Mr. Simon is a Senior Analyst for the RAND Corporation where he specializes in the study of the Middle East and terrorism. Prior to joining RAND, he was the Assistant Director and Carol Deane Senior Fellow for U.S. Security Studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. From 1994 until 1999, Mr. Simon served as the Senior Director for Transnational Threats on the U.S. National Security Council. During his tenure at the U.S. National Security Council, he also held the position of Director for Global Issues and Multilateral Affairs. Mr. Simon also served 20 years in the U.S. Department of State in a variety of posts including Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and Director for Political-Military Plans and Policy. He is the co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror and co-editor of Iraq at the Crossroads: State and Society in the Shadow of Regime Change.