I'm the Head of Research for North Africa and the Sahel at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, where I oversee teams conducting applied field research and assessments on the political economy of illicit markets in the two regions. I also co-lead an initiative studying the use of sanctions against transnational organized crime and corruption, as well as another on research ethics. I specialize in transnational organized crime, its impacts on fragility and stabilization, approaches to countering it via targeted sanctions, and approaches to building resilience to it via security sector reform and state-community engagement.
I’m an experienced field manager, with expertise in building and leading teams in difficult to access or politically sensitive environments. I have coordinated complex and multinational field research systems, involving human source and OSINT collection design, analytic oversight, staff mentoring, and development of research processes and protocols. Over the last twenty years, I have lived and worked in fragile, post-conflict, or transitional states throughout North Africa, the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and Latin America.
I hold a PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, with a sub-specialization in security studies and law & development. My doctoral research analyzed how and why cross-border smuggling systems in Meso-America and North Africa that had been peaceful transformed into ones marked by violence and conflict.
Prior to Global Initiative, I served as a Partner and Director at Maharbal, a Tunisian consultancy that provided analysis, advising, and solutions to complex challenges, and as a Senior Program Officer with the Strategic Capacity Group, where I designed and implemented analysis and capacity building programs in North Africa and the Sahel around security force training and academy strengthening, security force-community engagement, and border security. I have also consulted on development and crime issues in North Africa and the Horn of Africa for STATT Consulting and as an independent consultant, managed the transborder threats portfolio for the state of New Mexico, and served as a policy aide to the governor of New Mexico. I have additional programmatic and assessment experience in Mozambique, Nicaragua, Haiti, Brazil, Mongolia, and the Philippines.
I have been quoted on security, migration, and organized crime issues by The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, The Economist, The Times, Foreign Policy, The Telegraph, Financial Times, El Pais, Jeune Afrique, Le Monde, Agence Presse France, Associated Press, and Vice News.
I present regularly on transnational organized crime, border security, community-security force relations, and security sector reform to governmental, NGO and professional audiences.
Information on my articles and assessments can be found in the pages on Focus Areas and Publications.
Övörkhangai Aimag, Mongolia.