Daniel Byman

Director, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman is the director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the foreign policy editor for Lawfare. He has served as a senior adviser to the Department of State on the International Security Advisory Board and held positions at the Brookings Institution, the RAND Corporation, the U.S. intelligence community, the 9/11 Commission, and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Dr. Byman is a leading researcher and has written widely on a range of topics related to terrorism, insurgency, intelligence, social media, artificial intelligence, and the Middle East. He is the author of nine books, including Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism (Oxford, 2022); Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad (Oxford, 2019); Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2015); and A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism (Oxford, 2011). He is the author or coauthor of almost 200 academic and policy articles, monographs, and book chapters, as well as numerous opinion pieces in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other leading journals. Dr. Byman is a graduate of Amherst College and received his PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Spreading Hate

Spreading Hate

Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism examines the evolution of the white power movement around the world, explaining its appeal and the threat it poses as well as many failures. In this sweeping, authoritative account, Daniel Byman traces the key moments in the white power movement's evolution in the United States and around the world and then details its many facets today. Using a wide range of sources, Byman explodes several myths about white power terrorism and exposes dangerous gaps in current policies.

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Will AI Concerns Become a New Source of Terrorism?

What is the risk that fears about AI will motivate terrorist attacks? This analysis examines the record of anti-AI violence so far, how and why new terrorist causes emerge, and what that history suggests for AI-related violence.

Brief by Daniel Byman and Riley McCabe — October 22, 2026

State of Play

How Serious is Russia's Threat to Europe?

Max Bergmann and Dan Byman discuss what Russia is trying to achieve and what European states can do in response.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Max Bergmann, and Daniel Byman — October 22, 2026

Photo: iLab/CSIS

The Postwar Threat to Gulf Energy Infrastructure

As Gulf states build new pipelines to reduce Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is likely to adapt. Pipelines offer greater resilience, but remain vulnerable to Iranian missiles, drones, sabotage, and other attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

Report by Daniel Byman and Alden Ness — October 6, 2026

The Last Line of Defense

25 Years After 9/11: Is America Prepared for the Next Crisis?

Host Dr. Seth Jones sits down with Dr. Dan Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at CSIS and professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones and Daniel Byman — September 11, 2026

The Last Line of Defence

The Rise and Fall of Global Jihadism

Although the United States experienced many setbacks, the war on terrorism has not been a complete failure either, argues Dan Byman in Foreign Affairs.

Commentary by Daniel Byman — September 8, 2026

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Terrorism

AI will not transform terrorism overnight. Its more likely effect is subtler: lowering barriers for extremist propaganda, recruitment, disinformation, and planning while strengthening counterterrorism tools and surveillance risks.

Brief by Daniel Byman and V.S. Subrahmanian — July 10, 2026