Will Todman

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Will Todman

Will Todman is the deputy director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Since joining CSIS in 2016, his research has focused on aid, sustainability, and displacement in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the Levant. He has conducted field research in nine countries across the Middle East and North Africa, and his analysis has been published by peer-reviewed journals, think tanks, and major publications, including the Washington Post. Will has briefed officials from various U.S. government departments and agencies, the UN Security Council, and foreign governments. He has also commented in print and on live television to various outlets, including the BBC, CBS, and CNN. Will is also a 2022–23 Penn Kemble Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, a fellow at the Centre for Syrian Studies at St. Andrews University, and a former Global Diversity Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Will previously lived in Beirut, where he worked at the British embassy and for the office of the UN special envoy to Syria. He cofounded KAMA DC, a nonprofit that works with refugees and immigrants, and led the organization for seven years. Will holds a BA in Arabic and modern Hebrew from Oxford University and an MA in Arab studies with a certificate in refugee and humanitarian emergencies from Georgetown University, where he studied Persian intensively. 

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Audio Briefs

Lebanon Finally Elects a President

An audio version of “Lebanon Finally Elects a President,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Will Todman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Will Todman — January 10, 2025

Audio Briefs

Lebanon Finally Elects a President

On January 9, Lebanon’s parliament elected General Joseph Aoun as president following 12 failed attempts to elect a president. Middle East Program deputy director and senior fellow Will Todman answers critical questions about Lebanon’s latest political developments.

Critical Questions by Will Todman — January 10, 2025

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Special: Syria's Post-Assad Scramble

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Will Todman and Natasha Hall on the sudden collapse of the Assad regime and what will replace it.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman — December 17, 2024

CSIS Babel

Don’t Rush Syrian Refugees’ Return

After Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in Syria, European countries are rushing to send Syrians back to their home country. But a policy of rapid returns risks undermining the transition, destabilizing the region, and renewing displacement.

Commentary by Will Todman — December 11, 2024

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Max Gallien: Black Markets of the Maghreb

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Max Gallien, a political scientist specializing in informal and illegal economies and North African politics. He is a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and the International Centre for Tax and Development at the University of Sussex. Together, they discuss the political, social, and economic functions of smuggling economies in North Africa. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Martin Pimentel, and Will Todman — December 10, 2024

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Mohammad Ali Shabani: Iran After October 7

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwaj.media, a London-based news site focusing on Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula countries. Together, they discuss Iran’s regional strategy and the choices Iran has after a year of rising regional tensions. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Martin Pimentel and Will Todman to discuss what the new U.S. administration will mean for Iran, its conflict with Israel, and its relations with the United States. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Martin Pimentel — November 12, 2024

CSIS Babel

Mobilizing for Sustainability

Environmental and climate crises are destabilizing the Middle East and North Africa and destroying communities. Will Todman argues that international actors should see environmental civil society as a strategic partner in their efforts to stabilize the region. 

Report by Will Todman and Martin Pimentel — November 12, 2024

Babel: Translating the Middle East

Lina Khatib: War Spreads to Lebanon

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Lina Khatib, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, which she led for seven years and where they first met. Together, they discuss the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, its regional impacts, and the emerging vacuum in Lebanese politics. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss the challenges of creating a comprehensive U.S. strategy in the Middle East and the ways Great Power competition affects the region’s conflicts.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Leah Hickert — October 15, 2024

CSIS Babel