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Andrew Loftesnes

Analyst, Analytical Development and Training Department

Andrew Loftesnes is a Middle East contract analyst with New Lines Institute. He previously worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy – Office of Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Policy, where he focused on counterterrorism in Iraq and Syria. He also worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Office of Operational Support and International Partnerships, where he focused on issues related to Russia and Ukraine. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in international relations and was a Boren Language Fellow in Jerusalem and Amman. Loftesnes has served in Ukraine as a humanitarian volunteer. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2014-2018.

Latest Articles

Global Hotspots: Trump Proposes Gaza Ownership; US-China Trade War Escalates

This week, President Donald Trump suggested the United States could take ownership of Gaza during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while negotiations continued in Doha on the implementation of the next phase of Israel’s cease-fire deal with Hamas. In the Indo-Pacific, China announced several retaliatory measures following Trump’s implementation of 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports. In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be willing to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the White House announced preparations to send a delegation to Kyiv. Trump postponed 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada by one month, following assurances from both countries they would commit more resources to monitor their respective borders.

Global Hotspots: The U.S. Election and its Global Impacts 

This week, hosts Miloš Maggiore and Andrew Loftesnes provide updates on U.S. domestic developments and examine some of the scenarios that the different U.S. election outcomes could entail across global hotspots. They further look at updates from this week. In Russia, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol to deepen intelligence exchanges. In the Middle East, Israel conducted air strikes against Iranian military infrastructure and passed a law preventing UNRWA operations in Israel. Finally in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. approved military aid packages to Taiwan and the Philippines, while Japan's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party failed to gain a majority in this week's parliamentary elections. 

Global Hotspots: Israel Increases Troop Presence in Lebanon

This week, the U.S. State Department officially backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, as additional Israeli troops were deployed into the country, continuing battles with Hezbollah, with the latter calling for a cease fire. In the Indo-Pacific, North Korea said it would bolster its fortifications along its border with the South, and naval clashes between the Philippines and China resumed in the South China Sea. In Ukraine, Russian forces continued their advances in Donetsk, and Ukrainian officials signaled their intentions to engage in a peace summit by the end of the year with the inclusion of Russia.