Author Archive

Jason M. Blazakis

Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Jason M. Blazakis
Jason Blazakis is a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) where he focuses on threat financing, sanctions, violent extremism, and terrorism. He is also the Executive Director of MIIS’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism. From 2008-18, he was the office director at the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, responsible for designating Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Ideas

US’s terrorist listing of European far-right group signals fears of rising threat—abroad and at home

The Nordic group’s most notorious attack was at a refugee center in Sweden in 2017.

  • Jason M. Blazakis and The Conversation
Ideas

Little fanfare as US upgrades Cuba to 'fully cooperating' with anti-terror efforts

But the mid-May move may presage wider rapprochement – if politics allows.

  • Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation
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What Removing FARC From Terrorist List Reveals About Biden's Foreign Policy

What’s the use of terrorist lists?

  • Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation
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Keep Your Eyes on Afghanistan’s ISIS-K

The Taliban’s victory was local. ISIS still wants the world.

  • Jason M. Blazakis
Ideas

The US Recently Made a Smart Move Toward Iran. Killing Soleimani Wasn’t It

The decision to focus on Tehran’s proxies in the wake of the embassy attack was the right course.

  • Jason M. Blazakis
Ideas

Declaring Mexican Drug Cartels ‘Terrorists’ Is a Bad Old Idea

Trump and Obama policymakers rejected it because it brings no new tools to bear — and quite a few drawbacks.

  • Jason M. Blazakis