Andrew Lebovich

Dr. Andrew Lebovich is a Research Fellow with Clingendael's Conflict Research Unit. His research focuses on security and political issues in the Sahel (and North Africa) with a particular emphasis on religious mobilisation, armed conflict, and sources of local political and religious legitimacy. He conducts research as part of an ongoing, multi-year project funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on cross-border trade and armed group expansion, including managing the research team and authoring a chapter on cross-border trade between Mali and Burkina Faso. He is also a postdoctoral researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), researching the impact of EU foreign policy interventions in the Sahel.

Andrew previously worked for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) as a policy fellow, with the Open Society Initiative in West Africa (OSIWA) as a Sahel consultant, advising the organisation on political, social, and security issues in West Africa and the Sahel, and for the New America Foundation. 

Andrew holds a Ph.D. in African History from Columbia University in New York. His dissertation examines Muslim reformist movements in Algeria, Senegal, and Mali in the mid-20th century, as well as their continuing impact on politics and social life in the region.

He has lived and conducted research in France, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, and Niger. He is a native English speaker, a professional user of French and independent user of Modern Standard Arabic.