This week, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, announced the hiring of Dr. Jacob Olidort, a renowned national security and international relations expert.
At the Department of Defense, Jacob served as a special advisor on Middle East policy and is a recognized authority on ISIS and the intersection between Islamic law, theology, and modern politics. He will advise Senator Hatch on combatting terrorism at home and abroad.
His past writings on terrorism and national security include:
- The Washington Post: Why the Words We Use about Terrorism Matter
- The New York Times: Brand Control is More Important to ISIS Than Territory
- The American Conservative: 16 Years After 9/11 Our Patriotism Remains ‘Uninformed’
- The Washington Institute: Inside the Caliphate’s Classroom: Textbooks, Guidance Literature, and Indoctrination Methods of the Islamic State
“As the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups continues overseas and threats grow here at home, I am pleased to have an expert of Jacob’s caliber on my team,” Hatch said. “Utah plays a critical role in our national defense, and in my role as President Pro Tempore of the Senate, I take very seriously my responsibility to be engaged on matters of security and foreign policy.”
Background
Olidort received his B.A. in History and Middle East Studies from Brandeis University, his A.M. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, where his work focused on the intersection of theology, law, and politics. A Former Fulbright Scholar (UAE), Olidort was a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and has taught at the Elliott School for International Affairs at GWU. He is also a term member in the Council on Foreign Relations as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Olidort is fluent in six different languages, including Arabic, French, Hebrew, Persian, and Russian.
