Rachel Kleinfeld

Rachel Kleinfeld is an American international relations scholar currently serving as a senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is a member of board of directors for the National Endowment for Democracy as well as a member of the National Task Force on Election Crises. Her research centers around democratic governance and political violence.

Career Kleinfeld co-founded the Truman National Security Project in 2005 along with Matthew Spence. She was named one of the 40 under 40 American political leaders by Time magazine in 2010 for this work. From 2011–2014 she served on the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, advising Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

As a leading expert in the problems troubling democracy, including polarization, political violence, corruption, and poor governance, Kleinfeld's research considers both U.S. and international contexts. She has authored three books on policy reform and foreign affairs, one of which was selected by Foreign Affairs as one of the best foreign policy books of 2012. Media outlets often call on Kleinfeld as an expert analyst after prominent instances of political violence, such as assassination attempts against Donald Trump or the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kleinfeld speaks at a variety of events and organizations, including the Obama Foundation, the Federalist Society, the National Governors Association, and the Skoll Foundation.

Kleinfeld serves on the board of multiple organizations, including the National Endowment for Democracy and States United for Democracy.

Publications

Books

A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security, Pantheon, November 2018 Advancing the Rule of Law Abroad: Next Generation Reform, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 13, 2012 Let There Be Light: Electrifying the Developing World with Markets and Distributed Energy, Truman National Security Institute, December 2011 (co-authored with Drew Sloan)

Articles

The Rising Tide of Political Violence, Foreign Affairs, July 19, 2024 Closing Civic Space in the United States: Connecting the Dots, Changing the Trajectory, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 6, 2024 There won't be another Jan. 6 now, no matter what happens to Trump, The Hill, February 9, 2024 (co-authored with Jared Holt) Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence: What the Research Says, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 5, 2023 Have pro-Trump extremists finally gotten the message about political violence? The Hill, June 19, 2023 (co-authored with Joanna Lydgate) How Political Violence Went Mainstream on the Right, Politico, November 7, 2022 The Rise of Political Violence in the United States, Journal of Democracy, October 2021