Contributors

Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran is a fellow with the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, where he produces analysis on Southeast Asian political and security issues, Asian defense affairs, and U.S. foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific. He is also a director at the consultancy Bower Group Asia and a senior columnist at The Diplomat, one of Asia’s leading current affairs publications.

A political scientist by training, Dr. Parameswaran is a recognized expert on Asian affairs and U.S. foreign policy in the region, with a focus on Southeast Asia and politics and security issues. He has conducted grant-based field research across the region, consulted for companies and governments, and taught courses affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State. His policy insights, research and commentary have been published widely in the United States and across the region in leading publications and journals including CNN, The Washington Post, The South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, Asia Policy and Contemporary Southeast Asia.

Dr. Parameswaran has held roles across think tanks, government, media and business in the United States and in the region, including most recently the Foreign Service Institute and The Diplomat, where he served as senior editor. In those capacities, he advanced research and analysis on key Asian political and security trends using rigorous research methodologies and extensive in-country networks, with an emphasis on Southeast Asia.

Dr. Parameswaran holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Arts from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University focused on international security, international business and U.S. foreign policy, and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia where he studied foreign affairs and peace and conflict studies and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

Joseph Chinyong Liow is Associate Dean and Professor of Comparative and International Politics at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the author of Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009) and Islam, Education and Reform in Southern Thailand (Singapore: ISEAS, 2009).

Joseph Chinyong Liow is Associate Dean and Professor of Comparative and International Politics at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the author of Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009) and Islam, Education and Reform in Southern Thailand (Singapore: ISEAS, 2009).

Joseph Chinyong Liow is Associate Dean and Professor of Comparative and International Politics at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the author of Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009) and Islam, Education and Reform in Southern Thailand (Singapore: ISEAS, 2009).

Animesh Roul is the Executive Director at Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict, (www.sspconline.org) a Delhi-based policy research think-tank. In his earlier stint he worked as a Research Associate at New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which hosts a leading terrorism database on South Asia (www.SATP.org). He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and has a master’s degree in Modern Indian History. Mr. Roul specializes in counterterrorism, radical Islam, terror financing, armed conflict and issues relating to arms control and proliferation in South Asia. He has written for Terrorism Monitor, the CTC Sentinel, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Militant Leadership Monitor, and CBW Magazine, among others. He is also serving as executive editor of South Asia Coflict Monitor (SACM), a monthly E-bulletin on armed conflicts and terrorist violence in South Asia.

Animesh Roul is the Executive Director at Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict, (www.sspconline.org) a Delhi-based policy research think-tank. In his earlier stint he worked as a Research Associate at New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which hosts a leading terrorism database on South Asia (www.SATP.org). He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and has a master’s degree in Modern Indian History. Mr. Roul specializes in counterterrorism, radical Islam, terror financing, armed conflict and issues relating to arms control and proliferation in South Asia. He has written for Terrorism Monitor, the CTC Sentinel, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Militant Leadership Monitor, and CBW Magazine, among others. He is also serving as executive editor of South Asia Coflict Monitor (SACM), a monthly E-bulletin on armed conflicts and terrorist violence in South Asia.

Animesh Roul is the Executive Director at Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict, (www.sspconline.org) a Delhi-based policy research think-tank. In his earlier stint he worked as a Research Associate at New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which hosts a leading terrorism database on South Asia (www.SATP.org). He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and has a master’s degree in Modern Indian History. Mr. Roul specializes in counterterrorism, radical Islam, terror financing, armed conflict and issues relating to arms control and proliferation in South Asia. He has written for Terrorism Monitor, the CTC Sentinel, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Militant Leadership Monitor, and CBW Magazine, among others. He is also serving as executive editor of South Asia Coflict Monitor (SACM), a monthly E-bulletin on armed conflicts and terrorist violence in South Asia.

Animesh Roul is the Executive Director at Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict, (www.sspconline.org) a Delhi-based policy research think-tank. In his earlier stint he worked as a Research Associate at New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which hosts a leading terrorism database on South Asia (www.SATP.org). He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and has a master’s degree in Modern Indian History. Mr. Roul specializes in counterterrorism, radical Islam, terror financing, armed conflict and issues relating to arms control and proliferation in South Asia. He has written for Terrorism Monitor, the CTC Sentinel, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Militant Leadership Monitor, and CBW Magazine, among others. He is also serving as executive editor of South Asia Coflict Monitor (SACM), a monthly E-bulletin on armed conflicts and terrorist violence in South Asia.

Laura Grossman is a Research Analyst for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Iran Energy Project. She co-authored Homegrown Terrorists in the U.S. and the U.K. and Terrorism in the West 2008 with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, in addition to Iran's Energy Partners and Iran's Chinese Energy Partners with Mark Dubowitz. She holds a BA in History from the University of Michigan and an MS in Global Affairs from New York University.

Julian Wyss is the assistant director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Julian worked in the humanitarian aid sector, including supporting Syrian refugee populations as an intern for the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Jordan, and assisting with the resettlement of newly arrived Iraqi and Afghani refugees at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Northern California. Julian later employed his expertise in refugee support as the program director for the Salam Neighbor project, a documentary film about life in a Syrian refugee camp. He has also worked as a consultant in the humanitarian sector, most notably for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in London, UK.

Julian holds an MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a BA in International Relations/Political Science from Carleton College, where his senior thesis involved field research on the influence of religious civic organizations in Mali. His professional interests include conflict, humanitarianism, migration, and security in the Sahel.

Chloe Thompson is a Research Fellow and Program Officer at the American Foreign Policy Council. She serves as the Managing Editor of the World Almanac of Islamism. Her previous work with AFPC involved research on the military use and strategic implications of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as militant groups in the Middle East and Latin America. Ms. Thompson joined AFPC in June 2016 after graduating with High Honors from Carnegie Mellon University. She majored in Global Studies and Hispanic Studies, is proficient in Spanish, and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

James Wholley is a program management professional monitoring security threats in sub-Saharan

Africa, with a focus on the Sahel and northern Mozambique. He was formerly a Program Assistant in the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. In 2016, he supported the Mandela Washington Fellowship as part of the International Research and Exchanges Board. James has a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University.

Martin A. Ewi joined the Institute for Security Studies in July 2010, as a Senior Researcher, International Crime in Africa Programme (ICAP), Pretoria Office. He previously served as a Political Affairs Officer at the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague, the Netherlands from 2005 to 2010. Before joining the OPCW, Mr Ewi was in charge of the African Union Commission’s counter-terrorism programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was concurrently in charge of security strategic issues from 2002 to 2005.

Mr. Ewi holds a MA degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame, at Southbend, Indiana, United States of America. He also holds a BA (with Distinction) in Peace Studies and International Politics from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States of America. His research focus is in the area of counterterrorism and the competences of regional organisations in Africa on strategic security issues.

Martin A. Ewi joined the Institute for Security Studies in July 2010, as a Senior Researcher, International Crime in Africa Programme (ICAP), Pretoria Office. He previously served as a Political Affairs Officer at the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague, the Netherlands from 2005 to 2010. Before joining the OPCW, Mr Ewi was in charge of the African Union Commission’s counter-terrorism programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was concurrently in charge of security strategic issues from 2002 to 2005.

Mr. Ewi holds a MA degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame, at Southbend, Indiana, United States of America. He also holds a BA (with Distinction) in Peace Studies and International Politics from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States of America. His research focus is in the area of counterterrorism and the competences of regional organisations in Africa on strategic security issues.

Martin A. Ewi joined the Institute for Security Studies in July 2010, as a Senior Researcher, International Crime in Africa Programme (ICAP), Pretoria Office. He previously served as a Political Affairs Officer at the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague, the Netherlands from 2005 to 2010. Before joining the OPCW, Mr Ewi was in charge of the African Union Commission’s counter-terrorism programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was concurrently in charge of security strategic issues from 2002 to 2005.

Mr. Ewi holds a MA degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame, at Southbend, Indiana, United States of America. He also holds a BA (with Distinction) in Peace Studies and International Politics from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States of America. His research focus is in the area of counterterrorism and the competences of regional organisations in Africa on strategic security issues.

Daniel Zisenwine is the author of two books, The Maghrib in the New Century (University Press of Florida, 2007) and The Emergence of Nationalist Politics in Morocco (Tauris Academic Studies, 2010). Dr. Zisenwine is a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from the Tel Aviv University.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

J. Peter Pham is Vice President for Research and Regional Initiatives at the Atlantic Council as well as Director of the Council’s Africa Center. From 2008 to 2017, he also served as Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and was founding Editor-in-Chief of its refereed Journal of the Middle East and Africa. He is currently on a leave of absence from the Atlantic Council to serve in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Pham’s contributions were made before his entry into government service.

Jacob McCarty joined the American Foreign Policy Council in January 2019 as a Research Fellow and Program Officer. He currently serves as the Managing Editor of the Council’s World Almanac of Islamism project. His commentary can be found in The Hill, Jane's Defence Weekly, The National Interest, and The Washington Times. Prior to joining AFPC, Jacob conducted research into defense acquisition reform, force modernization, international trade, global cities, and African politics for a number of policy institutions, and oversaw several development projects on two continents.

A graduate of Ohio University, he has lived in North Africa and the South Pacific. He completed a Masters of Science in Defense & Strategic Studies in August 2019, focusing on the role of global cities and African politics and their impact on U.S. foreign policy and international institutions. He is proficient in the French language.

Eric Trager, the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute, is an expert on Egyptian politics and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was in Egypt during the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolts and returns frequently to conduct firsthand interviews with leaders in Egypt's government, military, political parties, media, and civil society. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the Atlantic, and the New Republic.

Trager is the author of Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days (Georgetown University Press, 2016) which chronicles the precipitous rise to power of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, culminating in the election of President Mohamed Morsi in 2012, and its sudden demise just a year later. The book also assesses the current state of Egyptian politics and the prospects for a reemergence of the Brotherhood.

Dr. Trager has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his doctoral research focused on Egyptian opposition parties. From 2006-2007, he lived in Egypt as an Islamic Civilizations Fulbright fellow, where he studied at the American University in Cairo and received his M.A. in Arabic studies with a concentration in Islamic studies. He served as a research assistant at The Washington Institute from 2005 to 2006 upon graduation from Harvard University with a degree in government and language citations in Arabic and Hebrew.

Eric Trager, the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute, is an expert on Egyptian politics and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was in Egypt during the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolts and returns frequently to conduct firsthand interviews with leaders in Egypt's government, military, political parties, media, and civil society. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the Atlantic, and the New Republic.

Trager is the author of Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days (Georgetown University Press, 2016) which chronicles the precipitous rise to power of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, culminating in the election of President Mohamed Morsi in 2012, and its sudden demise just a year later. The book also assesses the current state of Egyptian politics and the prospects for a reemergence of the Brotherhood.

Dr. Trager has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his doctoral research focused on Egyptian opposition parties. From 2006-2007, he lived in Egypt as an Islamic Civilizations Fulbright fellow, where he studied at the American University in Cairo and received his M.A. in Arabic studies with a concentration in Islamic studies. He served as a research assistant at The Washington Institute from 2005 to 2006 upon graduation from Harvard University with a degree in government and language citations in Arabic and Hebrew.

Eric Trager, the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute, is an expert on Egyptian politics and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was in Egypt during the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolts and returns frequently to conduct firsthand interviews with leaders in Egypt's government, military, political parties, media, and civil society. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the Atlantic, and the New Republic.

Trager is the author of Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days (Georgetown University Press, 2016) which chronicles the precipitous rise to power of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, culminating in the election of President Mohamed Morsi in 2012, and its sudden demise just a year later. The book also assesses the current state of Egyptian politics and the prospects for a reemergence of the Brotherhood.

Dr. Trager has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his doctoral research focused on Egyptian opposition parties. From 2006-2007, he lived in Egypt as an Islamic Civilizations Fulbright fellow, where he studied at the American University in Cairo and received his M.A. in Arabic studies with a concentration in Islamic studies. He served as a research assistant at The Washington Institute from 2005 to 2006 upon graduation from Harvard University with a degree in government and language citations in Arabic and Hebrew.