About Us

Mission

The Jamestown Foundation’s mission is to inform policymakers and the broader community about events and trends in societies that are critical to the United States and its partners. Jamestown provides objective analysis and context, drawing upon indigenous and primary sources.

Programs

The Jamestown Foundation’s main publications are China Brief, Eurasia Daily Monitor and Terrorism Monitor. Click on the map below to explore them.

About Us

 

Origins

Founded in 1984 by William Geimer, The Jamestown Foundation made a direct contribution to the downfall of Communism through its dissemination of information about the closed totalitarian societies of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

William Geimer worked with Arkady Shevchenko, the highest-ranking Soviet official ever to defect when he left his position as undersecretary general of the United Nations. Shevchenko’s memoir “Breaking With Moscow” revealed the details of Soviet superpower diplomacy, arms control strategy and tactics in the Third World, at the height of the Cold War. Through its work with Shevchenko, Jamestown rapidly became the leading source of information about the inner workings of the captive nations of the former Communist Bloc. In addition to Shevchenko, Jamestown assisted the former top Romanian intelligence officer Ion Pacepa in writing his memoirs. Jamestown ensured that both men published their insights and experience in what became bestselling books. Even today, several decades later, some credit Pacepa’s revelations about Ceausescu’s regime in his bestselling book Red Horizons with the fall of that government and the freeing of Romania.

The Jamestown Foundation has emerged as a leading provider of information about Eurasia. Our research and analysis on conflict and instability in Eurasia enabled Jamestown to become one of the most reliable sources of information on the post-Soviet space, the Caucasus and Central Asia as well as China. Furthermore, since 9/11, Jamestown has utilized its network of indigenous experts in more than 50 different countries to conduct research and analysis on terrorism and the growth of al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda offshoots throughout the globe.

By drawing on our ever-growing global network of experts, Jamestown has become a vital source of unfiltered, open-source information about major conflict zones around the world—from the Black Sea to Siberia, from the Persian Gulf to Latin America and the Pacific. Our core of intellectual talent includes former high-ranking government officials and military officers, political scientists, journalists, scholars and economists. Their insight contributes significantly to policymakers engaged in addressing today’s newly emerging global threats in the post 9/11 world.

 

Nikolai Getman: The Gulag Collection

In 1946, an artist named Nikolai Getman was imprisoned in the Soviet Union’s GULAG, a system of forced labor camps across Siberia and the interior of the USSR. Upon his release in 1954, Getman commenced a public career as a politically correct painter. Secretly, however, for more than four decades, Getman labored at creating a visual record of the GULAG, which vividly depicts all aspects of the horrendous life (and death) so many innocent millions experienced during that infamous era. Getman’s collection is unique because it is the only visual record known to exist of this tragic phenomenon. In early 1997, The Jamestown Foundation learned of The Gulag Collection and that Getman was desperate to get the painting transported to the West; he feared that upon his death they would be destroyed. With the financial support of Jim Kimsey, The Jamestown Foundation brought the paintings to the United States, where in 1997 they were put on display in the U.S. Congress. The Collection remained with Jamestown until 2009, when it was permanently transferred to the Heritage Foundation, where it resides today (heritage.org).

 

Donor Privacy & Confidentiality Policy

Effective Date: January 2023

At The Jamestown Foundation, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our donors’ personal information. This Donor Privacy and Confidentiality Policy outlines our commitment to protecting donor data and privacy and describes how we collect, use, store, and share donor information. By interacting with our organization and providing your personal information, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

  1. Information Collection: We collect personal information from donors when they engage in activities such as making donations, signing up for our publications, newsletters, or participating in events. The information we collect may include:
    • Name, address, email address, and phone number
    • Donation history and contribution details
    • Payment information (credit card details, bank account numbers, etc.)
    • Communication preferences
  1. Use of Information: We use the collected donor information for the following purposes:
    • Processing donations and providing donation acknowledgements
    • Communicating with donors about our activities, events, and campaigns
    • Sending newsletters and other relevant updates
    • Conducting donor surveys and feedback requests
    • Internal record-keeping and analysis
  1. Data Security: We take reasonable measures to protect donor data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. We use industry-standard security practices to safeguard the information we collect, including encryption, secure networks, and access controls. However, please note that no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.
  2. Third-Party Disclosure: We do not sell, trade, or rent donor information to third parties. However, we may share certain data with trusted service providers who assist us in carrying out our activities, such as payment processors or email service providers. These service providers are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the data and can only use it for the purposes specified by us.
  3. Donor Rights: Donors have the right to:
    • Access their personal information held by us
    • Request corrections or updates to their information
    • Opt-out of receiving future communications
    • Request the deletion of their personal information, subject to legal obligations

To exercise these rights or for any questions regarding this policy, donors can contact us using the provided contact information.

8. Data Retention: We retain donor data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by law. When donor information is no longer needed, we securely dispose of or anonymize it to prevent unauthorized access.

9. Policy Updates: We may update this Donor Privacy and Confidentiality Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We encourage donors to review this policy periodically for any updates. The revised policy will be effective immediately upon posting on our website.

 

Adnan Aamir

Adnan Aamir is a journalist and researcher based in Pakistan. He has written extensively on the Belt and Road Initiative for Nikkei Asian Review, Financial... MORE

Hassan Abbas

Hassan Abbas served as the Sub-Divisional Police Chief in the NWFP from 1996-1998, and was the Deputy Director of Investigations in Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau... MORE

Ben Abboudi

Ben Abboudi is the Middle East and North Africa Threat Analyst at Healix International. He has lived and studied in the Middle East and has... MORE

Sohail Abdul Nasir

Sohail Abdul Nasir is an Islamabad-based journalist. He writes on foreign policy matters, regional security issues and the war on terrorism.

Mahan Abedin

Mr. Abedin co-edited Unmasking Terror: A Global Review of Terrorist Actitives (2005). He is an expert on Iran, Iraq and Islamic movements and ideologies. Mr.... MORE

Dana E Abizaid

Dana E Abizaid has worked for twelve years in Central Asia and Turkey. Currently, he teaches history at the Istanbul International Community School. He is... MORE

Mariam Abou Zahab

Mariam Abou Zahab is a Researcher and Pakistan Specialist, Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI).

Eduard Abrahamyan

Eduard Abrahamyan is a defense policy and regional security analyst with emphasis on the Black Sea, South Caucasus and Central Asia. He is Doctoral Research... MORE

Zachary Abuza

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College, where he specializes in Southeast Asian Security issues. 

Aya Adachi

Dr. Aya Adachi is a Fellow at Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung (BKHS) working on Chinese and Japanese foreign economic policies and geoeconomics. She has previously worked at the... MORE

Brian Adeba

Brian Adeba is an associate with the Security Governance Group in Kitchener, Canada.

Nima Adelkhah

Nima Adelkhah is an independent analyst based in New York. His current research agenda includes the Middle East, military strategy and technology, and nuclear proliferation... MORE

Nima Adelkhah

Nima Adelkhah is an independent analyst based in New York. His current research agenda includes the Middle East, military strategy and technology and nuclear proliferation,... MORE

Mohammad Ahmad

Mohammad Ahmad is an independent analyst based in Zarqa, Jordan.

Osama Ahmad

Osama Ahmad is an Islamabad-based journalist and researcher. He writes about militancy, geopolitics, cybercrime & terrorism, organized crime, technology, human rights, gender disparities, climate change,... MORE

Naghi Ahmadov

Naghi Ahmadov is an expert at the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), where he focuses on international security with a special... MORE

Shujaat Ahmadzada

Shujaat Ahmadzada is a research fellow at Topchubashov Center, a Baku-based think tank. Ahmadzada has a bachelor's degree in international relations from the Academy of... MORE

Isaac Ahmed

Isaac Ahmed is an Iraqi journalist based in Baghdad. He has covered Iraq’s main stories from sectarian violence through the emergence of IS and its... MORE

Salimjon Aioubov

Salimjon Aioubov is a Senior Broadcaster with RFE/RL’s Tajik Service.

Pete Ajemian

Pete Ajemian recently completed graduate studies at the University of St. Andrews. He previously spent time living in Lebanon and has conducted research on terrorism... MORE

Vakhit Akaev

Vakhit Akaev is a Doctor of Philosophy and a member correspondent of the Academy of Sciences of the Chechen Republic. He is also the Chair... MORE

Shehab al-Makahleh

Shehab Al-Makahleh is a senior media and policy adviser in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. He has been working for a number of media... MORE

Fuad Alakbarov

Fuad Alakbarov is an independent foreign policy analyst with emphasis on South Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa.

Fuad Alakbarov

Fuad Alakbarov is an independent foreign policy analyst with a focus on the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Africa. Mr. Alakbarov graduated from Glasgow Caledonian... MORE

Chris Alden

Chris Alden, Ph.D., is the Director of the China in Africa Project at SAIIA and author of the book, China in Africa (Zed 2007).

Nuray Alekberli-Museyibova

Nuray Alekberli-Museyibova is a researcher at the Strategic Studies Consulting Company in Azerbaijan. Her research interests cover economic reforms, regional economic integration, energy security, regional... MORE

Ali Alfoneh

Ali Alfoneh, a political scientist by training, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and is the author of Iran Unveiled:... MORE

Farhana Ali

Farhana Ali is an Associate International Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation. She has done extensive research on jihadist networks and religious extremism.

Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali is a Pakistan-based journalist working as a special correspondent for the Washington Post. Before this he was a correspondent for the BBC Pashto... MORE

Rafid Fadhil Ali

Rafid Fadhil Ali is journalist, writer and reporter. From 2003 to 2007 he covered the Iraq war and followed events from the field. Rafid worked... MORE

Anes Alic

Anes Alic is the Executive Director of ISA Consulting, www.isaintel.com.

Nurlan Aliyev

Nurlan Aliyev is a PhD Candidate/Researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the University of Warsaw. From 2000 to 2017, He worked as an... MORE

Huseyn Aliyev

Huseyn Aliyev is an independent researcher whose work focuses on democratic institution-building and armed conflicts in the former Soviet Union. He is an author of... MORE

Kenneth Allen

Kenneth W. Allen is a retired U.S. Air Force officer, whose extensive service abroad includes a tour in China as the Assistant Air Attaché. He... MORE

T.S. Allen

T.S. Allen is a freelance analyst who previously served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army and has extensive experience with information warfare, cyberspace... MORE

Jana Allen

Jana Allen is an Independent Research Analyst and a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. A Chinese linguist, she has a B.S. from... MORE

Victoria Almas

Victoria Almas is a regional expert on Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

Feyza Altindag

Feyza Altindag is a specialist in East European and Turkish affairs.

Fatemeh Aman

Fatemeh Aman is a non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. She has written on Iranian, Afghan, and broader Middle Eastern affairs for over... MORE

Ivar Amundsen

Ivar Amundsen is Director of the Chechnya Peace Forum, a human rights organization based in London which seeks to promote the cause of democracy and... MORE

Alex An

Alex An is a retired Colonel in the ROC (Taiwan) Army

David An

David An is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at George Washington University and a former Fulbright Scholar.

Danny Anderson

Danny Anderson is a former Europe-Eurasia Intern at The Jamestown Foundation and currently works for the National Endowment for Democracy. He studied at American University's... MORE

Martin Andrew

Martin Andrew retired from the Australian Defense Force after 28 years of service and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Bond University. His book,... MORE

Marcel Angliviel de la Beaumelle

Marcel Angliviel de la Beaumelle is an independent researcher who has worked at the Center for New American Security and the Jamestown Foundation. He is... MORE

Zaal Anjaparidze

is the Executive Director of the Georgian NGO Democracy Resources Development Center. He has written extensively on Georgian domestic and foriegn politics.

Giuseppe Anzera

Giuseppe Anzera is Assistant Professor of Sociology of International Politics at "La Sapienza" University of Rome. He collaborates with the Power and Interest News Report... MORE

Ryan Arant

Ryan Arant is an independent analyst specializing in Middle East national security issues. He holds an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and a... MORE

Alessandro Arduino

Dr. Alessandro Arduino is co-director of the Security & Crisis Management Program at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences – UNITO.

Stephen Armitage

Stephen Armitage is a former DOD analyst, US expat and researcher primarily focused on Chinese information operations and emerging tech.

Richard Arnold

Richard Arnold teaches at Muskingum University and is a member of the PONARS network.  He is the author of Russian Nationalism and Ethnic Violence: Symbolic Violence,... MORE

John Arterbury

John Arterbury is a Washington, DC-based security consultant who recently served as a Fellow for Georgetown University’s Global Futures Initiative focusing on international security.

Jorma Arvidson

Jorma Arvidson specializes on geopolitics and terrorism in the greater Middle East.

Tariq Mahmud Ashraf

Tariq Mahmud Ashraf is a retired Air Commodore from the Pakistan Air Force. A freelance analyst on South Asian defense and nuclearization issues, he has... MORE

Ali Askarov

Ali Askarov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Dr. Askarov previously... MORE

Leyla Aslanova

Leyla Aslanova is an independent analyst and researcher. She holds a Masters in Public Policy degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook... MORE

Margarita Assenova

Margarita Assenova is a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation. She is a regular contributor to the Jamestown publication Eurasia Daily Monitor on political and energy security developments in... MORE

Scott Atran

Scott Atran is a director of research at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris and Professor of anthropology and psychology at the University... MORE

Emil Avdaliani

Emil Avdaliani is a professor at European University. His research focuses on great powers’ interests in the Middle East and the Caucasus. Avdaliani is also the author... MORE

Leah Averitt

Leah Averitt was previously a Research Fellow in the Strategic Research Department at the U.S. Naval War College.

Mokhtar Awad

Mokhtar Awad is a Research Fellow in the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. Previously he was a Research Associate at the Center for... MORE

Soumya Awasthi

Soumya Awasthi is a member of the expert group at the Centre on Armed Groups, Geneva. Her research interests include counter-terrorism, de-radicalization, South Asian strategic... MORE

Hekmatullah Azamy

Hekmatullah Azamy is a research analyst at the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS), a think tank in Kabul.

Ali Zahid

Ali Zahid is a freelance columnist covering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sajid Aziz

Sajid Aziz is a researcher whose work revolves around security and foreign policy issues. He had previously worked as a Consultant at the Strategic Policy... MORE