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 35 results

Can Ukraine Survive Without U.S. Aid?

Experts from CSIS’s Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program sat down for a discussion on the possible implications of a partial or complete suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

Event — June 5, 2025

Audio Briefs

Can Ukraine Fight Without U.S. Aid? Seven Questions to Ask

An audio version of “⁠Can Ukraine Fight Without U.S. Aid? Seven Questions to Ask⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS's Iselin Brady, Daniel Byman, Riley McCabe, and Alexander Palmer. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Iselin Brady, Daniel Byman, Riley McCabe, and Alexander Palmer — May 19, 2025

Audio Briefs

Can Ukraine Fight Without U.S. Aid? Seven Questions to Ask

A complete cutoff of U.S. aid would significantly harm Ukraine’s ability to fight Russia but would not necessarily lead to immediate defeat—and more limited cutoffs would have more limited effects on Ukraine’s battlefield performance.

Report by Iselin Brady, Daniel Byman, Riley McCabe, and Alexander Palmer — May 19, 2025

Global Terrorism Threat Assessment 2025

Terrorism remains a threat to U.S. citizens, assets, and interests despite the national security community’s decreasing focus on counterterrorism.

Report by Alexander Palmer, Riley McCabe, Daniel Byman, and Skyeler Jackson — March 28, 2025

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