Douglas London

Douglas London is a professor of intelligence studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute. He served in the CIA’s Clandestine Service for more than 34 years—including three assignments as a chief of station and as CIA’s counterterrorism chief for South and Southwest Asia. He is the author of The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence.

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Articles by Douglas London
A man sells stickers picturing Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada at market in Kabul.
A man sells stickers picturing Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada at market in Kabul.

It’s Time To Recognize the Taliban

Argument
Javid Ahmad, Douglas London
The Central Intelligence Agency headquarters are pictured in Langley, Virginia, on July 8, 2022.
The Central Intelligence Agency headquarters are pictured in Langley, Virginia, on July 8, 2022.

U.S. Rivals Are Facing Unrest. Is It Due to Luck or Skill?

Analysis
Douglas London
A fire rages at the Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces in Tver, Russia
A fire rages at the Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces in Tver, Russia

Could Sabotage Stop Putin From Using the Nuclear Option?

Analysis
Douglas London
A smiling Imran Khan raises his fist in a gesture toward supporters during a rally.
A smiling Imran Khan raises his fist in a gesture toward supporters during a rally.

Imran Khan’s Dangerous Game

Argument
Javid Ahmad, Douglas London
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wave a Syrian flag.
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wave a Syrian flag.

The Spy Who Could Have Saved Syria This article has an audio recording

Review
Douglas London
U.S. Marines keep watch as unseen Afghan National Army soldiers participate in an improvised explosive device training exercise in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on Aug. 28, 2017.
U.S. Marines keep watch as unseen Afghan National Army soldiers participate in an improvised explosive device training exercise in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on Aug. 28, 2017.

The CIA Is Better Than the U.S. Military at Creating Foreign Armies

Argument
Douglas London, Bilal Y. Saab
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security police officer in front of an American flag in Portland, Oregon, on June 4, 2017.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security police officer in front of an American flag in Portland, Oregon, on June 4, 2017.

The United States Can’t Put Terrorism Behind It

Argument
Douglas London
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