Charles Lister Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

• Managing MEI’s extensive research and analysis programs on (1) Syria and on (2) terrorism, transnational threats and the challenge of countering extremist ideologies.o Coordinating a team of resident and non-resident scholars; commissioning external experts; hosting public and closed-door events in the U.S. and abroad.o Sustaining high-level engagement with the U.S. and foreign governments.• Sustaining a personal specialism on Syria and its crisis, particularly conflict actors, dynamics and regional and international implications and policy responses.• Engaging frequently with U.S. and international media; appearing on podcasts, video series and providing online briefings and teaching seminars.

Washington Dc, Istanbul, Gaziantep, Doha

• Played a leading role in a comprehensive political process engaging 1,000s of influential Syrians from all components of society and the crisis, backed by seven Western governments.• Managed an intensive track of engagement with the leaderships of 100+ armed opposition groups to determine political positions and facilitate dialogue with Western governments.

Doha, Qatar

• Conducted two years of in-depth research, including frequent fieldwork, on the Syrian insurgency and the nature of both al-Qaeda and ISIS in the Levant.• Produced multiple research and policy papers, including “Profiling the Islamic State,” which was later published as a book and adopted by the U.S. military for pre-deployment training.

London, United Kingdom

• Research and write JTIC Briefs – 1,500 word pieces of timely analysis focusing on terrorist groups, countries, conflicts of particular relevance at the time. Between 2-3 per month, published in Jane’s Terrorism & Insurgency Monitor (JTIM).• Research and write JTIC Features - 3,000 word pieces of unique analysis incorporating source-based intelligence from conflict theatres, focused on assessing a specific sub-state threat.• Research and write OSINT Summaries – 100-500 word pieces of open-source intelligence analysis on incidents and developments of particular relevance at the time. Approximately 12-15 per month, published in Jane’s Terrorism & Insurgency Monitor (JTIM).• Research and write 150-200 daily Flashpoint bulletins on worldwide terrorism/insurgency incidents, which are sent out three times per day to all international clients.• Extensive TV, Radio & Print media experience, including with BBC News, BBC World Service, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times, The Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press.• Compile and maintain JTIC’s approximately 300 terrorist group profiles based on inserting bespoke intelligence from independent sources and from OSINT sources.• Compile the JTIC Global Attack Index (GAI) – the collation of all JTIC terrorism/insurgency data in a series of tables, charts, and analyses in order to outline monthly trends in international terrorism.• Compile and maintain the JTIC database, including the inputting of all Flashpoint bulletins and the updating of existing entries as details change.• Co-ordinate with Jane’s security and intelligence analysts in other offices within the UK and abroad regarding ongoing conflict developments.• Train and manage several interns, new employees, and existing staff.• Identifying new and emerging terrorist groups and determining the current and potential future threat they may pose to local and international security.

Made responsible for composing high-level research papers on issues relating to US foreign security policy. A considerable portion of this work involved analyzing and assessing the risk posed to allied foreign states and to US national security by sub-state terrorist groups, and by national militaries. Consequently undertook significant amounts of highly detailed analysis of the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia. Helped organize two multinational conferences that were held in Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea, and were attended by senior military, political, intelligence and industry officials from the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. Worked extensively for the renowned Independent Working Group (IWG) on Missile Defense and space-based technology, and on projects relating to U.S. counterterrorism and civil-military cooperation.

First Class Ma Honours, International Relations

Honours Modules: International Terrorism Diplomacy & Conflict Intervention The Logic of Irregular Warfare Asian Security International.

Education record