Theresa Lütkefend

Theresa is a non-resident fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) and an assistant director in the Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense program, where she leads the program’s work on defense strategy and military operations.

From April 2018 to May 2021, Theresa worked at GPPi as a part of the peace and security team. Her main research concentrated on the analysis of the logic behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria, as well as foreign and security developments in the post-Soviet space and the reintegration of veterans in Ukraine. Theresa was also an editor of the PeaceLab Blog and worked on non-proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Western Balkans. She has written and briefed decision-makers on the issue of chemical weapons in Syria and presented the project in public debate. Her analysis has been featured or appeared in Der Spiegel, the Washington Post and the NewYorker, among others.

Together with her colleague Sarah Bressan, Theresa founded the ​“Better Think Tanking” initiative with the goal of improving conscious leadership and management skills in the think tank and non-profit sector. The two colleagues published a monthly newsletter and work with organizations on the topic.

Theresa holds a master’s degree in international relations with a concentration in strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a master’s degree in Russian and East European studies from the University of Oxford, where she focused on Russian military strategy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Humboldt University in Berlin.