Meet the Author: Dr. Sajjan Gohel
VOICES Meet the Author: Dr. Sajjan Gohel
Author of Doctor, Teacher, Terrorist
Thursday, April 25th - 10:00am EST
VOICES welcomes Dr. Sajjan Gohel, author of Doctor, Teacher Terrorist: The Life and Legacy of Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Dr. Gohel is a world-renowned authority on global security issues, international terrorism and emerging geopolitical threats.
Join us for a compelling conversation with Dr. Gohel about the infamous commander of Al-Qaeda who succeeded Osama bin Laden in 2011. Al-Zawahiri collaborated with shadowy elements in Pakistan and Iran as the terrorist group reconstituted itself in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Participation is free and registration is required.
About the Presenter
Dr. Sajjan M. Gohel, PhD
Dr. Sajjan M. Gohel has a multi-disciplinary background in global security issues and professional military education (PME). His current research includes looking at the ideology and doctrine that feeds international terrorism, the varying tactics and strategies of trans-national political violence, border security challenges, and the role new media plays for strategic communications.
As International Security Director for the London-based Asia-Pacific Foundation, a policy assessment think-tank monitoring emerging geopolitical threats, Sajjan acts in a consultancy role for law enforcement agencies, foreign ministry and defence departments, multilateral organizations, universities, NGOs and the international media. Sajjan has also provided in-depth research reports and peer-reviewed articles on security issues to the European Union, UNHCR, NATO, OSCE and INTERPOL.
Sajjan is the Editor for NATO’s first ever Counter-Terrorism Reference Curriculum (CTRC) which combined the expertise of academia as well as law enforcement and defence practitioners. In 2021, as part of NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP), Sajjan is the first Chairman for NATO DEEP’s Global Threats Advisory Group (CTAG), collaborative research project investigating current trans-national security threats and comprises of members from over 50 countries and multilateral organizations. Sajjan is also an academic advisory member of the Counter Terrorism Advisory Network (CTAN).
Sajjan’s research is case-study driven and he has fieldwork experience in 25 countries. Sajjan has provided expert witness testimony to numerous political standing committees on the evolving challenges and threats in Afghanistan-Pakistan, North Africa and the Middle East.
Sajjan received his BA (Hons) in Politics from Queen Mary, University of London. Sajjan also holds both a Master’s degree in Comparative Politics and a PhD in International History from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) entitled, ‘Insurrection of the Ideologues: The Evolution of Egyptian Islamist Radical Ideological Thought from Hasan al-Banna to Ayman al-Zawahiri.’
By bringing academia into closer dialogue with policy, Sajjan serves as a visiting lecturer for Masters students at the LSE, for military officers and diplomats at the George C. Marshall Center, NATO institutions and the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ). On behalf of NATO, Sajjan has led Train-the-Trainer programmes for the armed forces of Ukraine and Jordan.
Sajjan has been awarded the LSE International History Department’s ‘Martin Abel Gonzalez Teaching Prize’ on several occasions and is the recipient of the NATO Centre of Excellence – Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT) Commendation for contribution to the academic research of terrorism.
Sajjan is the host for NATO’s first ever podcast series, DEEP Dive, where he talks with fellow practitioners on global security issues. He also appears as a guest analyst on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, BBC, Sky News, CBC and CTV and his commentaries feature in various print media including Time Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters and Associated Press.
Sajjan is the author of the book, “Doctor, Teacher, Terrorist: The Life and Legacy of Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri” which was published by Oxford University Press in the Fall of 2023.