FDD Welcomes New Adjunct Fellows Concentrating on Africa and Legal Issues in the War on Terrorism

Washington D.C. (June 27, 2006) — The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) announced the appointment of two adjunct fellows: Dr. J. Peter Pham, Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University and Michael I. Krauss, a Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law.

“We have worked closely with Dr. Pham and Professor Krauss since they participated in FDD's Academic Fellowship program in 2005,” said FDD President Clifford May.  “Now we are honored that they have joined us as adjunct fellows.  Dr. Pham has been a prolific writer on Africa and its growing role as a refuge for al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.  Professor Krauss is a legal scholar whose impressive work will compliment FDD's Law and Counterterrorism Center now being formed by FDD Senior Fellow Andrew McCarthy.”

Professor Krauss began teaching at the George Mason University School of Law in 1987 and was honored as the first recipient of the law school's “Teacher of the Year” award in 1994. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the National Association of Scholars, is a Salvatori Fellow of the Heritage Foundation and was Columbia University's 1981 Law and Economics Fellow.  An American who was raised in Canada, he served for five years on Quebec's Human Rights Commission.  He is a frequent writer on legal and national security issues, appearing in such outlets as Forbes, the Weekly Standard and Tech Central Station and has debated legal issues on CNN and other news program.  His latest major publication is the Second Edition of Legal Ethics in a Nutshell, coauthored in 2006.  

A former international diplomat stationed in several African nations, Dr. J. Peter Pham is the Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University in Virginia, where he is also a research fellow at the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance.  He serves on the Editorial Review Board of Human Rights & Human Welfare, the International Board of Advisors of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy and the Board of Advisors for the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.  Much of his research concentrates on Africa's role in the war on terrorism.  The Wall Street Journal recently published Dr. Pham's op-ed on the danger posed by the Islamist take-over of Somalia. He contributes a weekly column, “Strategic Interests,” to the World Defense Review.   He is the author of three books on the African conflicts, including Liberia: Portrait of a Failed State (2004).

Professor Krauss and Dr. Pham have collaborated on numerous articles and publications since becoming acquainted during FDD's Academic Fellowship.  Their latest effort is a feature story in the July/August issue of Commentary Magazine on Israel's right to set its own borders to ensure its security. 

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute focused exclusively on promoting pluralism, defending democratic values and fighting the ideologies that drive terrorism.  Formed just weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, FDD uniquely combines policy research, democracy and counterterrorism training, strategic communications and investigative journalism in support of these goals.  For more information, please visit www.defenddemocracy.org.

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