Bernard I. Finel
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Dr. Bernard I. Finel is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Project (ASP) where he directs research on counter‐terrorism and defense policy. He is the author of ASP’s annual report, Are We Winning? Measuring Progress in the Struggle Against Violent Jihadism. He also produces regular in‐depth analyses of current security issues, including developments in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. defense policy.

Prior to joining ASP, Dr. Finel was a professor of military strategy and operations at the U.S. National War College from 2004 to 2006. From 1994 to 2004, he held various positions at Georgetown University, most notably as Executive Director of the Security Studies Program and Center for Peace and Security Studies from 2001 to 2004. He was also on the visiting faculty of the School of Foreign Service and a member of the core faculty of the M.A. Program in Security Studies. Dr. Finel led Georgetown’s partnership with the Department of Defense’s Defense Leadership and Management Program (DLAMP) and was lead faculty member for DLAMP courses. He continues to work at Georgetown as an adjunct member of the faculty, teaching courses on American Defense Policy and the Use of Force in the Modern World.

Dr. Finel has published widely on international politics and security. He is co‐author and co‐editor of two books: Power and Conflict in the Age of Transparency (2000), one of the first volumes to systematically examine the influence of increasing international transparency on international security; and Ultimate Security: Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (2003), which highlighted the challenges to the non‐ proliferation regime and stressed the ineffectiveness of the U.S. government’s response to the issue. His research has been published in the journals Security Studies, International Security, Aerospace Power Journal, International Studies Quarterly, National Security Studies Quarterly, and World Affairs.

Dr. Finel is a frequent media commentator on international developments. He has been interviewed for television around the world, including programs broadcast to Canada, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan. He has been a guest on numerous nationally‐broadcast radio programs, and is often quoted by journalists seeking expert commentary on breaking news stories. Dr. Finel is also a frequent contributor to various online media, including WorldPolticsReview.com, Op‐Ednews.com, TPMCafe.com, and DailyKos.com.

Dr. Finel received his B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife Molly James, a trusts and estates attorney, and their two children.

Blog Entries by Bernard I. Finel

The Victory of the Neoconservatives

Posted April 27, 2009 | 09:41:11 (EST)

In politics, final victory occurs not when you gain power but when your opponents adopt your policies as their own. Let us make no mistake; the new defense budget unveiled earlier this month marks the final victory of the neoconservative worldview.

Despite electoral outcomes that seemed a rebuke to the...

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The Military Coup of 2012 Revisited

Posted December 22, 2008 | 14:36:41 (EST)

In 1992 then-LTC Charles Dunlap wrote a famous article, The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012 where he warned about the dangers of the military taking on increasing numbers of civilian missions and ultimately finding itself a substitute for civilian rule altogether. In this weekend's Washington Post,...

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FISA and Corporate Misbehavior

Posted July 21, 2008 | 12:05:11 (EST)

I just returned from the Netroots convention in Austin, and needless to say, there is a lot of anger out there about the FISA "compromise." I'll be blunt. I find this anger misplaced and frankly naive.

Opponents of the new law object to the provisions for retroactive immunity for...

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Iraq on the Brain

Posted June 17, 2008 | 12:28:26 (EST)

Many conservatives have developed a dangerous case of the Iraq Syndrome. Whereas the Vietnam Syndrome affected mostly people on the left and gave them an overly pessimistic view of American power, the Iraq Syndrome is equally dangerous in reducing most of America's foreign policy problems to Iraq.

The latest example...

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Is Terrorism Disappearing?

Posted June 4, 2008 | 14:26:30 (EST)

According to several prominent analysts, we are making great progress in the "war on terror." This claim is based on two trends. First, there has been some decline in the number of casualties from terror attacks over the past few years. Second, there is increasing debate...

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Time to Stop Playing Politics on Defense

Posted May 15, 2008 | 14:40:20 (EST)

The past couple of decades have been disheartening with respect to the politicization of defense policy. In 1992, then-Governor Clinton pledged to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military. Regardless of the substance of the issue, it was inappropriate to seek to make political gains from...

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