Elias Yousif, a Senior Advisor to CIP and Research Analyst with the Stimson Center, has several years of experience in foreign affairs research and human rights advocacy. He previously served as Deputy Director of the Security Assistance Monitor. Before that, he was with the Atlantic Council as part of their external relations team. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, he was a Campaigns and Research Officer with Crisis Action, an international civilian protection advocacy organization. While with Crisis Action, based both in Beirut, Lebanon, and Washington D.C., Elias provided in-depth research and analysis to a global coalition of civil society organizations campaigning for civilian protection in South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. He holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations from American University, with a focus on Middle East politics and U.S. foreign policy.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
REPORT
September 13, 2021
The Expanding Scope of U.S. Security Assistance Since 9/11
by Lauren Woods and Elias Yousif
A detailed look at the shifting and expanding landscape of U.S. security assistance since the September 11th attacks.
ISSUE BRIEF
September 8, 2021
The Arms Left Behind in Afghanistan
by Elias Yousif
The Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan gives them access to a massive arsenal of U.S. weapons left behind by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. This brief gives an overview of the arms the U.S. has transferred to Afghanistan over the last 20 years and the risks they might pose in the hands of the Taliban.
ISSUE BRIEF
June 14, 2021
Israel’s Exceptional Security Partnership with Washington
Elias Yousif
Israel is the largest historical recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, totaling more than $146 billion since 1950, equivalent to $236 billion in 2018 dollars, the vast majority coming in the form of military aid. But in the wake of Israel’s recent offensive in Gaza that killed over 243 Palestinians, including 63 children, and wrought untold physical damage on the densely populated enclave, advocates and lawmakers are raising questions about the wisdom and risks of the current U.S. security partnership with Israel, including the ways in which the partnership contravenes traditional norms, regulations, and statutes governing U.S. arms sales and security sector assistance.
This brief summarizes the exceptional elements of the Israeli military partnership with
Washington that pose unique challenges to oversight, accountability, and civilian protection.
LATEST NEWS
August 30, 2021
What Happens to the Military Equipment Left Behind in Afghanistan to the Taliban?
Elias Yousif quoted
"When an armed group gets their hands on American-made weaponry, it's sort of a status symbol. It's a psychological win."
August 19, 2021
Billions in US weaponry seized by Taliban
Elias Yousif quoted
“When an armed group gets their hands on American-made weaponry, it's sort of a status symbol. It's a psychological win."
August 30, 2021
US trained Khashoggi's killers. A review of all military training programs is necessary
by William Hartung and Elias Yousif
Without stronger safeguards on America's foreign military training enterprise, it seems inevitable that the United States will continue to hone the skills of those who go on to become foreign assassins, coup leaders and human rights abusers.
August 2, 2021
Why American Security Cooperation Must Become More Transparent
By Lauren Woods & Elias Yousif
As deliberation continues over the current National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), beyond debating the size of the budget, Congress also has an opportunity to build on the 2017 reforms by making security assistance more transparent and accountable through better public reporting, including detailed yearly reporting of U.S. security assistance and cooperation.