Adjunct Junior Fellow
Expertise: Russia and Central Asia, International Trade, Informal Markets, US-Russia Policy, Economic Statecraft
John Keaney recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in Economics, Russian, and International Studies, a minor in Leadership Studies, and a Leadership Distinction in Global Learning. In the summer of 2014, he worked directly on US-Russia foreign policy issues as an economic affairs intern at the American Embassy in Moscow. Immediately following his internship, he spent 9 months studying Russian language in Kyrgyzstan as a Boren Scholar and working with the NGO, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, to improve the quality and accountability of Kyrgyz democratic institutions. Before leaving Bishkek, he also pursued an independent research project on Kyrgyz bazaar attitudes toward the Eurasian Economic Union, which was featured on the Freakonomics blog.
He is currently pursuing an MA in Security Studies at Georgetown University with a concentration in International Security.
Outside of his professional and academic life, John is an avid ballroom dancer that has practiced with groups in both the US and Kyrgyzstan.