Ellen Laipson
President and CEO
Ellen Laipson joined the Center in 2002 after nearly 25 years of government service. Key positions included Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council (NIC) (1997-2002) and Special Assistant to the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1995-97). At the NIC, Laipson co-managed the interdisciplinary study Global Trends 2015 and directed the NIC’s outreach to think tanks and research organizations on a wide range of national security topics.
Her earlier government career focused on analysis and policymaking on Middle East and South Asian issues. She was the Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs for the National Security Council (1993-95), National Intelligence Officer for Near and South Asia (1990-93), a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff (1986-87), and a specialist in Middle East Affairs for the Congressional Research Service.
At the Center, Laipson directs the Southwest Asia project, which focuses on a range of security issues in the Gulf region. Laipson is a frequent speaker on Middle East issues and on US foreign policy and global trends. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the Middle East Institute, and the Middle East Studies Association. In 2003, she joined the boards of the Asia Foundation and the Education and Employment Foundation. Laipson has an MA from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and an AB from Cornell University.
In late 2009, President Obama named Laipson to the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.
Selected Publications
"The Indian Ocean: A Critical Areana for 21st Century Threats and Challenges" in Laipson and Pandya (eds.), The Indian Ocean: Resource and Governance Challenges (Stimson, 2009)
“America and the Emerging Iraqi Reality: New Goals, No Illusions” (The Century Foundation, 2008)
"Prospects for Middle East Security-Sector Reform" (Survival, 2007)
“Iraqi Kurds and Iraq’s Future” (Middle East Policy, 2006)
Improving the Interagency Process to Face 21st Century Security Challenges (2005)
“Security Sector Reform: the Final Frontier?” (Arab Reform Bulletin, 2005)
“Relating to the Muslim World: Maybe Less is More” (Hoover Institution Press, 2004)
“Syria: Can the Myth Be Maintained Without Nukes?” (Brookings Institution Press, 2004)
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