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Rosa Brooks ( Ehrenreich; born 1970) is an American law professor, journalist, author and commentator on foreign policy, U.S. politics and criminal justice. She is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Policy at
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
. Brooks is also an adjunct scholar at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
's Modern War Institute and a senior fellow at the
New America Foundation New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a think tank in the United States founded in 1999. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, educa ...
. From April 2009 to July 2011, Brooks was a counselor to
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the secr ...
Michèle Flournoy Michèle Angélique Flournoy (, born December 14, 1960) is an American defense policy advisor and former government official. She was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy under President Bill Clinton and Under Secretary of Defens ...
. Brooks is a commentator on politics and foreign policy. She served as a columnist and contributing editor for '' Foreign Policy'' and as a weekly columnist for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
.'' Brooks authored the 2016 book ''How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything'' and the 2021 book ''Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City,'' which is based on her five years as a reserve police officer in Washington, D.C. At Georgetown Law, Brooks founded the Center for Innovations in Community Safety, formerly the Innovative Policing Program, which in 2017 launched the Police for Tomorrow Fellowship Program with Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department. She founded the Leadership Council for Women in National Security and the
Transition Integrity Project The Transition Integrity Project (TIP) was a series of political scenario exercises in the United States beginning in June 2020, involving over 100 current and former senior government and campaign leaders, academics, journalists, polling exper ...
. In 2021, Washingtonian magazine listed Brooks as one of Washington's 250 "most influential people."


Early life and education

Rosa Brooks is the daughter of author
Barbara Ehrenreich Barbara Ehrenreich (, ; ; August 26, 1941 – September 1, 2022) was an American author and political activist. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she was a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She was a widely read and awar ...
(née Alexander) and psychologist
John Ehrenreich John Ehrenreich (born February 20, 1943) is an American clinical psychologist and social critic, who has published books on health policy, humanitarian policy, US history and US social policy. He is known for his development (with his then-wife, B ...
. Her parents separated when she was young. Her brother is journalist and author
Ben Ehrenreich Ben Ehrenreich (born 1972) is an American freelance journalist and novelist who lives in Los Angeles. Career Ehrenreich began working as a journalist in the alternative press in the late 1990s, publishing extensively in ''LA Weekly'' and ''The Vi ...
. Brooks was born in a public clinic in New York. She studied at Syosset High School in Syosset, New York but left early to attend Harvard. In 1991, she earned a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
(history and literature) from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. While an undergraduate, Brooks served as president of the Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard's undergraduate public service organization. She graduated
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
and was a Marshall Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford. In 1993, Brooks received a
Master of Studies The Master of Studies or Master in Studies (M.St. or MSt; ) is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of St Andrews, the Australian National University, University of Dublin and the University of N ...
from
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
in Social anthropology. In 1996, she received a J.D. from
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
.


Career

Brooks was a lecturer at
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
, where she was the director of Yale Law School's human rights program. She was a fellow at the
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy Carr Center for Human Rights Policy is a research center at Harvard Kennedy School founded in 1999. The center's scholars address issues related to human rights, including human security, global governance and civil society, economic justice, and ...
at Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
, a board member of
Amnesty International USA Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide. Amnesty International is an organization of more than 7 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with compl ...
and a member of the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law. Brooks served on the board of the Open Society Foundation's US Programs Fund. Brooks was a senior advisor at the
US Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
’s
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) is a bureau within the United States Department of State. The bureau is under the purview of the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. DRL's resp ...
. Brooks was a consultant for the
Open Society Institute Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with a st ...
and
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
. Brooks was a member of the Policy Committee of the National Security Network. From 2001 to 2006, she was an associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Brooks has been a columnist for the
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
(June 2005 to April 9, 2009) and, since 2007, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. From April 2009 to July 2011, was on public service leave from Georgetown to serve as counselor to
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the secr ...
,
Michele Flournoy Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...
. She received the
Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service The Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service is the second highest award presented by the Secretary of Defense to non-career Federal employees, private citizens, and foreign nationals for contributions, assistance, or support to D ...
for her work at the Defense Department. Brooks currently serves on the board of the Harper's Magazine Foundation, the Advisory Committee of National Security Action and the Steering Committee of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. From 2016 to 2020, she was also a reserve police officer with the
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Police, and, colloquially, the DCPD, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbi ...
, and she received the Chief of Police Special Award in 2019.


Writings

Brooks' scholarly work has focused mostly on national security,
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
and rule of law issues,
international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
,
human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
, law of war and
failed state A failed state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly (see also fragile state and state collapse). A state can also fail if the ...
s. Along with Jane Stromseth and David Wippman, Brooks coauthored ''Can Might Make Rights? Building the Rule of Law After Military Interventions'' (2006). Brooks is also the author of numerous scholarly articles published in law reviews. Brooks authored the 2016 book ''How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything''. It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and was selected by ''
Military Times Sightline Media Group, formerly Gannett Government Media and Army Times Publishing Company, is a United States company that publishes newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications about the U.S. and other militaries. The company's '' ...
'' as one of the ten best books of the year. The book was also shortlisted for the
Lionel Gelber Prize The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize awards "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deep ...
and the
Arthur Ross Book Award The Arthur Ross Book Award is a politics-related literary award. History and administration It was endowed in 2001 by Arthur Ross, an American businessman and philanthropist, for the purpose of recognizing books that make an outstanding contr ...
. In 2021, she published ''Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City,'' which is about her experience as a reserve police officer in Washington, D.C.


Political commentary

In addition to her columns for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' and '' Foreign Policy'', Brooks was a founder of ''Foreign Policys weekly podcast, ''The E.R.,'' and is now a member of the Deep State Radio podcast team. She has been a frequent guest and panelist on
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
, Fox,
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. Brooks has contributed op-eds and book reviews to the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
,
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
,'' ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and numerous other publications.


Personal life

Brooks has two children. Brooks was previously married to the Yale literary critic Peter Brooks, and is now married to LTC Joseph Mouer, a now-retired Army Special Forces officer.


Works

*''Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the Nation's Capital,'' Penguin, 2021, *''How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything,'' Simon and Schuster, 2016, * Rosa Brooks, Jane Stromseth, David Wippman, ''Can Might Make Rights? Building the Rule of Law After Military Interventions'',
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...
, 2006, * ''A Garden of Paper Flowers: An American at Oxford'', Picador, 1994, (under the name Rosa Ehrenreich; later articles are credited to Rosa Ehrenreich Brooks)


References


External links

*
Profile
at
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Rosa 1970 births Living people Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford American foreign policy writers American legal scholars American legal writers American women lawyers Clinton administration personnel Harvard College alumni International law scholars International relations scholars Obama administration personnel Lawyers from New York City Los Angeles Times people Marshall Scholars People from Syosset, New York Syosset High School alumni United States Department of Defense officials Women legal scholars Women political scientists Writers from New York City Yale Law School alumni Georgetown University Law Center faculty 21st-century American women