Michael Jacobson Rejoins Washington Institute as Senior Fellow in Counterterrorism and Intelligence
Washington, D.C. — The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is pleased to announce that Michael Jacobson has rejoined the organization as a senior fellow in the Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Jacobson returns to the Institute after 15 years at the U.S. Department of State, where he most recently served as the director of strategy, plans, and initiatives in the Bureau of Counterterrorism. In that role, he helped orchestrate U.S. and global counterterrorism efforts against Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and shape the bureau’s approximately $300 million annual foreign-assistance portfolio.
“Mike has long been a respected voice on counterterrorism policy, with rare experience that spans government, intelligence, and the think-tank world,” said Robert Satloff, Segal Executive Director of the Institute. “We’re delighted to welcome him back, and his insights and expertise are sure to help us navigate today’s rapidly changing Middle East.”
Prior to his tenure at the State Department, Jacobson served as a senior advisor in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Earlier in his career, Jacobson was a counsel to the 9/11 Commission. He also worked on the joint congressional inquiry into 9/11 that preceded the establishment of the full bipartisan commission. Jacobson also served for more than five years at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, first as an intelligence analyst and later as an assistant general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel.
Jacobson also worked previously at The Washington Institute, first as a Soref fellow (2004–05) and later as a senior fellow (2007–10), during which time he wrote the monograph The West at War: U.S. and European Counterterrorism Efforts Post-September 11 and wrote pieces for leading media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times.
Jacobson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brandeis University, a master’s degree in international relations from Tufts University, and a law degree from Boston College Law School.
Media Contact: Shelby Weiss, 202-230-9550, email.
About The Washington Institute: The Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.