Daniel Byman

Senior Fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman is a senior fellow with the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and director of the Security Studies Program. He is the foreign policy editor for Lawfare and a part-time senior adviser to the Department of State on the International Security Advisory Board. In addition to serving as the vice dean for the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, he was a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and a professional staff member with both the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (9-11 Commission) and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. He formerly served as research director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation and as a Middle East analyst for the U.S. intelligence community. 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 Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad (Oxford, 2019), Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs 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.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

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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Audio Briefs

NATO and Countering Hybrid Warfare

An audio version of “NATO and Countering Hybrid Warfare,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Daniel Byman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Daniel Byman — July 19, 2024

Audio Briefs

The Importance of National Resilience: Implications for Taiwan

Please join CSIS experts Dr. Bonny Lin, Jude Blanchette, Dr. Seth Jones, and Dr. Daniel Byman on Wednesday, July 17, at 3:00 p.m. for a virtual conversation on the importance of national resilience, and its implications for the U.S. and Taiwan. 

Event — July 17, 2024

NATO and Countering Hybrid Warfare

In the future, NATO countries must step up their efforts to protect against Russian-backed extremists as well as Russian hybrid warfare.

Commentary by Daniel Byman — July 12, 2024

Audio Briefs

Can Iran’s New President Change the Regime’s Confrontational Foreign Policy?

An audio version of “Can Iran’s New President Change the Regime’s Confrontational Foreign Policy?,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Daniel Byman and Katherine Trauger. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Daniel Byman and Katherine Trauger — July 9, 2024

Audio Briefs

Assessing Israel’s Strike on Iran

In its April 19 attack on Iran, Israel avoided further escalation, while also threatening Iran's most sensitive locations. New CSIS analysis shows how it walked the tightrope.

Commentary by Alexander Palmer, Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. — May 3, 2024

Audio Briefs

Assessing Israel’s Strike on Iran

An audio summary of CSIS’s Alexander Palmer, Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.’s new commentary, “Assessing Israel’s Strike on Iran.” This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Alexander Palmer, Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. — May 3, 2024

Audio Briefs

How Might Israel Strike Back?

Israel has vowed to retaliate for Iran's drone and missile attack. The government needs to restore deterrence and satisfy its own population, but all its options have costs and risks.

Commentary by Daniel Byman — April 16, 2024