Scott R. Anderson is the David M. Rubenstein fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is also senior editor and counsel for Lawfare, an online publication committed to the analysis of hard national security choices.
A former U.S. diplomat and experienced international lawyer, Anderson previously served as an attorney-advisor for the U.S. Department of State and as the legal advisor for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. In these capacities, he advised policymakers on domestic and international legal issues relating to U.S. foreign and national security policy, particularly as they relate to the Middle East and North Africa. Among other issues, his portfolio included bilateral relations with Iraq, counter-ISIS efforts in Iraq and Syria, select Israeli-Palestinian issues, terrorism-related civil litigation, U.S. and international economic sanctions, and the Yemen conflict. He also helped to represent the Department in a number of litigation and international arbitration matters, including several before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In addition to his position at Brookings, Anderson is an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, a fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and an affiliate of the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict.
Directly prior to joining Brookings, Anderson was an International Affairs Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, during which time he was affiliated with Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this he served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and the University of Virginia.