Andrew Friedman

Director and Senior Fellow, Human Rights Initiative
Andrew Friedman

Andrew Friedman is director and senior fellow in the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Andrew came to CSIS from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he served as a democracy officer with USAID’s Bureau for Africa, providing technical and strategic guidance for democracy, rights, and governance work across the region. He also co-led USAID's Executive Committee on the 2021 Summit for Democracy and coordinated the anti-corruption session of the Civil Society Forum at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. While with USAID, Andrew joined CSIS's Africa Policy Accelerator, where he also served as a board member. Prior to his time in government, he served as a legal and democratic governance consultant working with various UN agencies, including the Secretariat, UN Women, and multiple UN Development Program Country Offices on constitutional and legal reform, good governance, transitional justice, and human rights. He also occasionally teaches courses in international law, serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Law. He is also a member and contributor to both the International Academy of Constitutional Law and the African Network for Constitutional Lawyers, and he was recognized with an Amicus Mundi award from We The Action for pro bono work assisting in the passage of laws expanding the rights of sexual assault survivors in U.S. states.

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Who Should Shape the Future of Development, and How?

As aid budgets shrink and the development landscape evolves, this commentary outlines key recommendations for civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector to rebalance power dynamics and build a more equitable development ecosystem.

Commentary by Andrew Friedman and Hadeil Ali — June 10, 2026

Audio Briefs

Who Should Shape the Future of Development, and How?

An audio version of "⁠Who Should Shape the Future of Development, and How?⁠," a new commentary by CSIS’s Andrew Friedman and Hadeil Ali. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Andrew Friedman and Hadeil Ali — June 10, 2026

Audio Briefs

Ocean Security and Human Rights Forum

Join the CSIS Stephenson Ocean Security Project and Human Rights Initiative for the Ocean Security and Human Rights Forum on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

Event — June 9, 2026

Audio Briefs

Hungary After Orbán: The Hard Road Back to Democracy

An audio version of “⁠Hungary After Orbán: The Hard Road Back to Democracy⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS's Andrew Friedman and Donatienne Ruy. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Andrew Friedman and Donatienne Ruy — April 27, 2026

Audio Briefs

Hungary After Orbán: The Hard Road Back to Democracy

The road back to democracy from authoritarianism is a difficult one, filled with fits and starts that thwart even the best attempts; Hungary holds some lessons for others trying to walk that path back to democracy.

Commentary by Andrew Friedman and Donatienne Ruy — April 27, 2026

The Sudan War in 10 Charts

Sudan's civil war has entered its fourth year as the world's largest, most underfunded, and most overlooked humanitarian crisis.

Commentary by CSIS Scholars — April 17, 2026

Audio Briefs

Can the United States Enable Post-Conflict Stability?

An audio version of “⁠Can the United States Enable Post-Conflict Stability?⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Andrew Friedman, Enoh T. Ebong, Brad Brooks-Rubin, J. Stephen Morrison, Leonard Rubenstein, Will Todman, Juliana Rubio, Emma Curtis, Caitlin Welsh, Michaela Simoneau, and Sophia Hirshfield. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by CSIS Scholars — April 10, 2026

Audio Briefs
Audio Briefs

Preparing for the Consequences of Collapse in Cuba

An audio version of “⁠Preparing for the Consequences of Collapse in Cuba⁠,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Katherine E. Bliss, Andrew Friedman, David Michel, Zane Swanson, and Henry Ziemer. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by CSIS Scholars — April 9, 2026

Audio Briefs

Preparing for the Consequences of Collapse in Cuba

CSIS experts explore the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Cuba, and lay out recommendations for the United States and international community to address growing need on the island. 

Critical Questions by CSIS Scholars — April 9, 2026