Andrew Cheatham is a senior expert working in the executive office of USIP.

He is a lawyer and former United Nations official with a history of success working in international affairs in highly complex conflict and crisis environments in the Middle East and Africa. He is experienced in institutional problem-solving on issues of rule of law, transitional justice, human rights, peace process support, program management, strategic communications, policy advisory services and risk management.

Cheatham holds a law degree from City University New York School of Law, a master’s in war studies and counterterrorism from King's College London, a bachelor’s in mass communications from Boston University and a certificate in negotiation from Harvard Law School. He is a regular guest lecturer at King’s College London and a non-resident fellow at the Seton Hall University Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.

Publications By Andrew

Positivism for Peace: Reforming the International System

Positivism for Peace: Reforming the International System

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

By: Andrew Cheatham

Among many insightful and concerning points raised by the U.S. intelligence community’s 2023 threat assessment, it notes that "great powers, rising regional powers, as well as an evolving array of non-state actors, will vie for dominance in the global order … [and] compete to set the emerging conditions and the rules that will shape that order for decades to come.” China’s efforts to supplant U.S. dominance of global governance, along with divisions in the international community over the war in Ukraine have brought to the fore questions over the utility and viability of today’s international order.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Global Policy

Andrew Cheatham on the 2023 Summit for Democracy

Andrew Cheatham on the 2023 Summit for Democracy

Monday, March 27, 2023

By: Andrew Cheatham

As leaders gather for the Biden administration’s second democracy summit later this week, the president is working to “really push back on China’s offer” of narrow economic partnerships by “trying to make the case that you need the principles of democracy to have a good economy,” says USIP’s Andrew Cheatham.

Type: Podcast

The Latest @ USIP: Libya’s Institutional Legitimacy Crisis

The Latest @ USIP: Libya’s Institutional Legitimacy Crisis

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

By: Abdoulaye Bathily;  Andrew Cheatham;  Can Dizdar;  Ambassador Richard Norland

As Libya’s cease-fire continues to hold, the country can take the next step toward long-term stability by addressing its institutional legitimacy crisis. Without public trust in decision-making bodies, the country will struggle with crucial issues at the heart of the conflict, such as Libya’s vast oil wealth and how to distribute it. Democratically elected leadership is the best way forward — but elections remain elusive amid a political and military stalemate.

Type: Blog

Democracy & GovernancePeace Processes

Ask the Experts: How Can Renewed U.S.-African Partnerships Counter Terrorist Threats?

Ask the Experts: How Can Renewed U.S.-African Partnerships Counter Terrorist Threats?

Thursday, January 5, 2023

By: Andrew Cheatham

Too often, the United States and its partners have failed to prioritize Africa in global counterterrorism efforts — leaving the door open for violent extremist movements to further destabilize the continent. The U.S. Institute of Peace’s Andrew Cheatham spoke with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Nagata, former director of strategy for the National Counterterrorism Center and a current member of USIP's Senior Military Advisory Group, about the evolution of violent extremism in Africa.

Type: Blog

Violent Extremism

Ask the Experts: What’s Next for U.S. Policy in Africa

Ask the Experts: What’s Next for U.S. Policy in Africa

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

By: Ambassador Johnnie Carson;  Andrew Cheatham

USIP’s Andrew Cheatham spoke with Ambassador Johnnie Carson — the newly named special presidential representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit implementation — to discuss the Biden administration’s post-summit goals, what African leaders hope to take away from the talks, and why this moment offers a unique chance to reframe the U.S. approach toward Africa.

Type: Blog

Global Policy

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