Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes, previously a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance program, is now a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on the international security implications of acute corruption. She is the author of several notable books including "Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security" and "The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban." Her upcoming book, "No Appeal on Earth: How Crime Syndicates Masquerading as Governments Threaten Us All" (working title), continues this exploration. Chayes is well-recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its far-reaching consequences.

Before her current role at Carnegie, Chayes served as special assistant to the top U.S. military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. She focused on governance issues, participating in cabinet-level decision-making on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Arab Spring, and frequently traveled with Mullen to these regions. Chayes was appointed to this role after serving as a special advisor to two successive commanders of the international troops in Afghanistan (ISAF), marking the end of nearly a decade she spent on the ground in the country.

Chayes's decision to end her journalism career with NPR in early 2002, after covering the fall of the Taliban, and to remain in Afghanistan to aid in its rebuilding was driven by a sense of historic opportunity. She settled in Kandahar, the former Taliban stronghold. In 2005, she founded Arghand, a cooperative in Kandahar producing fine skin-care products, aimed at promoting sustainable development and providing alternatives to the opium economy. This venture provided her with a unique standpoint to observe the ongoing conflict. Her prior experience includes being NPR’s Paris correspondent from 1996 to 2001, where she earned recognition during the Kosovo crisis, sharing the 1999 Foreign Press Club and Sigma Delta Chi awards. Chayes continues to impact a wide audience with her insights on topics like U.S. power balance, civilian policy-making, and the effects of government corruption on global security. Her insights have been featured in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.