Robert Malley

Robert Malley is an American lawyer, political scientist, and specialist in conflict resolution. He is currently the President and CEO of the International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C.

Malley served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations. He was at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama from February 2014 until January 2017. During his tenure, he held the roles of Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region, and Senior Advisor to the President for the Counter-ISIS campaign. In November 2015, he was appointed as President Obama's Senior White House Advisor on ISIS and the Middle East. He also led the U.S. team in international talks on the Syrian civil war and was the lead White House negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. Prior to these roles, Malley was Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group and Assistant to National Security Advisor Sandy Berger (1996–1998), and the Director for Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the National Security Council (1994–1996).

Malley's expertise extends to academia and publications. He has taught at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and New York University. He is the author of "The Call from Algeria: Third Worldism, Revolution, and the Turn to Islam," and his writings have been published in prestigious outlets such as "The New York Times," "The New York Review of Books," "Foreign Affairs," "The Washington Post," and "Le Monde." He holds an M.A. in international relations and a B.A. in Economics & Political Science from Yale, and is a Harvard Law School graduate and a Rhodes Scholar. In recognition of his contributions to foreign affairs, Malley received the 2016 State Department Distinguished Service Award.