Welcome

I am the Principal of Lebl Associates, a Fellow at the American Center for Democracy, and a member of the CLARITy Coalition which is deeply concerned by the continuing threat posed by the actions and demands of Islamists. I also contribute occasionally to the blog of Rachel Ehrenfeld, Founder and CEO of the American Center for Democracy, and post occasionally on Substack.

Hidden Struggle details the conflict between key aspects of traditional Islamic law, or sharia, and Western law. Aimed at Americans but using examples from Europe, I call on my fellow citizens to enforce our Constitution and laws. 

The Hamas-Israel war and other topics:

The American Center for Democracy website (see link below) is carrying my short articles about the Muslim Brotherhood, Students for Justice in Palestine, and other topics immediately relevant to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

For other examples of my work, please see articles I have written on issues like combating radical Islam, transatlantic relations after Bush, U.S.-EU relations, including counter-terrorism cooperation, and European defense policy. You'll find the links on the 'Publications' page. The 'Events' page lists the various speeches and panel discussions in which I've participated in recent years.


Quick Links:

Lebl Associates


Lebl Associates, a foreign policy consultancy, was established in 2003. It offers assistance to private companies seeking to enter foreign markets, including political risk analysis; prepares policy assessments for governments and private foundations; and seeks to influence U.S. and foreign policy formation on key issues such as the protection of First Amendment rights.

As its Principal, I have carried out various activities:

-- Provided drafting and editing services for a foreign policy research project conducted by the American Center for Democracy.

-- Participated in an international team, organized by the American Center for Democracy, to observe the 2009 communal elections in Morocco.

-- Advocated on behalf of the Free Speech Protection Act, which Congress enacted into law in summer 2010 in a rare show of bipartisanship.

-- Produced a report on U.S.-EU information sharing to combat terrorism for a private foundation. See the April 2009 article based on that research that I co-authored with the late Mark Richard, formerly a senior Justice Department official.

-- Served as guest lecturer in Department of Defense orientation sessions for military personnel assigned to the Balkans, and participated in a workshop on transitional governments at the Naval Postgraduate School. I can offer expertise on multinational peacekeeping or stability operations; civil-military relations; or the interface between the Departments of State and Defense, both for training purposes and for analysis.

-- Lectured on U.S.-EU relations at the State Department's training center, participated in a study conducted by the Atlantic Council on transatlantic defense issues, and lectured for the World Affairs Council and the American Committees on Foreign Relations on U.S.-EU issues. I draw both on my experience as Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the EU, and on subsequent research and publications, particularly on EU security and political issues.

-- Conducted international market research for a private firm on markets in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe. For more in-depth studies, I provide political risk analysis.

-- Advised and prepared regulatory submissions for a private corporation. I am knowledgeable on a wide range of economic issues, and am experienced in interagency policymaking in Washington.

Biography


Leslie S. Lebl (LEB-el) is a Fellow of the American Center for Democracy and Principal of Lebl Associates. A writer, lecturer and consultant on political and security matters, she is a former Foreign Service Officer with particular expertise in European political and defense issues, radical Islam in Europe, Balkan peacekeeping and Russian politics and economy.

Ms. Lebl's publications include a number of articles on radical Islam in Europe, most recently one entitled "The EU, the Muslim Brotherthood and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation." Others include an article on Islamism and European security in the Middle East Forum; a monograph on Islamism and security in Bosnia-Herzegovina published by the Strategic Studies Institute; and an article "Radical Islam in Europe" published in Orbis. In addition, she wrote a monograph, Advancing U.S. Interests with the European Union, published by the Atlantic Council of the United States pursuant to a grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation; a paper on European defense policy for the Cato Institute; and two analyses of U.S.-EU cooperation in combating terrorism in Policy Review.

In 2008-13, Ms. Lebl presented four short courses on radical Islam in Europe, one on modern Europe and another on Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Waterbury, Connecticut. She has also spoken on radical Islam for the American Committees on Foreign Relations and the World Affairs Council, as well as at several universities. She presented a paper on the EU, the Mideast and antisemitism at Yale University in August 2010.

Ms. Lebl has also spoken frequently on various topics related to transatlantic relations, including U.S.-EU ties, European security issues, U.S.-EU counter-terrorism cooperation. Venues included the Central European University in Budapest; the Brussels office of the Institut Francais de Relations Internationales; a Model UN session in Cleveland, where she was keynote speaker; a panel event hosted by Women in International Security and the Center for Transatlantic Relations; and the Great Decisions series at the College of Wooster.

In 2006 and 2007, Ms. Lebl chaired panels at the Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland on EU-Russia energy security and multilateral peace and stability operations. She participated as well in panels on Russian political and security issues.

In the Foreign Service, Ms. Lebl served as Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels. Prior to that, she was Political Advisor to the Commander of Stabilization Forces (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, first in the American sector in Tuzla and then at SFOR headquarters in Sarajevo. Other assignments included Russia, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, Bolivia, Germany and Poland, as well as a year as diplomat-in-residence at Yale University. She speaks French, German, Russian, Polish and Spanish.

A graduate of Swarthmore College (B.A. in history, 1972), Ms. Lebl received an M.A. in foreign affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1979. She currently lives in Connecticut.

Past Events


"The Palestinians"

Woodbury Public Library, Woodbury, CT,

April 17, 2024

Author Talk: Hidden Struggle: The Challenge of Sharia in the West

LIFT Group, Sacred Heart Church, Southbury, CT, 

February 6, 2024

Author Talk: Hidden Struggle: The Challenge of Sharia in the West

Woodbury Public Library, Woodbury, CT,

November 14, 2023

"Islamism: It's the Thought That Counts"
Woodbury Public Library, Woodbury, CT,
March 31, 2015

"Tales of the Foreign Service"

Women's Club, Woodbury, CT,

October 6, 2014 

"Tales of Bosnia: The Search for Peace and Justice"
Presenter, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute,
Waterbury, CT, January 17 - February 14, 2014

Would you like me to be your next speaker?


Here are some examples of topics I can address:

  • Author talk: Hidden Struggle: The Challenge of Sharia in the West 

  • The Palestinians: a fact-based presentation

  • Islamism here and abroad: We and our closest friends and allies are barely aware of the threat

  • Russia and Ukraine: The role of the United States

  • Military interventions: Why they are a bad idea 

  • Civil/military relations in peacekeeping missions: Observations from my time as political advisor in Bosnia

Publications


Islamism


The EU


Contact Me