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.