Truman National Security Project

10/13/2026

Join us on Thursday, October 15, for a conversation with award-winning foreign affairs journalist Akbar Sahid Ahmed, author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza. Truman Security Fellow and former U.S. diplomat Maryum Saifee will moderate the discussion.

Drawing on Ahmed's reporting and new book, the conversation will explore the Biden administration's decision-making during the war in Gaza. RSVP here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6eAu1QOdRZWgUFPRR2B9gw #/registration

Ahmed is a diplomatic correspondent for Washington Sun Newspaper (formerly NOTUS) and previously spent 12 years covering foreign policy at HuffPost. His reporting on Gaza has earned him a Writers Guild Award and a New York Press Club Award, as well as two finalist nominations for the Livingston Award.

10/09/2026

Congratulations to Truman Political Partner Chidi Blyden on her appointment as Executive Director of Harvard Center for African Studies! 🎉 We're proud to see her bring her leadership and expertise in U.S.-Africa relations to this exciting new role.

10/06/2026

Who gets to be considered American? 🇺🇸

Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French looked at a stadium photo of celebrating fans and saw “a problem.” Truman Security Fellow and The University of Texas at Austin alum Maryum Saifee saw fellow Texans.

After 17 years representing America overseas as a , Maryum reflects on the dangers of dividing people into “us” versus “them” — and the Texas she grew up in.

Read her op-ed in the Dallas Observer here: https://bit.ly/4htvjBo

What Bo French and Ken Paxton see as a threat, the author views as the beauty of Texas.

10/05/2026

Truman members joined leaders, diplomats, and policymakers in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Three members shared what stood out to them and what this year's gathering says about the future of American leadership, , and the international order. Read their full perspectives on our blog, The Truman View: https://bit.ly/3VR24jn
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Truman Project members were on the ground at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Here are some of their reflections and takeaways.

10/02/2026

Meet Rebecca Yang: a tech leader, former , and award-winning vegan chef. ✨
Rebecca kicks off our new Truman Member Spotlight series, introducing the people, perspectives, and passions that make our community what it is.
Swipe to get to know Rebecca—and follow us to meet more Trumans.

Bio: Rebecca builds bridges across tech, government, and civil society to solve global challenges and scale impact. She is currently Senior Director of Strategy & Operations on Visa's Global Government Affairs team. Previously, she was Chief of Staff to the VP of Worldwide Public Sector at Amazon Web Services, where she led first-of-its-kind pan-Amazon partnerships, and led Commerce and Payments Policy operations on Facebook's Global Trust & Safety team.
Before tech, Rebecca served as a U.S. diplomat in Istanbul covering elections, human rights, and religious freedom. She led U.S. engagement on women's rights in Turkey and guided her team through a coup attempt, terrorist attacks, and an evacuation. Her reporting was featured in the U.S. President's Daily Brief and she earned a Meritorious Honor Award.

In August 2021, she recruited, trained, and led a 150+ volunteer Truman National Security Project Flight Manifest Operations team that helped 1,000+ Afghans and U.S. citizens evacuate Afghanistan.

Rebecca is a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member and World Economic Forum Global Shaper. She holds an MPP from Harvard University and a BA from Georgetown University, and speaks Turkish, Mandarin, Japanese, and German. A 2024 Vegan Women's Summit Top Chef Challenge finalist, she's passionate about making whole food plant-based eating accessible, affordable, and delicious for everyone.

09/30/2026

Who gets access to the most powerful , and who decides?
Truman Security Fellow Joshua Richards and coauthor Gabe Arrington explore how advanced AI is reshaping national security.
Read their analysis in Just Security below. 👇

Advanced AI systems have crossed an important threshold from commercial software to technologies viewed as strategic national assets.

09/28/2026

Make that two! 🎉 Truman Security Fellow Ryan Greer has been selected for the 2026–2027 Obama Foundation USA Leaders cohort, alongside Truman Project alumna Mari Manoogian.
Ryan chairs Bedrock and serves as Chief Strategy Officer of the PERIL Research Lab at American University. We’re excited for what’s ahead for them both! https://bit.ly/4yukc11

Ryan Greer, 2026-2027 Obama Foundation USA Leader

09/24/2026

Congratulations to Truman Project alumna Amara “Mari” Manoogian on being selected as a 2026–2027 Obama Foundation USA Leader! Mari is doing exciting work as Executive Director of The Next 50, and we’re proud to see her leadership recognized. Congrats, Mari!

Amara Manoogian, 2026-2027 Obama Foundation USA Leader

09/23/2026

What are voters thinking about the —and America’s role abroad?
Change Research, a polling firm, gave Truman members a tailored briefing on voter sentiment, the electoral landscape, and views of national security.
One key finding: Americans want more international engagement, but for specific engagements that are clearly laid out for humanitarian aid or to combat terrorism.