Seth G. Jones
Seth G. Jones is senior vice president, Harold Brown Chair, director of the International Security Program, and director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He focuses on defense strategy, military operations, force posture, and irregular warfare. He leads a bipartisan team of over 50 resident staff and an extensive network of non-resident affiliates dedicated to providing independent strategic insights and policy solutions that shape national security. He also teaches at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
Prior to joining CSIS, Dr. Jones was the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He also served as representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations. Before that, he was a plans officer and adviser to the commanding general, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan). In 2014, Dr. Jones served on a congressionally mandated panel that reviewed the FBI’s implementation of counterterrorism recommendations contained in the 9/11 Commission Report. He is the author of Three Dangerous Men: Russia, China, Iran, and the Rise of Irregular Warfare (W.W. Norton, 2021), A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland (W.W. Norton, 2018), Waging Insurgent Warfare: Lessons from the Vietcong to the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2016), Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa'ida since 9/11 (W.W. Norton, 2012), and In the Graveyard of Empires: America’s War in Afghanistan (W.W. Norton, 2009). Dr. Jones has published articles in a range of journals, such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and International Security, as well as newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Dr. Jones is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received his MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.
In the News
What Would Russian Victory in Ukraine Look Like?
Seth G. Jones in The Wall Street Journal — April 18, 2024
The Only U.S. Lawmaker Born in Ukraine Is Now Skeptical of More Aid
Seth G. Jones in The Wall Street Journal — April 4, 2024
A Homeland Warning About ISIS-K
Seth G. Jones in The Wall Street Journal — March 31, 2024
New U.S. Arms for Ukraine Will Help, for a Little While
Seth G. Jones in The New York Times — March 13, 2024
China is now the world’s largest shipbuilder – roughly 230x more productive than the U.S.
Seth G. Jones in CNN — March 6, 2024
Mapping Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka: Russia took city as US aid stalls
Seth G. Jones in USA Today — February 22, 2024
Ditching Ukraine Would Help China and Iran
Seth G. Jones in The Wall Street Journal — February 21, 2024
The Death Throes of a Ukrainian City
Seth G. Jones in The New York Times — February 19, 2024
All Seth G. Jones Content
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“The Coming Conflict with Hezbollah”: Audio Brief with Seth Jones and Daniel Byman
Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones and Daniel Byman — March 21, 2024
The Coming Conflict with Hezbollah
Brief by Seth G. Jones, Daniel Byman, Alexander Palmer, and Riley McCabe — March 21, 2024
Forward Defense: Strengthening U.S. Force Posture in Europe
Report by Seth G. Jones, Seamus P. Daniels, Catrina Doxsee, Daniel Fata, and Kathleen McInnis — March 11, 2024
“Forward Defense: Strengthening U.S. Force Posture in Europe”: Audio Brief with Seth Jones
Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones — March 11, 2024
Ukraine in the Balance: A Battlefield Update on the War in Ukraine
Event — February 22, 2024
China's Strategy of Political Warfare
Report by Seth G. Jones, Emily Harding, Catrina Doxsee, Jake Harrington, and Riley McCabe — August 2, 2023
Lessons in U.S. Intelligence and Special Operations
Event — June 16, 2023
The End of the Beginning in Ukraine
Commentary by Seth G. Jones and Philip G. Wasielewski — November 17, 2022
Mapping Ukraine’s Military Advances
Commentary by Seth G. Jones, Jared Thompson, and Riley McCabe — September 22, 2022
Assessing Russia’s War in Ukraine
Event — June 16, 2022