Jennifer Cooke

Jennifer Cooke is director of the CSIS Africa Program, where she manages a range of projects on political, economic, and security dynamics in Africa, providing research and analysis to U.S. policymakers, members of Congress, and the U.S. military, as well as the broader public. She is a frequent writer and lecturer on U.S.-Africa policy, on political and economic trends across the continent, and on emergent security threats. She recently led the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, a two-year project examining the major challenges associated with Nigeria's 2015 elections; cochaired a CSIS project on Africa's new oil and gas producers; and directed a multiyear study on the intersection of religion and politics in Africa. Cooke has authored or coauthored numerous CSIS reports, including most recently Rethinking Engagement in Fragile States (June 2015); Africa's New Energy Producers: Making the Most of Emergent Opportunities (January 2015); Africa at a Crossroads: Overcoming Obstacles to Sustained