S. Vasu Vaitla

Dr. S. Vasu Vaitla has over 20 years of experience in policymaking, programming, and analysis of international political and security affairs through his experiences at the U.S. Department of State, United Nations, Initiatives of Change (an international peacebuilding NGO), and U.S. Air Force. He brings a multidisciplinary understanding of integrating practice and theory from his work in conflict stabilization, counterterrorism, sanctions, multilateral negotiations, Track II diplomacy, civil society peacebuilding, military operations, and intelligence analysis on a wide variety of topics to include Great Power conflict in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, defense modernization, energy supply chains, and democracy and human rights. He served as the senior foreign affairs analyst for South Asia at the U.S. Department of State, which included writing for the Presidential Daily Brief and briefing senior officials of the State Department and National Security Council and Members and staff of Congress. He was a central member of U.S. initiatives to formulate UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and international law to counter foreign terrorist fighters, create a global movement and strategies to prevent radicalization and recruitment into terrorism, revitalize the UNSC al-Qa’ida/ISIS and Taliban sanctions committees to make them more effective, and analysis to advance U.S. interests in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. He has a PhD in Global Affairs from Rutgers University, Masters in International Politics from American University, and Bachelors in Political Science from University of California, Santa Barbara.