David Alpher

David Alpher joins Maxwell-in-Washington as an adjunct professor teaching Fragility to Resilience. Alpher is the conflict and violence prevention integrator for USAID, working to improve USAID's effectiveness in conditions of conflict and fragility. He previously served in their Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance as their Middle East Region humanitarian assistance advisor to the military.

Alpher has over 15 years of experience implementing field programs within conflict-affected and fragile environments, with expertise in the Middle East, Horn of Africa, and Central and South Asia. He has taught courses regarding terrorism and conflict analysis at multiple institutes of higher learning, including American University and George Mason University.

Alpher holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution, with a primary focus on the effect of democratization on sustainability and success in international development programming. Alpher was a visiting fellow at the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. He has been published over 30 times on a range of issues related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Alpher has served over 11 years as a volunteer coordinator with Team Rubicon, a veterans’ disaster relief organization. He is also a veteran of the United States Army.

Conflict Analysis, Conflict Resolution, Regional Expertise: Middle East, Regional Expertise: Horn of Africa, Regional Expertise: Central and South Asia, Civil-military relations in complex operations areas, Terrorism and Insurgency, Analysis and Conflict Assessment, Program Design and Technical Advising

Conflict Analysis, Conflict Resolution, Mediation, Civil Society, Accountable Governance, Human Rights, Reconstruction and Stabilization, Ethnic and Religious Conflict, Civil-Military Coordination, Emergency Relief Programming

• “Why Can't Trump Just Take Out Assad?” The Conversation, Apr 10, 2018
• “Charlottesville and the Politics of Fear” The Conversation, Aug 17, 2017
• “Re-Balancing the Triangle: American Strategy in Africa Should Prioritize African Leadership, not Chinese Competition” Henry L. Stimson Center, Jun 10, 2017
• “Keeping USAID: Why the US Shouldn’t Cut Off its Nose” Saferworld, Apr 28, 2017
• “Past is Prologue: Abroad in Syria with the Ghosts of Iraq” Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Mar 7, 2017
• “Strength Through Peace - not Peace Through Strength: A Reaction to Trump’s America First Foreign Policy” Saferworld, Feb 7, 2017
• “Resolute in Uncertain Times: Peacebuilding in the New US Administration” Saferworld, Dec 1, 2016
• “Bringing an end to unending war: Recommendations for the next US administration” Saferworld, Oct 6, 2016
• “A look at the American 'Countering Violent Extremism'​ strategy” Saferworld, Jul 26, 2016
• “’A Better State of Peace’: American Strategy Beyond the Limits of Warfare” Saferworld, Oct 6, 2016
• “US Extremists--and Language Like Trump's--Are More Dangerous than Foreign Ones” Washington Post, Jun 2, 2016
• “Countering Violent Extremism is gaining ground in the State Department—does it represent something new?” Saferworld, Mar 21, 2016
• “The Federal Response in Malheur and Far Right Extremism” The Conversation, Feb 8, 2016
• “Pass or Fail? Profs grade GOP Foreign Policy Debate” The Conversation, Dec 16, 2015
• “Japan’s Remilitarization, Beating Ploughshares into Swords” Brink News, Dec 16, 2015
• “National Security Experts React to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS.” New Republic, Dec 7, 2015
• “ISIS Attacks Fueled by Illegal Guns and Open Societies We Can’t Afford to Lose” The Conversation, Nov 19, 2015
• “Delenda Carthago: ISIS, Threat and Recovery” Middle East Monitor, Nov 1, 2015
• “Data Show Drone Attacks Doomed to Fail Against ISIS in Syria” The Conversation; reprinted in Defenseone.com, Sep 8, 2015
• “Chattanooga: On the Need to Fight Terror with Reason” The Conversation; reprinted in Time.com, Jul 21, 2015
• “Why Defeating ISIS with Military Might is Starry-Eyed Idealism” The Conversation, Jul 6, 2015
• “Building constructive China-US cooperation on peace and security in Africa” Saferworld, Jun 30, 2015
• “The ISIS Takeover of Ramadi Means Hard Choices Face the Iraqi and US Governments” The Conversation, May 22, 2015
• “Evolving Policy in a Changing World: Examining challenges and opportunities in the new US Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review” Saferworld Comment Piece, May 14, 2015
• “Us and Them: Bridging the Gap between Police and Communities” Saferworld comment piece, Aug 18, 2014
• “Rethinking Transitions: Finding the Pathway from Military to Community Security” Saferworld blog, Jun 3, 2014
• “Beyond the Limits of Counterterrorism: Towards a Peace and Development Agenda that can Engage Constructively with Extremism” Saferworld comment piece, May 16, 2014
• “The Advantages and Pitfalls of Leveraging Humanitarian Development and Diplomacy Toward National Security” In "Leveraging," Springer, David Anderson Ed., May 1, 2014
• “Community Security: Rethinking Policy and Strategy for Modern Security Challenges” Saferworld, Oct 3, 2013
• “Learning from SIGIR's Final Report on Iraq Reconstruction” Middle East Institute, Jun 13, 2013
• “Awakening the Demons” Foreign Policy, Mar 18, 2013
• “American Paradox: Violence and Progress” OpenDemocracy.net, Feb 8, 2013
• “The Radical Right's Final Solution” OpenDemocracy.net, Feb 1, 2013
• “With Friends Like These: On Romney's Comments About Israeli and Palestinian Culture” OpenDemocracy.net, Jul 31, 2012
• “Letter to the Editor” Politico Aug 1, 2011
• “Developmental Politics” Bitterlemons International, Feb 7, 2008
• “Beyond Doing No Harm” InterAction, Monday Developments, Apr 9, 2007
• “Good Violence and the Myth of the Eternal Soldier” Rowman and Littlefield, Nov 1, 2006
• “The First Abstraction: Why Some Terrorists Reject Unlimited Violence” US Threat Reduction Agency, Apr 1, 2004