Dr. Roger Kangas
Dr. Roger Kangas is a member of the Global Advisory Council of Displaced International (DI) and a scholar specializing in Central and South Asian affairs and international security. An Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, he previously served as Academic Dean and Professor of Central Asian Studies at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
His expertise spans Central and South Asia, Russia and the former Soviet Union, transnational threats and terrorism, international security organizations, and energy security. He has published books and articles on Central Asia, contributing to understanding of the region’s political and security dynamics. This background brings a valuable regional perspective to DI’s work on the conflict and insecurity that drive forced migration and displacement.
His earlier appointments include Professor of Central Asian Studies at the George C. Marshall Center for European Security in Germany and Deputy Director of the Central Asian Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He also served as Central Asian Course Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, Research Analyst at the Open Media Research Institute in Prague, and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Mississippi.
Dr. Kangas has advised U.S. combatant commands, NATO, U.S. government agencies, and organizations supporting democratic governance and international educational exchange on issues concerning Central and South Asia, Russia, and the South Caucasus. Through his participation in DI’s Global Advisory Council, he supports its mission to address the root causes of displacement and advance lasting solutions for displaced communities. His regional knowledge helps place these challenges within their wider political and security context.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in Comparative Politics from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University.
