Julian Waller, Ph.D.

Julian G. Waller is an expert in Russian political-military affairs, elite strategic decision-making, adversary systems of governance, and civil-military relations outside the West. He is also a scholar of the politics of authoritarian rule, authoritarian political and social orders, and illiberal/postliberal ideologies globally.

He has led or contributed to major CNA reports on Russia-India relations, Russia-Iran relations, wartime Russian civil-military relations, the Russian General Staff, Russian military logistics, Russian strategic competition and military strategy, and developments in Russian AI and autonomy, among others. He has experience in wargaming and has worked on recent efforts in force design for the US military as well as comparisons to developments in adversary force planning.

Waller is coauthor of Autocrats Can't Always Get What They Want: State Institutions and Autonomy under Authoritarianism . He has published in many journals, including The Journal of Advanced Military Studies, Political Studies Review, The Journal of International Affairs, and The International Journal of Constitutional Law and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and other publications.

He received his PhD in political science from George Washington University, where he holds an adjunct position as a professorial lecturer. He speaks Russian.