American Foreign
Policy Council
Explaining the World. Empowering Policymakers.
Publications Programs News & Events About Contact Donate Donate Now
About AFPC
Experts Board Support Internships Biennial Report
Join the AFPC Team
Do you have a strong interest in foreign policy and national security? Our unpaid internship positions are available year round with flexible hours (minimum of 20 hours per week). Additionally, AFPC is now offering fully-funded internships for qualified applicants who require financial support.
Internship Program Overview
The internship program at the American Foreign Policy Council provides aspiring young foreign policy leaders with the opportunity to thrive and begin contributing to national security in a meaningful way. Internships are awarded three times a year (typically January to April, May to August, and September to December). Our internship is rigorously research-based and awards positions only to those who are capable of serious work. The majority of our interns delve into large research projects and assist with the publication of articles and/or the organizing of events with foreign dignitaries. Interns are also provided an opportunity to work closely with foreign policy professionals, thanks to the relatively small size of our organization and the selectivity of our intern program. Many past interns have also been published in prestigious media outlets, including U.S. News and World Report, CNN.com, and the Wall Street Journal Europe, among others.
Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich poses with AFPC interns.
Interns receive a briefing from Dr. Stephen Blank on the AFPC roof deck.
Interns assemble in the AFPC situation room for an intern reunion picture.
Interns manage the registration table at an AFPC event in the U.S. Capitol Building.
AFPC staff extends their thanks to interns at the end of semester goodbye lunch.
Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Andriy Parubiy poses with an AFPC intern.
Interns receive a briefing on intelligence/counterintelligence in the AFPC situation room.
AFPC interns and staff enjoy a summer birthday celebration.
Research/Programmatic Internship
Developing Future Leaders
AFPC has great interest in preparing our interns for future success. Policymakers and statesmen, who have held senior positions in government, are brought in as part of a weekly lecture series to meet with interns and discuss the numerous career paths in foreign policy and the ways to best pursue them. Additionally, AFPC maintains good relations with all of its former interns and has established an extensive network of AFPC alumni. To provide networking opportunities, AFPC hosts annual reunions that allow former interns back into the office to share their experiences with the current interns, and provide them with insights and potential access to future positions in the government and graduate programs. As a result, the majority of former AFPC interns have obtained positions or pursued graduate degrees at leading public policy institutions and government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and U.S. Congressional staff offices.
Fully-Funded Opportunities
AFPC was formally awarded a grant from the Ascendium Education Group to underwrite qualifying interns' housing expenses, meals, local transportation costs, and a flight to/from DC. The grant applies specifically to undergraduate students who require financial support (must prove federal U.S. Pell grant eligibility) to travel to and live in DC as well as earn college credit for their internships.
Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people reach the education and career goals that matter to them with investments in initiatives designed to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates and workforce training programs.
Internship Responsibilites
AFPC internships are part-time with the opportunity for flexible hours. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week between 8:30 AM and 6 PM in the AFPC headquarters. Candidates should have a strong interest in foreign policy and national security. Knowledge of Russian, Mandarin, Arabic or Farsi is helpful.
We are actively seeking candidates with experience using Adobe InDesign
Responsibilities vary depending on program schedule, but may include:
foreign policy research and writing
logistical support for both domestic and foreign delegations
editorial assistance with publications
general administrative support
designing high quality and professional brochures, newsletters, reports, and publications
creating informational graphics
Opportunities for Publication
In addition to providing interns with a substantive research experience, AFPC encourages and provides opportunities for interns to author or co-author opinion editorials. Listed below are examples of AFPC intern's publications:
Hezbollah's Lebanon Is No Longer A Good Partner For The United States - By Jessie Kaplan, The National Interest, September 4, 2020
Wanted: A Coalition to Restrain Beijing - By Noah Garber, Newsweek, September 4, 2020
China Wants to Lead the World on AI. What Does That Mean for America? - By Ryan Christensen, The National Interest, July 12, 2020
The Trump Administration Must Maintain America's Indo-Pacific Basing Posture - By Melinda Madden, The Diplomat, May 19, 2020
A Religious Dispute Roils The Balkans - By Nicholas Labecki, The National Interest, May 18, 2020
Playing for Their Lives: How a 2001 Video Game Is Feeding Venezuela - By Doug Dubrowski, Sven Peterson, and Hayden Gilmore, The National Interest, March 26, 2019
Regional Cooperation in Central Asia: Relevance of Foreign Models - By S. Frederick Starr, Svante E. Cornell, and Hayden Gilmore, The Central Asia-Caucasus ANALYST, February 13, 2019
Russia is trying to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty - By Matthew Lafond and Hayden Gilmore, The Hill, December 15, 2018
Why Jordan Is Next for ISIS - By Emily Przyborowski, The National Interest, October 31, 2018
Exercise Trident Juncture is a response to Russian aggression - By James Amedeo and Nathan Faucett, The Hill, October 22, 2018
Russia's Patriotic Cinema—and Why It Matters - By Alexander Rojavin, The National Interest, August 16, 2018
China's Arctic Future: A Sea Change - By Alexander Gran, The Diplomat, July 18, 2018
Russia has Weaponized Energy - By Philip Decker, U.S. News and World Report, August 11, 2017
Why North Korea's September Nuclear Test is Different - By Alex Kim, The National Interest, October 23, 2016
Assessing U.S.-India Defense Relations: The Technological Handshake - By Jeff M. Smith and Alex Werman, The Diplomat, October 6, 2016
A Better Plan for Internet Governance - By Richard Harrison and Liam Bobyak, U.S. News and World Report, September 29, 2016
The Great Global Firewall - By Harrison Reiff, U.S. News and World Report, August 23, 2016
Missing Out on the Drone Market - By Caitlin Lenzner-White, U.S. News and World Report, May 11, 2016
Don't expect much from Russia's Syria drawdown - By Alexander Werman, USA Today, March 30, 2016
An Election to Watch in Taiwan - By Adrienne Ou, U.S. News and World Report, January 15, 2016
More Harm Than Good - By Nishant Atal, U.S. News and World Report, November 25, 2015
A New Weapon Against the Kremlin - By Landon Heid, U.S. News and World Report, October 27, 2015
Not Your Father's Cold War - By Dmytro Hryckowian, U.S. News and World Report, August 26, 2015
China's Linked Struggles for Power - By Joshua Eisenman and Ozzie Chung, Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2015
Building a High-Speed Silk Road - By Nicholas Choa, U.S. News and World Report, April 14, 2015
Remember Crimea? The Grim Reality of Russian Rule - By Leona Amosah, National Review, April 13, 2015
Breaking Russia's Natural-Gas Chockhold - By Jason Czerwiec, National Review, April 2, 2015
Protecting the Baltics - By Jason Czerwiec, Defense News, March 9, 2015
Fight Russia's Imperialism - By Leona Amosah, U.S. News and World Report, February 25, 2015
Geostrategic aims of the Russian arms trade in East Asia and the Middle East - By Dr. Stephen Blank and Edward Levitzky, Defense Studies, February 24, 2015
A North American Missile-Defense Alliance? - By Ilan Berman and Megan Gularte, The National Interest, December 21, 2014
Emerging From Russia's Energy Shadow - By Jason Czerwiec, U.S. News and World Report, November 4, 2014
The Way Forward In Ukraine - By Samuel Brinton, U.S. News and World Report, August 20, 2014
China's Non-Committed Relationship With Nonproliferation - By Rebecca Robison, U.S. News and World Report, August 5, 2014
Mideast powers return to common ground - By Ilan Berman & Nika Madyoon, The Washington Times, July 21, 2014
Mind Quality While Cutting Quantity - By Edward Levitzky, U.S. News and World Report, April 29, 2014
The Clock is Ticking in Afghanistan - By John Wilson, U.S. News and World Report, April 15, 2014
Turkey's Tilt East - By Alison Smith, U.S. News and World Report, February 11, 2014
Iran's long list of broken promises - By Ilan Berman & Mollie Adatto, Washington Times, December 5, 2013
Just Say No (to Afghan Counternarcotic Efforts) - By Sam Kierstead, U.S. News and World Report, December 3, 2013
Passing the Buck on Missile Defense - By Harrison Menke, U.S. News and World Report, November 12, 2013
How Close to China is Too Close? - By Anthony Erlandson, U.S. News and World Report, October 29, 2013
A Space Race, But on Russia's Terms - By Matthew Bodner, U.S. News and World Report, October 8, 2013
Pushing Iraq into Iran's Orbit - By Sarah Bertin, U.S. News and World Report, September 25, 2013
NSA Leaks Cause Waves Across the Atlantic - By Hadley Nagel, U.S. News and World Report, August 6, 2013
Terror Can Leak In Through America's Borders - By Ilan Berman and Netanel Levitt, U.S. News and World Report, July 15, 2013
Snowden Reveals the Pathetic State of U.S. Diplomacy - By Margot Van Loon, U.S. News and World Report, July 2, 2013
Why is Obama Playing Missile Defense Whack-a-Mole? - By Jacob Goldstein, U.S. News and World Report, June 25, 2013
Obama's Dim Prospects for Reviving the Russian 'Reset' - By Heather Stetten, U.S. News and World Report, April 30, 2013
Rules of Engagement, the Cybercrime Edition - By Rich Harrison & Emily Greenfield, U.S. News and World Report, April 2, 2013
Have We Reached a Tipping Poing on Chinese Cybertheft - By Isaac Medina, U.S. News and World Report, March 5, 2013
China's March Toward Space Modernization - By Rich Harrison & Isaac Medina, AFPC Defense Dossier, November 2012
Why Russia Won't Budge on Iran - By Cory Bender, U.S. News and World Report, October 30, 2012
Bringing Burma Along - By Amanda Sawit, International Business Times, October 15, 2012
U.S. and Russia in a new standoff - By Ilan Berman and Tyler McKinley, Washington Times, August 21, 2012
Inflation And Iran's Regime - By Yassamin Issapour, Wall Street Journal Europe, July 6, 2012
India Key to U.S. Afghan Success - By Jeff M. Smith & Gianluca La Manno, The Diplomat, June 2, 2012
Iran: A test for U.S.-India relations - By Jeff M. Smith & Sarah McKeever, CNN.com, March 22, 2012
Show More Publications
Please follow the application guidelines and deadlines below. We do not accept LinkedIn applications and incomplete applications will not be considered. If you meet the eligibility requirements and are applying for a fully-funded internship, please state that you are applying for a fully-funded position in your cover letter. If you have not been contacted 60 days after the respective application deadline, you were unfortunately not selected for an interview. Interested candidates are requested to submit the following by email to the AFPC Internship Program Coordinator Courtney Atwater at internships@afpc.org:
cover letter (please include hours and availability)
foreign policy related writing sample (four pages or less)
Additionally, please specify your top three interests from the following choices in your cover letter:
Central Asia Caucasus Institute (CACI)
China Program
Countering Islamic Extremism Project
Defense Technology Program
Indo-Pacific Security Program
Russia and Ukraine Program
Space Policy Initiative
U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security
Fall Semester (September - December) -- July 15
Spring Semester (January - April) -- November 15
Summer Semester (May - August) -- March 15
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
AFPC Internship Program Staff
Program Director: Richard M. Harrison
Program Coordinator: Courtney Atwater
Designed by Moire Marketing Partners
afpc@afpc.org
media@afpc.org
AFPC's Publications, News & Events
Call Email Find Connect Follow