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Jordan Tama

Assistant Professor

  • Additional Positions at AU

    Research Fellow, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
  • Dr. Jordan Tama specializes in the U.S. foreign policy making process, presidential-congressional relations, strategic planning, intelligence reform, counterterrorism policy, and blue-ribbon commissions. He is the author of Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises (Cambridge University Press, 2011). He has also published articles in a variety of scholarly and popular publications. Dr. Tama has served as the lead Democratic staff member on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a speechwriter for former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton, and as an intelligence and counterterrorism policy advisor to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

  • Degrees

    PhD, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University; MPA, International Relations, Princeton University; B.A., Williams College
  • DOWNLOAD CV (PDF)

  • OFFICE

  • SIS
  • On leave Spring 2013

  • CONTACT INFO

  • (202) 885-2332 (Office)
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  • FOR THE MEDIA

  • To request an interview for a
    news story, call AU Communications
    at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

  • "From Private Consultation to Public Crusade: Assessing Eisenhower’s Legislative Strategies on Foreign Policy,” Congress and the Presidency (February 2013).
  • "Congress Is Already Post-Partisan: Agreement Across the Aisle on U.S. Foreign Policy,” with Joshua W. Busby, Jonathan Monten, and William Inboden, Foreign Affairs (January 28, 2013).
  • “The Best Way to Investigate Benghazi,” Washington Post (November 18, 2012).
  • Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
  • "In Defense of the Back-Room Deal," The New York Times (October 19, 2011).
  • "Three Cheers for Blue-Ribbon Panels," Wilson Quarterly (Summer 2011).
  • "The Power and Limitations of Commissions: The Iraq Study Group, Bush, Obama, and Congress," Presidential Studies Quarterly (March 2011).
  • "Intelligent Design," Foreign Policy (January 11, 2010).
  • "The U.S. Congress and North Korea During the Clinton Years: Talk Tough, Carry a Small Stick," with Robert M. Hathaway, Asian Survey (September/October 2004).
  • A  Creative Tension: The Foreign Policy Roles of the President and Congress, with Lee H. Hamilton (Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 2002).       

Media Appearances

  • NBC News, National Public Radio, Washington Post, USA Today, Associated Press, Politico, FoxNews.com, Newsday, Euronews, RT America     

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

  • American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship, 2011-12.
  • American University Faculty Research Support Grant, 2011.
  • Fellow, Truman National Security Project, 2005-present.
  • Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Research Fellowship, 2007-2009.      

Professional Presentations

  • “Crises, Commissions, and Reorganization: How Blue-Ribbon Panels Can Induce Executive Branch Restructuring,” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 2012.
  • "The Policy Making Value of Blue-Ribbon Commissions," Briefing to U.S. Senate Staff Members (June 24, 2011).
  • "Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises," Woodrow Wilson Center (May 19, 2011) and American University (April 13, 2011).
  • "Findings and Lessons from My Research on Commissions," Presentation to the Commission on Wartime Contracting (May 18, 2011).
  • "From Private Consultation to Public Crusade: Eisenhower's Legislative Strategies on Foreign Policy," Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC, 2010.
  • "More Than Deference: Eisenhower, Congress, and Foreign Policy," Second Annual Eisenhower Symposium, American University, Washington, DC, 2010.

AU Expert

Area of Expertise: Foreign policy, national security strategy, terrorism, intelligence, Congress, the presidency, advisory commissions

Additional Information: Jordan Tama specializes in national security policy and the foreign policy-making process. He is the author of Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises (Cambridge University Press, 2011). He has also published articles in a variety of scholarly and popular publications, including The New York Times, Newsday, Foreign Policy, The Wilson Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and The Hill. Tama has served as a speechwriter for former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton and as a member of the intelligence and counterterrorism expert advisory groups for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. His media appearances include NBC News, USA Today, FoxNews.com, Politico, and RT America.
 

Media Relations
To request an interview please call AU Media Relations at 202-885-5950 or submit an interview request form.

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