David Sterman

Research Associate, International Security Program

David Sterman is a research associate at the New America Foundation and holds a master's degree from Georgetown’s Center for Security Studies. His work focuses on homegrown extremism and the maintenance of the New America Foundation’s datasets on terrorism inside the United States and the relative roles of NSA surveillance and traditional investigative tools in preventing such terrorism.

Prior to working at the New America Foundation, Mr. Sterman was a contributing editor at Southern Pulse, and he interned at the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information in Jerusalem. He continues to work as a research assistant for Dr. Gary Shiffman on issues related to sub-state violence and economics. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 2012.

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David Sterman
Research Associate, International Security Program
sterman@newamerica.org

Featured Publications

Publications

article | January 29, 2015

Don’t Dismiss Poverty’s Role in Terrorism Quite Yet

David Sterman

With the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris earlier this month, pundits are again questioning a commonly-cited motive for radicaliza...
in the news | January 27, 2015 | International Security

Obama Wraps Up India Visit; Banned Pakistani Militant Leader Gives Speech; USAID Suspends Major Contractor for Afghanistan

David Sterman Neeli Shah

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Indians to address climate change, overcome religious divisions, and promote gender equality, while addressing an...
in the news | January 16, 2015 | International Security

Is the U.S. at risk of a Paris-like attack?

David Sterman Peter Bergen

U.S. security officials warn that the United States is at risk of similar attacks to those that occurred in Paris. Attorney General Eric Holder tol...
in the news | December 09, 2014 | Future of War

Why hostage rescues fail

David Sterman Peter Bergan

Some of the successful recent hostage rescues such as the operations that freed Buchanan and Thisted, Phillips, and Hallums were operations to free...
article | November 20, 2014

How to Combat ISIS, Starting in Your Community

David Sterman

When you hear ‘online predator,’ you probably conjure an image of a sexual predator – perhaps a middle-aged man targeting oblivious kids through va...
in the news | November 13, 2014 | Future of War

‘Serial’: An investigative journalism podcast becomes a cultural obsession

David Sterman

The answer turned out to be: a lot of people. Chaudry isn’t the only one with a first-thing-Thursday appointment with the multi-part true-crime inv...
in the news | October 29, 2014 | International Security

First line of defense against terrorism: Mom and Dad

David Sterman Peter Bergen

Last week, three teenage girls from Denver were alleged to have tried to join ISIS. The key lead in this case wasn't high-tech surveillance by the ...
in the news | October 14, 2014 | Future of War

What lures Americans to Syria fight

David Sterman Peter Bergen

Of the dozen Americans drawn to fight with ISIS or the al Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front, a profile does appear to be emerging: They are young, typic...
article | September 26, 2014

Is the Islamic State the Worst Threat, or Just the Newsiest?

David Sterman Emily Schneider

On Tuesday, President Obama made what was, for many, a surprising announcement. Not only had the United States conducted the first air strikes on t...
in the news | September 23, 2014 | Future of War

Lone wolves are biggest terror threat

David Sterman Peter Bergen

While al Qaeda and its affiliates have failed to conduct any successful attacks in the United States since 9/11, they have sought to encourage acti...
in the news | September 23, 2014 | Future of War

2014 Jihadist Terrorism and Other Unconventional Threats

Bailey Cahall David Sterman Emily Schneider Peter Bergen Tim Maurer

While the core al-Qaeda group that struck the United States on 9/11 has been decimated in recent years, its affiliates and associated groups have d...
in the news | September 05, 2014 | International Security

ISIS threat to U.S. mostly hype

David Sterman Peter Bergen

ISIS has Americans worried.But are such fears really justified? Despite the impression you may have had from listening to U.S. officials in recent ...
in the news | September 05, 2014 | International Security

What's the hot national security phrase of this week? Seems to be 'potential threat'

David Sterman

Matthew Olsen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, repeatedly used one phrase to describe the likelihood of Islamic State attacks...
in the news | August 29, 2014 | International Security

An Americans gateway to jihad

David Sterman Peter Bergen

On Wednesday, a propaganda video appeared on the Internet featuring Moner Abu-Salha, the U.S. citizen from Florida who died conducting a suicide bo...
in the news | August 29, 2014 | International Security

When Americans leave for jihad

David Sterman Peter Bergen

McCain is the first American known to have been killed while fighting for ISIS. But he is not the only American drawn to the group or to al Qaeda's...
in the news | August 20, 2014 | International Security

ISIS: Is it really a threat to the U.S.?

David Sterman Peter Bergen

U.S. officials are claiming that the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is "now a credible alternative to al Qaeda." But wha...
in the news | August 06, 2014 | International Security

U.S. general's killing may be a bad omen

David Sterman Peter Bergen

The attack is an ominous sign regarding the potential risks to American service members as the majority of U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan.
in the news | June 10, 2014 | International Security

Right-wing extremists strike again

David Sterman Peter Bergen

The Millers appear to have been motivated by extreme far-right views. The couple left a flag at the scene of the crime with the words "Don't Tread ...
in the news | April 15, 2014 | International Security

U.S. right wing extremists more deadly than jihadists

David Sterman Peter Bergen

Since 9/11, extremists affiliated with a variety of far-right wing ideologies, including white supremacists, anti-abortion extremists and anti-gove...
in the news | April 11, 2014 | International Security

The man who inspired the Boston bombings

David Sterman Peter Bergen

One year after the Boston Marathon bombings and almost three years after his death in a CIA drone strike in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-...
policy paper | January 13, 2014 |

Do NSA's Bulk Surveillance Programs Stop Terrorists?

Bailey Cahall David Sterman Emily Schneider Peter Bergen

On June 5, 2013, the Guardian broke the first story in what would become a flood of revelations regarding the extent and nature of the NSA’s survei...