Dr. Jennifer Jefferis
November 1, 2024 2025-01-23 21:04Dr. Jennifer Jefferis
Dr. Jennifer Jefferis is an expert consultant for the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. In this capacity, she develops security-related programs for government and civilian leaders in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Territories, and Israel, among other places.
Dr. Jefferis is also a Teaching Professor and the Director of Curriculum at the Security Studies Program, in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University. Her academic research focuses on religion and political violence, and she is the author of three books on this topic: “Hamas: Terrorism, Governance, and its Future in the Region” (Praeger 2016), “Religion and Political Violence: Sacred Protest in the Modern World” (Routledge 2009), and “Armed for Life: Anti-Abortion Politics in the United States” (Praeger 2011), as well as several articles on religion and violence. Prior to coming to the NESA Center, she was an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the National Defense College of the United Arab Emirates, and she served as the Associate Dean of Academics at the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
She is a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Education:
- B.A. Grove City College
- Ph.D. Boston University
Areas of Interest:
- Religion and Political Violence
- Levant Security
Books:
- Hamas: Governance, Terrorism and its future in Middle East Politics -Forthcoming February, 2016 Praeger.
- Armed for Life: The Army of God and Anti-Abortion Terror in the United States. 2011 Praeger
- Religion and Political Violence: Sacred Protest in the Modern World. Routledge Press. 2010
Articles:
- “Overcoming Transition Type? An examination of Egypt and Tunisia.” Out for review.
- “The Battle For Narratives in the Fight Against Extremism,” July 2014. Small Wars Journal.
- “Multi-Polar Proxy Wars” 2014. International Policy Digest (April).
- “The Muslim Brotherhood,” 2014. American Council on Foreign Relations Encyclopedia of Islamism.
- “Religious Cults and Terrorism” 2012. Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Terrorism: Hostility, Conflict, and Political Aggression in the 21st Century
- “The Cell Strategy in Terrorism” 2012. Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Terrorism: Hostility, Conflict, and Political Aggression in the 21st Century.
- “Post-9/11 Nation Building: The Essential Elements” Regent Journal of International Law. 2008. 6:2, 461-478
Book Reviews:
- The Path to Salvation: Religious Violence from the Crusades to Jihad, by Heather Gregg. Review published in Journal of Religion and Violence 2014
- Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State, From Christian Militias to Al Qaeda, by Mark Juergensmeyer. Review published in Politics, Religion and Ideology, Summer 2011
- For God’s Sake: The Christian Right and U.S. Foreign Policy. By Lee Marsden. Published in Religious Studies Review, June 2011
- The Dynamics of Terror and the Creation of Homegrown Terrorists. Edited by Richard J. Hughbank, Anthony F. Niosi, and Juan Carlos Dumas. Review published in Journal of Strategic Studies, Fall 2010
- What the World Should be: Woodrow Wilson and the Crafting of Faith-Based Foreign Policy. By Malcom D. Magee. Review Published in Religious Studies Review, August 2009.
- Divine Justice, Divine Judgment. By Daniel Via. Published in Religious Studies Review, June 2008
