Courtney Cooper

Courtney Cooper is an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In this role, she analyzes policy issues related to South Asia, insurgencies, and global peace-building efforts to inform the Council's members, policy practitioners, and other relevant analysts and academics. A career civil servant since 2005, Ms. Cooper most recently served as Director for Afghanistan on the National Security Council staff, where she helped coordinate, implement, and advance the President's policy priorities on Afghanistan and advised senior White House officials on South Asia issues under two Administrations. Prior to the White House, she worked in various roles within the government on international trade, economic development, and national security issues, including in the U.S. Intelligence Community, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and as a consultant advising the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. Ms. Cooper holds a M.A. in international affairs from George Washington University.  A native Arizonan, she graduated with Honors and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Arizona, where she earned B.A. degrees in political science and international affairs.