Yasir Atalan

Yasir Atalan is a deputy director and data fellow in the Futures Lab at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His research focuses on technology and international security, with particular emphasis on how artificial intelligence is reshaping conflict dynamics. Atalan examines how AI agents can be responsibly integrated into defense and foreign policy systems by enabling agentic decision-support workflows. He also studies the changing character of warfare and civil-military relations. Atalan’s research has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, Financial Times, BBC, Foreign Policy, Business Insider, War on the Rocks, and Defense One as well as peer-reviewed journals. He also serves as a faculty fellow at the Center for Data Science at American University, where he contributes to computational social science initiatives. Previously, he worked as a replication analyst for the journal Political Analysis at Cambridge University Press. He received his PhD in political science from American University, an MA in Middle Eastern studies from King’s College London, and a BS in political science and international relations from Bogazici University.