Bruce Riedel is an American expert on Middle East and South Asian security affairs. He is a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is a 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as a senior analyst and advisor on Middle East and South Asian issues. He has authored several books on the Middle East and South Asia, including The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future. He has also served as a consultant to the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department. He is a frequent commentator on Middle East and South Asian affairs for the media.