Alexander Palmer

Fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Alexander Palmer

Alexander Palmer is a fellow in the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, he worked in Afghanistan, where he provided security analysis to humanitarian and UN staff before and after the withdrawal of international military forces in August 2021. He holds a master in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

In the News

All Alexander Palmer Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 31 results

Jihadist Terrorism in the United States

Despite the attack in New Orleans, long-term trends suggest that jihadist terrorism in the U.S. is not resurgent. The number of jihadist plots and attacks in the U.S. has been low and the average lethality of attacks has also fallen since the territorial defeat of ISIS. 

Brief by Alexander Palmer, Skyeler Jackson, and Daniel Byman — January 21, 2025

Audio Briefs

Ukraine’s Westward Shift

An audio version of “Ukraine’s Westward Shift,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Alexander Palmer. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Alexander Palmer — December 19, 2024

Audio Briefs

Ukraine’s Westward Shift

More than 70 percent of Ukrainians outside Russian-occupied areas support NATO membership, and nearly 100 percent see Russia as hostile. This creates significant challenges for president-elect Trump’s plan to negotiate an end to the war.

Commentary by Alexander Palmer — December 10, 2024

Escalating to War between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran

There is a serious risk of all-out war between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran. According to new CSIS analysis, both the scale and geographic scope of violence has dramatically increased and could spread further throughout the region.

Brief by Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Alexander Palmer — October 4, 2024

Why Iran Will Escalate

Iran has limited options to respond to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, making escalation likely, even if Tehran prefers a return to the status quo.

Commentary by Alexander Palmer — August 8, 2024

Audio Briefs

Why Iran Will Escalate

An audio version of “Why Iran Will Escalate,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Alexander Palmer. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Alexander Palmer — August 8, 2024

Audio Briefs