Irina Tsukerman

Irina Tsukerman is a Ukraine-born American national security and international humanitarian law attorney, geopolitical analyst, strategic communications specialist, and media commentator whose work focuses on the intersection of international affairs, influence operations, strategic narratives, and public diplomacy. Her professional profile developed across legal practice, policy analysis, media engagement, and geopolitical commentary, with particular emphasis on information competition, hybrid conflict, and the changing character of international power projection. Unlike many analysts who emerged exclusively through academic institutions or government service, her career developed through a multidisciplinary combination of legal training, strategic advisory work, publishing, media analysis, and participation in international policy forums. Her work frequently examines how geopolitical outcomes are shaped by perception management, information dominance, narrative construction, reputational influence, and the strategic use of communications across state and nonstate actors. Tsukerman completed her undergraduate studies at Fordham University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in International and Intercultural Studies with concentration in Middle East Studies and a minor in Latin American Studies. Her academic interests centered on international relations, comparative politics, conflict dynamics, international institutions, regional security, and cross-cultural analysis. She earned an Honorable Mention in Middle East Studies. She continued at Fordham University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor degree in 2009, focusing on national security law. During law school she became actively involved in national security and constitutional law discussions and participated in institutional leadership initiatives. Among her more visible academic activities was helping establish and lead a National Security and Law Society chapter. She also held leadership responsibilities within student legal organizations and organized discussions focused on surveillance authorities, nuclear security, intelligence policy, counterterrorism, constitutional questions surrounding national defense, and evolving legal frameworks governing modern conflict. She later became admitted to legal practice in New York and developed expertise connected to international legal frameworks, public policy, and strategic advisory work, eventually organizing a panel discussion on The Legal Framework for Understanding Information Warfare in Ukraine at the NYC Bar Association on May 24, 2023. She is currently an active member with the American Bar Association, focusing on energy security, science, and technology and with the New York City Bar Association, where she has been actively involved with the MENA Affairs chapter and other foreign law sections. Tsukerman later became President of Scarab Rising, a strategic advisory and media organization focused on geopolitical analysis, strategic communications, reputation management, public affairs, and international engagement. Through this role she expanded her work beyond traditional legal practice into strategic consulting and geopolitical commentary. Her professional activities have included advisory work, media production, editorial direction, conference participation, and publication across international outlets. She also became Editor in Chief of The Washington Outsider, where she oversaw commentary and analysis covering foreign policy, international security, human rights, regional conflicts, and strategic competition. Her public affiliations have included fellowship and advisory relationships with organizations focused on Middle East policy, international security, and geopolitical affairs, including Foreign Policy Association in New York, the Arabian Peninsula Institute, and the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs. She is also actively involved with the National Liberal Club in UK, where she has assisted in organizing events with the Security and Defence Circle. Tsukerman's analytical work is concentrated in several interconnected domains: Geopolitical competition and great power rivalry; Russian hybrid warfare and active measures; Chinese influence operations and strategic communications; Iranian regional strategy and proxy networks; Middle Eastern security architecture; Energy geopolitics and economic statecraft; Counterterrorism and intelligence analysis; Strategic communications and public diplomacy; Hybrid conflict and multidomain competition; Narrative competition and reputational strategy. Her regional focus has included Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and Indo-Pacific strategic developments. Over the years, she has participated as a presenter in various international conferences focused on geopolitical strategy, emerging threats, transnational relations, US politics and political influences, US foreign policy, big tech in foreign policy, energy security, cybersecurity, and other relevant topics. She has also had an opportunity to brief various members of Congress on various geopolitical issues. One of Tsukerman's most recognizable areas of specialization is information warfare. She is a co-founder and Board Member of The Washington Outsider Center for Information Warfare, which specialized in educating the public about the various forms of information warfare, and in investigating complex operations in information space. Her public work repeatedly explores the proposition that modern geopolitical competition increasingly unfolds through influence campaigns rather than solely through military confrontation. She treats information ecosystems as operational environments in which legitimacy, trust, institutional authority, and public perception become strategic assets. Her work in this area addresses: State-sponsored disinformation campaigns; Strategic deception and active measures; Influence operations across media ecosystems; Narrative shaping and agenda formation; Cyber-enabled information operations; Soft power projection; Reputational warfare and public persuasion; Digital activism and influence networks; Strategic messaging in conflict environments; Legal and diplomatic instruments as tools of information competition. A recurring feature of her analysis is the argument that states increasingly combine economic pressure, diplomacy, legal instruments, media narratives, and cyber capabilities into integrated campaigns designed to shape decision-making environments. Tsukerman's work places particular emphasis on narrative warfare, where she has argued that states and political actors compete to define legitimacy, identity, victimhood, sovereignty, and strategic credibility. Her commentary frequently examines how narratives influence: International coalition formation; Domestic political legitimacy; Sanctions and diplomatic pressure; Military intervention narratives; Human rights discourse; Information resilience; Electoral influence; Institutional trust; Public support for security policies. She often frames narrative competition as a contest over interpretation rather than facts alone, arguing that control over framing increasingly affects strategic outcomes. As a podcaster and host of The Washington Outsider Report on Coalition Radio, she has had an opportunity to engage with many specialists and experts in these and other areas. Tsukerman has published and contributed commentary across a broad international media and policy ecosystem. Her work has appeared in publications covering international affairs, strategic studies, security policy, regional geopolitics, legal affairs, and diplomacy, in English, Arabic, Russian, and many other languages. Her analysis has also appeared through interviews and commentary across television, radio, podcasts, and international broadcast platforms serving audiences in North America, Europe, South Caucasus, and the Middle East. Tsukerman has participated in conferences and international policy events spanning security, communications, diplomacy, and geopolitical affairs. Publicly documented engagements include: Participation connected to United Nations human rights discussions; Speaker participation at policy discussions on U.S.–Iran relations in Washington; Participation at conferences addressing Iranian regional influence and counterterrorism in Europe; Participation in international dialogue initiatives involving U.S.–Middle East engagement; Presentation activity addressing character assassination, reputational politics, and information influence; Participation in communications conferences exploring strategic messaging and political persuasion; Contributions to international discussions involving security governance and regional cooperation in North Africa and the Middle East. Selection to a "36 Under 36" recognition program highlighting emerging professional leadership; Leadership recognition connected to humanitarian and international engagement initiatives; Appointment to leadership roles in national security committees within legal professional organizations; Recognition for public engagement across international policy and communications forums; Jewish Week "36 Under 36" (2017); World Humanitarian Drive Recognition; Ukraine Centre for Strategic Communication Award / Azerbaijan's Truthfulness in Media Award. Over the course of her career Tsukerman has participated in networks connected to: International law; National security policy; Foreign affairs analysis; Strategic communications; Energy and technology policy; Human rights advocacy; Leadership development initiatives; Regional and thematic foreign policy organizations. Her diverse professional experiences reflect a hybrid model that combines legal expertise, geopolitical analysis, strategic communications, information warfare studies, and narrative competition, with sustained focus on how modern states shape outcomes through perception, legitimacy, influence, and multidomain strategic engagement.