Jenna Jordan
Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Faculty Athletics Representative
- Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
- Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy
- ADVANCE IAC
Overview
Jenna Jordan is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago, M.A. in Political Science from Stanford University, and B.A. in International Relations from Mills College. She previously held a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. Her book, Leadership Decapitation: Strategic Targeting of Terrorist Organizations, published with Stanford University Press evaluates the efficacy of leadership targeting as a counterterrorism strategy. Her research focuses on terrorism and political violence, international security, cybersecurity, wargaming, organizational theory, leadership, and statecraft. Her work has been published in International Security, Security Studies, Conflict Management and Peace Science, The Journal of Cybersecurity, International Area Studies Review, International Trends, The Washington Quarterly, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Chicago Tribune, Foreign Policy, the CTC Sentinel, and others. She is on the editorial board of the Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict. Her research has been supported by grants from the University of Chicago, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the U.S. Russia Foundation.
- PhD, Political Science, University of Chicago
- MA, Political Science, University of Chicago
- MA, Political Science, Stanford University
- BA, International Relations, Mills College
Distinctions:
- Morris Abrams Award in International Relations
- World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship, Smith Richardson Foundation
- Intelligence Studies Section Student Paper Award
- CTL/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
- Ivan Allen College Teacher of the Year
- INTAGO, Teacher of the Year
Interests
- Emerging Technology and Security
- International Security Policy
- Science, Technology, and International Policy
- Foreign Policy
- Non-Traditional Security Challenges
- Politics
- Social Movements
- Strategy
- Terrorism
Courses
- INTA-1110: Intro to Int'l Relations
- INTA-2001: Careers In Intl Affairs
- INTA-3103: Challenge of Terrorism
- INTA-3803: Special Topics
- INTA-4014: Scenario and Pathgaming
- INTA-4694: Job Shadow Experience
- INTA-4699: Undergraduate Research
- INTA-4803: Special Topics
- INTA-6014: Scenario and Path Gaming
- INTA-6103: International Security
- INTA-6106: The State-Intl Affairs
- INTA-6111: US Foreign Secur Strat
- INTA-8010: IAST Ph.D. Proseminar
- INTA-8803: Special Topics
Publications
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
- The Non-Trivial Accomplishments of Counterterrorists
In: Security Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: October 2024
- Statecraft in US-Russian Relations: Meaning, Dilemmas, and Significance
In: International Trends (Russia) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: March 2021
- Patchwork of Confusion: The Cyber Security Coordination Problem
In: Journal of Cyber Security [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2018
Other Publications
- The U.S. killed al-Qaeda’s leader. That might boost terrorism
In: The Monkey Cage
Date: August 2022
- The Death of Baghdadi isn’t the End of ISIS
In: The Monkey Cage
Date: November 2019
All Publications
Books
- Decapitation Is Not an Effective Counterterrorism Policy
In: The Cipher Brief
Date: September 2017
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Leadership Decapitation
Journal Articles
- The Non-Trivial Accomplishments of Counterterrorists
In: Security Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: October 2024
- Statecraft in US-Russian Relations: Meaning, Dilemmas, and Significance
In: International Trends (Russia) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: March 2021
- Patchwork of Confusion: The Cyber Security Coordination Problem
In: Journal of Cyber Security [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2018
- How Small States Acquire Power: A Social Network Analysis
In: International Area Studies Review [Peer Reviewed]
Date: January 2018
- The Strategic Illogic of Counterterrorism Policy
In: The Washington Quarterly [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2016
- Measuring Political Violence in Pakistan: Insights from the BFRS Dataset
In: Conflict Management and Peace Science [Peer Reviewed]
Date: September 2014
- Attacking the Leader, Missing the Mark: Why Terrorist Groups Survive Decapitation Strikes
In: International Security [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2014
- When Heads Roll: Assessing the Effectiveness of Leadership Decapitation
In: Security Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2009
Other Publications
- The U.S. killed al-Qaeda’s leader. That might boost terrorism
In: The Monkey Cage
Date: August 2022
- The Death of Baghdadi isn’t the End of ISIS
In: The Monkey Cage
Date: November 2019
- How to Give Counterterrorism a Fighting Chance
In: The National Interest
Date: 2017
- An ISIS Containment Doctrine
In: The National Interest
Date: June 2016
- “Killing al-Qaeda?”
In: Foreign Policy
Date: October 2011
- “When Leaders Die, Terror Still Thrives,
In: The New York Times
Date: October 2011
- How the U.S. Can Finish Off al-Qaeda
In: The Atlantic [Peer Reviewed]
Date: May 2011
- “Can al-Qaida Survive Without bin Laden?”
In: CTC Sentinel
Date: May 2011
Updated: Feb 11th, 2026 at 3:43 PM