Allison
McManus

Managing Director, National Security and International Policy

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Allison McManus

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Allison McManus is a managing director for the National Security and International Policy department at American Progress. She oversees the strategic direction of the department in advancing principled and pragmatic approaches to national security and foreign policy.
McManus’ career has been dedicated to bolstering democracy, human rights, and security in U.S. foreign policy, with a focus on the Middle East. Prior to joining American Progress, she was the managing director at the Freedom Initiative, where she oversaw the organization’s operations and advocated on behalf of political prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa. She also served as the research director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy from 2014 to 2019. Her work has been published in Foreign Affairs, The American Prospect, The Intercept, and The Hill, among other publications, and she is a frequent commentator in print and television media.
McManus holds a Master of Arts in global and international studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University.

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Government Insiders Must Be Prevented From Profiting on Prediction Markets at the Expense of National Security Report
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Government Insiders Must Be Prevented From Profiting on Prediction Markets at the Expense of National Security

Government employees’ use of insider information to profit on prediction markets raises both national security and ethical concerns, and there are several steps Congress and the president should take, including completely banning government employees’ use of prediction markets as a condition of employment.

The President’s $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Budget Will Not Make the Country Safer Article
The Pentagon seal, showing the building, with

The President’s $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Budget Will Not Make the Country Safer

To protect national security, the United States needs a strategic and disciplined approach to defense spending—not the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion budget, which fails to match resources to strategy, needlessly inviting waste and increasing the deficit.

How Trump’s $500 Million UAE Crypto Deal Trades U.S. National Security for Family Profit Article
Trump walking up stairs to plane

How Trump’s $500 Million UAE Crypto Deal Trades U.S. National Security for Family Profit

Days before Trump’s second inauguration, the United Arab Emirates’ “Spy Sheikh” secretly bought 49 percent of the Trump family’s crypto firm. Months later, the administration handed over America’s most sensitive AI chips technology to the United Arab Emirates despite national security concerns. This isn’t just profiteering; it’s a betrayal of U.S. national security.

India’s Elections and Global Implications Past Event

India’s Elections and Global Implications

Please join the Center for American Progress and Hindus for Human Rights for a panel of democracy and foreign policy experts shedding light on the recent elections, the significance for India's global ambitions, and implications for future U.S.-India relations.

Online only

The U.S.-Israeli War: Destabilizing Lebanon and the Broader Region Past Event

The U.S.-Israeli War: Destabilizing Lebanon and the Broader Region

Please join the Center for American Progress for a virtual conversation with expert panelists based in the region who will explore the regional political, security, and humanitarian dynamics of the U.S.-Israeli war, with a particular focus on Lebanon.

Online via Zoom

The Dangers of Hegseth’s “Warfighter” Ethos In the News

The Dangers of Hegseth’s “Warfighter” Ethos

In an op-ed for Just Security, Allison McManus outlines the dangers of Pete Hegseth's approach to foreign policy, arguing its "maximum lethality" ethos fails to leverage the real strengths of the U.S. armed forces.

Just Security

Allison McManus

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