Title: Alexander Causwell (SSP’18) Aims to Support International Security from the Private Sector

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Xander Causwell (SSP’18) came to Georgetown because he wanted to study war and military strategy. “The Security Studies Program at Georgetown seemed like the best place for me to do that. I’m still sure it is,” says Causwell. “I’m building a career as an international security consultant, and the courses at SFS have helped me develop the domain expertise necessary to succeed in that endeavor.”

The past two years have been busy for Causwell. In addition to his studies, he took on leadership roles within SSP as the Student Media Fellow and in the SSP Student Council, he did a research internship at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in their Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group, and attained a conversational level of Spanish through a language immersion experience in Bogotá, Colombia facilitated by the SFS Summer Grant. “Now I work in communications for the wider SFS Graduate School, and I’m a columnist for the Georgetown Security Studies Review,” he says.

Causwell has enjoyed exploring new intellectual directions while at SFS, under the guidance of SSP’s experienced professors. “I came into this program wanting to develop a career as a defense analyst and consultant. I still want that, but I’ve grown more interested in topics beyond military strategy, such as predictive intelligence analytics, financial warfare, and asymmetric threats… My favorite course was Counterinsurgency with Dr. Bruce Hoffman, who was then the Director of SSP. Dr. Hoffman is one of the world’s preeminent scholars on insurgent and terrorist groups, and the course readings consisted of literature and case studies he personally curated. Grappling with the insightful lessons from that course was challenging in the best way.”

It is difficult for Causwell to select his favorite mentors and experiences from the past two years. “Professor Hoffman has had a great personal impact on me because he always made time for me to pester him with any academic questions, and he clearly shows an interest in the well-being of his students. Professors Gary Shiffman and Amit Sharma were also great resources for academic advice, and for helping me think of areas of the private sector in which I can carve out a career in the international security.”

Despite the intensity of his classes and his other activities on campus, Causwell tried his best to take advantage of the ample opportunities for a graduate student of international security in D.C. “Attending conferences is my favorite way to engage with Washington D.C. I try to attend as many international security-related conferences or panel events at think tanks as is feasible.”

In some respects, the MA in Security Studies Program exceeded Causwell’s expectations: “Coming into Georgetown, I knew I would be studying under prominent scholars in my field. I did not expect that opportunities to interact with top practitioners, who did not teach courses but were nonetheless affiliated with Georgetown, would occur so frequently.”

As for what he will miss most from his time at Georgetown, Causwell highlights aspects of student life at SFS.

“I believe that what I’ll miss the most is the camaraderie with my fellow students. I thoroughly enjoy engaging in conversations, and sometimes heated debates, with other students about world events between classes. In terms of a specific memory, I will always remember the Georgetown Day in April 2017. The whole Graduate School held a barbecue in the Car Barn complex, and it was a great way to unwind with friends after completing my first academic year.”

Causwell offers the following advice to future SFS graduate students: “Attending academic, professional, and social events outside of classes is also part of the experience. Building relationships with your peers and your professors is essential to getting the most out of your time in these programs.”