/20/16)
“In Prioritizing the Biggest Global Threats, Three top the list,” (9/13/16)
“Nuclear Deal Does Little to Change Iran’s Engagement with the World,”(9/6/16)
“Syria Reveals the Limits of Ad Hoc Coalitions and Alliances of Convenience,” (8/30/16)
“Fractured Lands: Making Sense of the Unraveling of the Middle East,” (8/16/16)
“Olympic Reformers Could Take a page from UN Counterparts’ Playbook,” (8/9/16)
“It’s Time to start preparing for the Challenges of Climate-Driven Migration,” (8/2/16)
“How the next president can right size US goals in Afghanistan,” (7/26/16)
“Failed Coup is a Victory for Erdogan, but not for Turkey’s Democracy,” (7/19/16)
“Turkey and Iraq Illustrate the two sides of the Middle East’s StrongmanProblem,” (7/12/16)
“Drone Casualty Data Highlights the Limits and Downsides ofTransparency,” (7/5/16)
“Brexit’s Ripple Effects will Reach the Middle East Too,”(6/28/16)
“When it Comes to Defining Moderate and Radical Islam, Who Decides?” (6/21/16)
“Modi’s Visit Clarified the New Normal in US-India Relations,” (6/14/16)
“Europe and the Mediterranean, Torn between Separatism and Integration,” (6/7/16)
“Rhodes Profile: Citizens, Spin and Truth in the Hybrid Information Era,” (5/24/16)
“A Century after Sykes Picot, is there a better map for the Middle East?” (5/17/16)
“Erdogan-Davutoglu Feud puts EU-Turkey Refugee Deal in Jeopardy,” (5/10/16)
“Playing the Long Game: Getting past near-term Thinking on Terrorism,” (5/3/16)
“Despite Optics of Obama’s Gulf Trip, US-GCC Cooperation Remains Robust,” (4/26/16)
“To Stabilize Iraq, Loosen Internal Bonds without Breaking them,” (4/19/16)
“First Steps on the Long Slog to Peace in the Middle East,” (4/12/16)
“Can the Laws of War Adapt to a world of drone warfare?”(4/5/16)
“The Last Nuclear Security Summit, in the Shadow of Brussels,” (3/29/16)
“Despite Flaws, EU-Turkey Refugee Deal Pulls back Europe Back from Brink,” (3/22/16)
“President Obama’s Foreign Policy Legacy as he sees it,” (3/15/16)
“Is Obama’s Transparency on Drone Policy too little, too late?” (3/8/16)
“Making the Most of the Worldwide Threat Assessment,” (3/1/16)
“FBI vs. Apple: Finding the Right Balance between Technology andSecurity,” (2/23/16)
“Maghreb, Sahel Struggle with Religion as Anti-terror Policy Tool,” (2/15/16)
Dubai’s World Government Summit: Positive Agenda, Surreal Context,” (2/9/16)
“Clumsy Visa Waiver Changes Part of US Overreaction to ISIS,”(2/2/16)
“Empowering Reform is the Key to Robert Gates’ Leadership Approach,” (1/26/16)
“With Sanctions Lifted, will Iran Seek Engagement or Confrontation?” (1/19/16)
“Can Regional Powers Mediate the Saudi-Iran Conflict?” (1/12/16)
“Nimr Execution is Latest Unforced Error for Saudi Arabia,” (1/5/16)
“UN Peacemakers Wind up Tough Year with a Flurry of Progress,” (12/22/15)
“Yemen Peace Talks Could Save Gulf States from Themselves,” (12/15/15)
“In War against the Islamic State, US Values must not be a Casualty,” (12/8/15)
“Ideas but no Consensus for long term Strategies against Islamic State,” (12/1/15) “
At Halifax Forum, Demand for US Leadership Outstrips Supply,” (11/24/15)
“At G-20 Summit, Economics Overshadowed by Paris Attacks,” (11/17/15)
“For Gulf States, Forging National Identity Trumps RegionalIntegration,” (11/10/15)
“At India-Africa Summit, Solidarity but not Consensus for Global South,”(11/3/15)
“Similar Plot Twists, but Different Narratives for Iraq and Syria,” (10/27/15)
“Pragmatism versus “Big Think” in Democrats’ Foreign PolicyPriorities,” (10/20/15)
“Tunisia Quartet’s Nobel Peace Prize sends two Messages,” (10/13/15)
“No Sign of US-Iran Breakthrough at UN General Assembly,”(10/6/15)
“UN at 70: Caught Between Accomplishments and Shortcomings,” (9/29/15)
“Pope’s Visit Underscores Religion’s Prominence in Global Affairs,”(9/22/15)
“Buyer Beware: the Pitfalls of an Economics Driven US Foreign Policy,” (9/15/15)
“With Iran Deal Secured, Implementation becomes Next Battleground,” (9/8/15)
“Gulf States’ Inaction Heightens Europe’s Migrant Crisis,” (9/1/15)
“Iraq’s Future is about Much More than the Islamic State,”(8/25/15)
“As Intelligence Evolves, Is the US Getting Smarter about it?” (8/18/15)
“What the Japan Option Tells us about Iran’s Nuclear Prospects,” (8/11/15)
“Iran Deal Debate Highlights Think Tanks’ Role in US Policy,” (7/28/15)
“For 21stCentury Problems, States Seek Partnerships, not Alliances,” (7/15/15)
“Aligning Justice and Security Interventions to Revamp the UN,” (6/23/15)
“Iran Talks Lurch on, but all Eyes Already on the Day After the Deal,” (6/11/15)
“The Rashomon Effect: US-Gulf Relations after Camp David Summit,” (5/28/15)
Selected OpinionPieces
“” (4/2/20)
“,” (3/4/20)
“ (1/31/20)
“,” (1/6/20)
“” (11/14/19)
“,” (9/23/19)
“Climate Change Belongs on the International Security Agenda,” (6/27/19) Jeju Peace Forum JPI Peace Net
“”(6/19/19)
“ (5/14/19)
“ (11/8/18)
“,” (1/26/15)
“,” (11/20/14)
“,” (4/2/14)
“More Questions than Answers about Afghan Future,” (10/14/13)
“” (6/27/13)
“,” (3/7/13) with Chet Crocker
“,” (8/9/12)