Ian Mitch

Ian Mitch
Senior Policy Analyst
Washington Office

Education

M.A. in security studies, Georgetown University; B.A. in political science, Wake Forest University

Overview

Ian Mitch is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, where his research focuses on terrorism, transnational criminal networks, cybersecurity, and homeland security issues.

He joined RAND from the Department of Homeland Security, where he was a senior intelligence officer focusing on terrorism, immigration and travel security, and the Middle East. During his tenure in the intelligence community, Mitch was also a senior analyst at the National Intelligence Council focusing on Iranian foreign policy, leadership decisionmaking, and unconventional military capabilities.

Prior to joining the federal government, Mitch served in a number of research positions focusing on Middle East and national security issues at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Department of State, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Israel Policy Forum. He is also a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. His writings have appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the National Interest, and International Affairs.

He received an M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in political science from Wake Forest University.

Research Focus

Commentary

  • Refugees and migrants try to warm themselves up, Indjija, Serbia, October 5, 2016
    Terrorism Threat Assessment

    In Refugee Vetting, How Good Is Good Enough?

    A security policy that depends too heavily on vetting, and expects it to be foolproof, is likely to fall short. A better security standard the administration could consider is not whether vetting failures ever occur, but rather whether they pose an acceptable risk to the United States.

    Nov 1, 2018

    The National Interest

Publications