Andrew Bast has reported from four continents for several publications,
including Newsweek, the Village Voice, and the New York Times. In the
wake of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, he wrote about the rescue effort
from the beaches of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Later, he reported on the youth
bulge in the Middle East, backlash against political corruption, and
the best way to drink tequila from, respectively, Cairo, Quito, and
Mexico City. In New York City, where he is now based, he has published
poetry about street saxophone players, profiled literary icons, and
interviewed cabinet-rank White House officials. He earned a master's degree
in international relations from the City University of New York
Graduate Center, where he wrote his master's thesis about the Army
Field Manual on Stability Operations, arguing against the idea that
soldiers can readily be employed as effective state-builders. Focusing
on the concept of failed states, he studied international law, the
United Nations, and revolutions, researching case studies on the
International Monetary Fund, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Afghanistan. For a time, he lectured on American foreign policy at
Baruch College. His WPR column, Under the Influence, appeared in this space through most of 2009. You can write to him at andrewcbast ((--at--)) gmail.
