Dr. Andrew L. Peek was a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs.  He was previously the senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council and the deputy assistant secretary for Iran and Iraq at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.  In these roles, Dr. Peek was involved with the most critical elements of US foreign policy, including the reimposition of Iran sanctions, Iraqi political engagement, American detainee recovery, Russian election interference, and ceasefire negotiations with Turkey.  Before joining the State Department Peek had been a predoctoral fellow at the University of Texas’s Clements Center while finishing his doctorate with Eliot Cohen at the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies.  He had applied to SAIS during active duty as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Afghanistan, where Peek served as a special advisor for the Commander’s Initiatives Group of General John Allen in Afghanistan. Dr. Peek had been requested for this role by Allen’s predecessor, General David Petraeus, and handled the intelligence, special operations, and Pakistan portfolios for the commander.  He also served as a reserve intelligence officer for US special operations forces.

He also served as the foreign affairs advisor for two U.S. Senators, whose legislation focused on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe. He graduated from Princeton University with High Honors in 2003 and the Harvard Kennedy School in 2005, where he was a course assistant for Dr. Graham Allison.

He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His dissertation under Dr. Eliot Cohen focused on the proxy wars of Iran, Russia, and Pakistan.