James Blake - Global Experts

Geostrategic and Intelligence consultant

December 3rd, 2010

Area of Expertise: Terrorism, War and Conflict
Geographical Expertise - Region: Asia, Europe, North Africa and Middle East
Languages: Arabic, English
Field of Work: Think tank/Research center
City: Washington DC
Country: USA
Continent: Europe

Email: james.blake@theglobalexperts.org

James Blake advises multinational companies, institutions and governments on issues of geopolitics and international security. For five years he developed intelligence-led products to help clients protect their assets and mitigate risks, while building an expertise in both tactical and strategic intelligence analysis. More recently he has written about future geopolitical and security issues.

James has conducted on-the-ground fieldwork on international security in large parts of the Middle East and East Africa, including interviewing terrorists. He is regularly asked to comment on issues to international media outlets, such as the BBC, Reuters and CNN. He has given presentations to large audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

He holds an MA with distinction from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) with a focus on Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and an MA with honours in International Relations from the University of St Andrews focused on international security, particularly terrorism and non-proliferation.

During his time at St Andrews, he combined studying with working at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), where he held a number of different positions, including as a desk officer for the UK and Ireland. He was responsible for analyzing and assessing the London 2005 bombings. During his time at St Andrews, James was awarded the sole scholarship to study at Washington and Lee University, VA.

While in the US, he worked at former Senator Sam Nunn and Ted Turner’s Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), working on a number of projects including the threat from nuclear terrorism, the Iranian nuclear question, the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance and pandemic flu preparedness.

Mr. Blake has been learning Modern Standard Arabic for three years.

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