James Andrew Lewis

Senior Vice President; Pritzker Chair; and Director, Strategic Technologies Program
James Andrew Lewis

James Lewis writes on technology and strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Before joining CSIS, he was a diplomat and a member of the Senior Executive Service. Lewis has a track record of being among the first to identify new tech and security issues and devise polices to address them. He developed groundbreaking policies on cybersecurity, remote sensing, encryption, spectrum management, and high-tech exports to China, including 5G, software, and semiconductors. He also helped create the Wassenaar Arrangement. Lewis was a senior adviser for four UN Groups of Governmental Experts on Information Security, and his work on norms to build stability in cyberspace is foundational. He leads a long-running track 2 dialogue with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. His current work looks at how countries innovate and at digitalization and its political, economic, and security effects. Early in his career, Lewis was a political adviser to two combatant commanders. Lewis has authored numerous publications since coming to CSIS (see the full list here). He is frequently quoted in the media, has served on several federal advisory committees, and has testified numerous times before Congress. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.

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Executive Education

Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends

Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends is Washington’s premier executive course for mid-to senior-level professionals responsible for helping their organizations predict and prepare for the global macrotrends that will drive change for the next 30 years.

Course Date: October 21, 2024
Registration Closes: October 9, 2024
Inside Cyber Diplomacy

How to Make Cyber Policy a Headline in Brussels

Jim Lewis and Chris Painter talk to Estonia's former ambassador at large for cyber diplomacy Heli Tirmaa-Klaar.

Podcast Episode by James Andrew Lewis and Christopher Painter — August 27, 2024

CSIS Inside Cyber Diplomacy
Audio Briefs

Blackout Scorecard

An audio version of “Blackout Scorecard,” a new commentary by CSIS’s James Andrew Lewis. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by James Andrew Lewis — July 26, 2024

Audio Briefs

Blackout Scorecard

James Lewis looks at the July 19 outage and the potential lessons learned for cyber resiliency.

Commentary by James Andrew Lewis — July 25, 2024

The Digital Dispatch

Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Privacy and AI

In the third episode of the Digital Dispatch, Caitlin Chin-Rothmann and Jim Lewis analyze the recent activity on Capitol Hill around privacy legislation and AI.

Podcast Episode by Caitlin Chin-Rothmann and James Andrew Lewis — July 25, 2024

The Digital Dispatch Cover
Audio Briefs

Why the United Nations Is Chasing Its Tail on Cybersecurity

An audio version of “Why the United Nations Is Chasing Its Tail on Cybersecurity,” a new commentary by CSIS’s James Andrew Lewis. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by James Andrew Lewis — July 17, 2024

Audio Briefs
The Digital Dispatch

Policy Takes on Deepfakes

In the second episode of the Digital Dispatch, host Caitlin Chin-Rothmann sits down with Jim Lewis to discuss the potential for AI-generated images, audio, and text to facilitate deception.

Podcast Episode by Caitlin Chin-Rothmann and James Andrew Lewis — June 27, 2024

The Digital Dispatch Cover

A Real Risk for Artificial Intelligence

Jim Lewis looks at why focusing solely on the risks of AI in regulation could actually be harming innovation.  

Commentary by James Andrew Lewis — June 11, 2024