Emily Whalen is a writer and historian. Her work focuses on a wide range of subjects, including the history of U.S. foreign policy, 20th century Middle East politics and culture, and the evolution of the state as a political and philosophical entity. Dr. Whalen earned her PhD in History at the University of Texas – Austin in 2020. Currently, she is a Non-Resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Dr. Whalen has held fellowships at the Clements Center for National Security, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Yale University’s International Security Studies Program. She was an affiliated scholar at the American University of Beirut’s Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies, and serves on the board of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs at the College of Charleston. Dr. Whalen’s writing appears in several outlets, including the Oxford Research Encyclopedia, Foreign Policy, Task and Purpose, Lawfare, H-Diplo, and Engelsberg Ideas. Her first book, which tracks the history of U.S. intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, is forthcoming from Columbia University Press in 2026.