Dr. Kamal A. Beyoghlow


Department of Culture and Regional Studies Chair

Dr. Kamal A. Beyoghlow joined the National War College as Title 10 Professor of National Security Strategy and Middle East and North Africa Studies on 31 May, 2005. Previously, he held the titles of Academic Chair and Professor of Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CT) at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) at National Defense University. His duties at ACSS included initiating and developing CT concepts and programs as well as articulating CT policy towards the African continent. Dr. Beyoghlow was the senior advisor to the Director of ACSS, General Carl Fulford, Jr, USMC (ret), and the Dean on terrorism and CT issues. Prior to his ACSS appointment, Dr. Beyoghlow was Professor of International Relations and National Security at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College from 1992 to 2004 where he also taught and directed courses on the Middle East and North Africa (including Southwest Asia), WMD proliferation and counterproliferation, and terrorism and counterterrorism. He also taught Political Philosophy (Islamic and Western) and Comparative Government (Middle East and N. Africa) at George Mason University from 1992 to 2004 on an Adjunct basis. Dr. Beyoghlow has lectured on international and regional politics at various other colleges and universities. He started his US Government career as a Political Analyst in 1983 with the US Army 4th Psychological Operations Group at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, where he worked on political issues with focus on the Greater Middle East and Iran. He joined the Office of the US Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U,S. Department of State in 1986 as a Foreign Affairs Officer. At State, he was responsible for initiating and implementing U.S. counter-terrorism policy for the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, including Turkey, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus. He served as a policy analyst while on sabbatical in the late nineties at the former Arms Control Agency with focus on India and Pakistan. Among Dr. Beyoghlow publications are the Strategic Implications of Chemical and Biological Weapons on Gulf Security.

Dr. Beyoghlow earned his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University, his Master's degree from Tufts University in cooperation with the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the recipient of several U.S. government service awards, including a 2004 US Navy-Marine Corps Superior Civil Service Award and the DCI Exceptional Intelligence Analyst Award.

Dr. Beyoghlow frequently briefs deploying US Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) and Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEFs) and other US Government agencies on the cultural dimensions of terrorism, suicide bombing, and Iraqi insurgency. He also leads the National Security Seminar for US federal executives in Denver. His latest research include work on Suicide Bombings, the evolution of Al Qaeda and its impact on the state system in the Arab and Muslim World, and Islam in western and non-western societies.

EMAIL:  beyoghlowk@ndu.edu