Summer 2022 Research Internship, Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors, Foreign Policy (Job ID: 2022-2845)
Thinking about a career in public policy? Committed to improving the world we live in? Think Brookings - one of the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tanks!
Interns spend approximately 10 weeks remotely working alongside leading experts in government and academia from all over the world. Brookings also offers students the opportunity to intern in departments such as communications, human resources and central operations management. The mission of the Internship Program is to provide students with a pre-professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work experience related to their field of study or career interest. Students engage in career exploration and development as well as learn new skills.
Interns will have the opportunity to attend virtual meetings, think tank events, professional development workshops, and public Brookings events. In addition, interns will have the opportunity to network with other interns throughout the Institution.
This internship is an opportunity for undergraduate students in their junior or senior year and graduate students with an interest in nonstate armed actors to apply principles and theory learned in the classroom in a professional environment. The internship is offered on the basis of external financial support; interns may also receive academic credit in addition to receiving external financial support.
Applicants must be willing to commit to a minimum number of hours per week (no less than 25 hours per week, during regular business hours), with some flexibility around an academic course schedule.
To learn more about Brookings research programs, click here.
Position Location: This is a remote only opportunity. This internship requires you to be located in the U.S. for the duration of the internship. Work location cannot be in any of the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. Please only apply if you can live and work in states other than those listed above for the duration of the internship. State locations and specifics are subject to change as our hiring requirements shift.
Vaccine Policy: Brookings has made the safety of our staff and our surrounding community a top priority. As part of that commitment, Brookings staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if they are present on the Brookings campus and Brookings requires all staff and visitors to submit proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 to be in Brookings buildings.
As a visitor and/or a new employee at Brookings, you will be required to comply with the vaccination policy if you will be present on the Brookings campus. Individuals invited for an in-person job interview or hired as an employee that (i) have a qualifying medical condition that contraindicates a COVID-19 vaccination, or (ii) who object to being vaccinated based on a sincerely held religious belief, may request a reasonable accommodation.
The internship will focus on a broad range of policy issues, including drug trafficking (in particular the manufacture and supply of fentanyl, precursor chemicals, and methamphetamine, as well as the U.S. opioids epidemic); wildlife trafficking; armed actors and violence in Mexico and other parts of Latin America; non-state entities, conflict stabilization, and governance in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Nigeria; and how non-state entities have responded to COVID-19.
Interns will learn how to apply theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom to a professional public policy institution and environment. They will monitor current developments in relevant research areas, conduct qualitative – and at times quantitative – research, produce written briefings and memos, brief support staff and senior fellows, summarize and synthesize documents, edit publications, help staff Brookings events, attend additional external think tank events, maintain databases, conduct additional administrative tasks related to web-postings, and logistical tasks related to events featuring guest speakers. Depending on an intern's foreign language abilities, they may also help translate documents.
Interns should leave the internship with a better understanding of how to conduct high quality research and impartial analysis, additional subject matter knowledge on a broad range of illicit economies and non-state actors, and experience interacting with top scholars in the field.
Undergraduate students in their junior or senior year or graduate students working towards a degree in a relevant field (i.e. international affairs, foreign policy, political science, international law, international political economy, or related fields).
Qualified applicants will have a demonstrated interest in one or more of the following research areas: illicit economies, nonstate armed actors, counternarcotics policies, widlife conservation, public health, insurgencies, militant/extremist groups, terrorism, and human rights. Knowledge of China and Southeast Asia, Latin America (especially Mexico), South Asia (especially Afghanistan and Iraq), and/or the Horn of Africa and West Africa a plus.
Additional Information:
This is a remote only opportunity. This internship requires you to be located in the U.S. for the duration of the internship.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for interning at Brookings.
To be eligible for this internship, applicants must receive financial sponsorship from their university or another external organization. Interns may also receive academic credit in addition to receiving external financial support. Once selected, applicants must be able to provide proof of external financial support.
If selected as a finalist for the internship, you will be required to submit two letters of recommendation or provide two professional references.
Applications will be accepted until February 27, 2022. Applications not completed and submitted by the application deadline date will not be considered. Your application is considered complete when you receive an email confirming that your application was successfully submitted.
As you are applying, please be sure to click here to learn more about the Brookings Internship Program, deadlines, and directions on how to successfully submit your internship application(s).