Personal Background

Andrew Doran is an Army veteran, author, and former member of the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Staff. With nearly two decades of experience in foreign affairs, he has written extensively on the Middle East, international affairs, religion, culture, and public policy.

His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, First Things, National Review, Commentary, CNN, The American Interest, The National Interest, The European Conservative, and numerous other publications.

Originally from the Southern Tier of Western New York, Andrew enlisted in the U.S. military at age seventeen and deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995–96. Following his honorable discharge, he attended college and law school before serving for thirteen years at the U.S. Department of State, including three years on the Secretary's Policy Planning Staff, the office founded by diplomat George Kennan.

In 2012, Andrew founded In Defense of Christians (IDC), a nonprofit advocacy organization that played a pivotal role in securing U.S. government recognition of the ISIS genocide against Christians and Yazidis and advancing emergency humanitarian aid to persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.

In addition to his published essays and firsthand dispatches from across the Middle East, Andrew is currently writing a book exploring the relationship between Israel, Christians, and the modern Middle East. He also recently collaborated with author Mary Eberstadt on a project focused on upstate New York.