
Jonathan Lord
Senior Fellow and Director, Middle East Security Program
Research Areas
Jonathan Lord is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security program at CNAS. Prior to joining CNAS, Lord served as a professional staff member for the House Armed Services Committee, serving the full committee and managing the U.S. Central Command/Middle East defense policy portfolio, as well as issues related to security assistance.
Lord previously served as the Iraq country director in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and as a political military analyst in the Department of Defense. At the request of the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Lord served as a political officer during two temporary detail assignments at U.S. Embassy Baghdad in 2018. He also previously worked in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Infrastructure Protection.
Lord is the author of several articles on Middle East policy, published in The Economist, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, War on the Rocks, The Hill, Breaking Defense, Lawfare, and Inkstick, as well as “Undercover Under Threat: Cover Identity, Clandestine Activity, and Covert Action in the Digital Age,” published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
Lord holds an MA in security studies from Georgetown University, and a BA in international studies from Vassar College.
Recent Publications & News
-
How is Tuberville’s military promotion blockade impacting the Middle East?
By Jonathan Lord
-
Any Saudi-Israeli normalization requires clearing major security, defense roadblocks: Experts
By Jonathan Lord
-
Top US General’s Trip to Israel Caps Off Years of Improved Defense Cooperation — But Security Concerns Loom
By Jonathan Lord
-
US-Iran Prisoner Deal a Rare Breakthrough – Can It Lead to Others?
By Jonathan Lord
-
Will Saudi Arabia Normalize Relations With Israel?
By Jonathan Lord
View All Reports by Jonathan Lord View All Articles & Multimedia by Jonathan Lord
- More Publications by Jonathan Lord
- Reports
- Commentaries
- Videos
- Congressional Testimonies
- Podcasts
- Press Relating to Jonathan Lord
- In The News
- Press Releases
- Press Notes