Dear Benzi,
Hope this email finds you well. It's my pleasure to introduce you to my former colleague Dr. Seth Jones, who is now the director of the Transnational Threats Project is a senior adviser to the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Seth will be in Israel with his colleagues Brian Katz and Nicholas Harrington (see bios below) for a research project that examines Russia’s military campaign in Syria, particularly following Russia’s direct involvement in the war in 2015. It asks several questions. First, why did Russia become directly involved in Syria? What were its primary objectives? Second, what was Russia’s strategy to achieve these objectives? This includes Russia’s light footprint strategy that included a mix of fire and maneuver elements, which involved working by, with, and through Syrian forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and companies like the Wagner Group. Third, how did Russia conduct its campaign from 2015 to 2019, including military operations and diplomatic efforts? Fourth, what are Russia’s key take-aways from the Syria campaign. Finally, and secondarily, they are also interested in how Iran has been involved as well.

Seth G. Jones holds the Harold Brown Chair, is director of the Transnational Threats Project, and is a senior adviser to the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He teaches at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to joining CSIS, Dr. Jones was the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He also served as representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations. Before that, he was a plans officer and adviser to the commanding general, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan). In 2014, Dr. Jones served on a congressionally mandated panel that reviewed the FBI’s implementation of counterterrorism recommendations contained in the 9/11 Commission Report. Dr. Jones specializes in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, and covert action, including a focus on al Qaeda and ISIS. He is the author of A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland (W.W. Norton, 2018), Waging Insurgent Warfare (Oxford University Press, 2016), Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa'ida after 9/11 (W.W. Norton, 2012), and In the Graveyard of Empires: America’s War in Afghanistan (W.W. Norton, 2009). Dr. Jones has published articles in a range of journals, such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and International Security, as well as newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Dr. Jones is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Brian Katz is a fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His research agenda focuses on the intersection of intelligence, national security, and technology, including the integration and implications of emerging technologies; adapting intelligence to the future of counterterrorism; and the role of intelligence in policymaking, strategy, and military operations. He also frequently writes on Middle East security issues, counterterrorism, nonstate actors, and proxy warfare. Mr. Katz served as a visiting fellow at CSIS from 2018-2019 through the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship program. He joined CSIS after a decade of service in the U.S. Government at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Department of Defense. At the CIA, Mr. Katz served as a military analyst for the Middle East, South Asia, and Eastern Europe, including multiple overseas tours. From 2016 to 2017, he served as country director for Syria in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he provided policy and strategy advice to senior officials on the Syrian conflict and U.S. military and counterterrorism efforts against the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Mr. Katz is also an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve currently serving with U.S. European Command. He holds a B.S. in economics from Duke University and an M.A. in international relations and strategic studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is a previous Center for a New American Security Next Generation National Security Fellow and a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and two National Intelligence Medals.

Nicholas Harrington is a research assistant and program coordinator for the Transnational Threats Project (TNT) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he provides analysis on asymmetric warfare, gray zone competition, and non-state actor threats worldwide. Mr. Harrington has contributed to TNT publications such as Dangerous Liaisons: Russian Cooperation with Iran in Syria (CSIS, 2019), Iran’s Threat to Saudi Critical Infrastructure: The Implications of U.S.-Iranian Escalation (CSIS, 2019) and The Evolution of the Salafi-Jihadist Threat (CSIS, 2018). Working for Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman, the CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, he was a contributing author of numerous publications, including The Arab Gulf States and Iran: Military Spending, Modernization, and the Shifting Military Balance (CSIS, 2018) and The Korean Civil-Military Balance (CSIS, 2018). Prior to joining CSIS, he conducted research for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as well as the Office of the New York City Comptroller. He holds a B.A. in government from Dartmouth College.