Stephen Blank is a leading expert on Russian foreign and defense policy, as well as European and Asian security, with a focus on the post-Soviet space and energy geopolitics. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and formerly served in senior roles at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the American Foreign Policy Council. From 1989 to 2013, he was Professor of Russian National Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College, where he also held the Douglas MacArthur Professorship of Research. Dr. Blank has advised the CIA, major think tanks, corporations, and U.S. Congress on Russia, China, Central Asia, and global security affairs. He has published over 1,300 works—including 15 books—and is a frequent media commentator on international affairs. He holds a Ph.D. in Russian History from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.