Jason Blazakis
Professor of Practice and Director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS)
2021, 2022, 2023
Jason Blazakis is a professor at MIIS, where he focuses on threat financing, sanctions, violent extremism, and special operations related research. He is also the Director of MIIS’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, where he directs research on domestic terrorism, terrorism finance, recruitment, propaganda and the use of special operations to counter transnational threats.
From 2008 – 2018, he served as the Director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. In his former role, Blazakis was responsible for directing efforts to designate countries, organizations and individuals as terrorists, also known as State Sponsors of Terrorism, Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Blazakis previously held positions in the Department of State’s Political-Military Affairs, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Intelligence and Research Bureaus, and at U.S. Embassy Kabul. Prior to working at the Department of State, Blazakis served as a domestic intelligence analyst at the Congressional Research Service. In addition, he was the national security adviser to a United States Congressional Representative. He also has worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration.
At the Summit
The effort to eradicate hate requires the active participation of every component of our society, to include governments, the private sector, communities of faith and indeed every aspect of civil society. There is no more urgent task in front of us. The organizers of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit are doing the United States and the world an enormous service by tackling hatred and extremism with a focus on honest dialogue and conversation, genuine learning and practical solutions. This will not happen overnight, but the Pittsburgh community’s leadership in this effort is genuinely inspiring and motivating.
