Farah Pandith

Farah Pandith (born January 13, 1968) is an American academic. She was born in Srinagar, Kashmir, India, and was raised in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In June 2009 she was appointed the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Education

Pandith received a Master's degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she specialized in International Security Studies, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Islamic Civilizations and Southwest Asia. She concentrated on the insurgency in Kashmir. she received an A.B. in Government and Psychology from Smith College.

• The Fletcher School at Tufts University, M.A.L.D. (1) International Security Studies and (2) Islamic Civilizations and Southwest Asia. 1993 – 1995.
• Smith College, A.B. Government and Psychology. 1986 – 1990.
• Milton Academy, High School Diploma. 1973 – 1986.

Career

• Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project - Dec 2014 – Present.

Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project - Sep 2014 – Dec 2014.

• Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations - Dec 2014 – Present.

• Strategic Advisor, Institute for Strategic Dialogue - Mar 2014 – Present.

• Spring Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government - Feb 2014 – Jun 2014.

• US Department of State, Special Representative to Muslim Communities - Jun 2009 – Feb 2014.

• US Department of State, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs - Feb 2007 – Jun 2009.

• Director for Middle East Regional Initiatives, National Security Council, The White House - Aug 2004 – Feb 2007.

• Chief of Staff, Asia Near East Bureau, USAID - 2003 – 2004.

• Vice President, International Business, ML Strategies, LLC - Mar 1997 – May 2003.

Affiliations

• American Abroad Media - Board of Advisors.
• British-American Project - Member.
• Council on Foreign Relations - Adjunct Senior Fellow
• European Academy of Sciences and Arts - Member.
• Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard Kennedy School - Senior Fellow.
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue - Head of Strategy and member of U.S. board.
• Risk Network and Exchange - Advisor.
• The Cipher Brief - Network Expert.
• Tribeca Film Institute - Board of Directors.
• Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - Board of Advisors.
• We Are Family Foundation - Board of Directors.
• Women and Girls Lead - Member of the Leadership Council.
• Women in Public Service Project - Board Member.

Publications

Articles

• Farah Pandith, We Need to Save the World’s Lungs and its Heart, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 12 November 2019.
• John Brennan, Farah Pandith, Paul Pope, Nicholas Rasmussen, Podcast: Counter-Terrorism Since 9/11, War on the Rocks, 12 September 2019.
• Farah Pandith, The Social Media Side of the Terrorist Threat, The Cipher Brief, 24 April 2019.
• Farah Pandith, Extremism Is Riyadh’s Top Export, Foreign policy, 24 March 2019.
• Farah Pandith, Young social media ‘influencers’ are the key to fighting terrorism , New York post, 23 March 2019.
• Farah Pandith, Muslim Millennials and the Lure of "Sheikh Google", Tufts Magazine, 18 March 2019.
• Farah Pandith, HOW WE WIN, Kirkus, 12 March 2019.
• Farah Pandith, Why the U.S. is Losing the War on Extremism, The Cipher Brief, 11 March 2019.
• Farah Pandith, National Security Readiness Requires Cultural Listening, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 10 January 2019.
• Farah Pandith, How Khashoggi's murder could reset expectations for U.S.–Saudi ties, Axios, 4 December 2018.
• David N. Lawrence, Farah Pandith & Frances Townsend The Soft Power War ISIS Doesn’t Want, Brink, 24 December 2015.
• Farah Pandith, Trump's bigotry will cost us, Columbia Daily Tribune, 6 September 2016.
• Farah Pandith, Trump’s anti-Muslim tirades have costly consequences, Washington Post, 2 September 2016.
• Farah Pandith, Building Dumbledore’s Army to fight ISIS, Boston Globe, 16 December 2015.
• Farah Pandith, Islamic State Dominates the Digital Battlefield, Bloomberg, 17 November 2015.
• Farah Pandith, Engage Muslim Millennials, The National Jounral, 13 June 2015.
• Farah Pandith & Sasha Havlicek, The Female Face of Terror, The Telegraph, 18 January 2015.
• Farah Pandith & Jairam Ramesh, New Fellows Pandith and Ramesh Enrich Dialogue on Critical Issues from Extremism to Climate Change, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center Newsletter, Fall/Winter 2014 - 2015.
• Farah Pandith, Kach, Kahane Chai (Israel, extremists), Council on Foreign Relations, 20 March 2008.

Books

• Farah Pandith, - How We Win: How Cutting-Edge Entrepreneurs, Political Visionaries, Enlightened Business Leaders, and Social Media Mavens Can Defeat the Extremist Threat. Custom House. 12 March 2019.