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Ben Judah (born 1988) is a British journalist and author of This Is London and Fragile Empire. Since February 2024, he has been a political adviser to David Lammy, who became Foreign Secretary in July 2024.
The son of author Tim Judah[1] and Rosie Whitehouse, he was born in London.[2] He is of Baghdadi Jewish descent.[3] He spent a portion of his childhood in the Balkans[1] before returning to London where he was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. He attended the University of Oxford.[4]
Judah is married to journalist Rosie Gray.[5]
Judah began his career as a journalist covering the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution and the 2011 Tunisian Revolution and reported from the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia and Xinjiang.[6][7][8] [9][10][11][12] [non-primary source needed]
From 2010 to 2012, Judah was a policy fellow in London at the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank.[13] He has also been a visiting fellow at the European Stability Initiative in Istanbul.[14][failed verification] From 2017 to 2020, he was a research fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C.[15] Judah was a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, D.C., from 2020 to 2024.[16]
Judah has written for various progressive and conservative think-tanks on foreign affairs including the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Policy Exchange.[17][18] His work has also featured at the German Council on Foreign Relations.[19] Judah has written on foreign affairs for numerous publications including The New York Times and The Sunday Times. He has been a guest on CNN, BBC News and Channel 4 News and was a contributing writer for Politico Europe.[20] He has interviewed and profiled French President Emmanuel Macron, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak.[21][22][23]
Judah has written three books. His first, Fragile Empire (2013), a study of Vladimir Putin's Russia, was published by Yale University Press.[24][25] His second, This Is London, was published by Picador in 2016. The book was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction 2016 and shortlisted for the Ryszard Kapuscinski Award for Literary Reportage 2019.[26][27] This Is London brought Judah to the attention of MP David Lammy.[28] His third book This is Europe was published by Picador in 2023.[citation needed]
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In February 29, 2024, Judah was announced as a political adviser to David Lammy, who became Foreign Secretary that July. According to the New Statesman, Judah shaped Lammy's doctrine of "progressive realism" and raised Lammy's profile domestically and internationally.[28][29]
In 2015, he was commended for the Feature Writer of the Year award at the British Press Awards.[30]
Judah's name appeared on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list in 2016.[31]
In 2024, the New Statesman named Judah as one of the 50 most influential people shaping the UK's progressive politics.[28]
Books
- Fragile Empire. Yale University Press. 2013. ISBN 978-0300205220.
- This Is London. Picador. 2016. ISBN 9781447272441.
- This is Europe: The Way We Live Now. Picador. 2023. ISBN 9781447276265.
Selected articles
- Judah, Ben (2 April 2017). "Exclusive interview: Emmanuel Macron on Brexit, le Pen and the teacher who became his wife". The Sunday Times.
- Judah, Ben (4 February 2018). "The Magazine Interview: Imran Khan, the former playboy cricketer and would-be PM of Pakistan". The Sunday Times.
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