Professional Affiliation

Assistant Professor of International Relations, School of International Service, American University

Expert Bio

Jordan Tama is Assistant Professor of International Relations at American University’s School of International Service and Research Fellow at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. Dr. Tama is the author of Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises (Cambridge University Press, 2011), and he has published articles about U.S. politics and foreign policy in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and many other popular and scholarly publications. Dr. Tama has also served in the U.S. Congress as the lead Democratic aide on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Wilson Center Project

"Is U.S. Foreign Policy Bipartisanship Still Possible?"

Project Summary

Severe partisan and ideological polarization is a defining feature of contemporary American politics, yet Congressional Republicans and Democrats still sometimes cooperate on significant foreign policy initiatives. My current book project investigates the factors that facilitate or prevent bipartisanship on important foreign-policy issues.

Major Publications

• “Crises, Commissions, and Reform: The Impact of Blue-Ribbon Panels,” Political Research Quarterly (Forthcoming).
• "From Private Consultation to Public Crusade: Assessing Eisenhower’s Legislative Strategies on Foreign Policy,” Congress and the Presidency (February 2013).
• "Congress Is Already Post-Partisan: Agreement Across the Aisle on U.S. Foreign Policy,” with Joshua W. Busby, Jonathan Monten, and William Inboden, Foreign Affairs (January 28, 2013).