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, an international NGO, and U.S. Air Force. He brings a multidisciplinary approach by integrating practice and theory through his experience on conflict stabilization, counterterrorism, sanctions, multilateral negotiations, Track II diplomacy, civil society peacebuilding, and intelligence analysis on a wide variety of topics to include Great Power conflict, defense, energy, and human rights. He currently serves as a senior foreign affairs analyst for South Asia at the U.S. Department of State, which includes writing for the President Daily Brief and briefing senior State Department officials. 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.