Alan W. Dowd is an award-winning writer with experience in opinion journalism, public-policy research and communications consultancy. Nationally recognized for his commentaries on issues ranging from faith to philanthropy to foreign policy, Dowd’s writing has been called “profound,” “insightful,” “prescient” and “thought-provoking” by editors, scholars and readers from across the country and across the political spectrum.
The author of hundreds of articles, opinion pieces and research essays, Dowd devotes most of his writing to U.S. foreign policy, national defense and international security. He is a contributing editor with The American Legion Magazine, where he publishes research-intensive features as well as columns and news briefs on national security, foreign affairs, health and politics. He also writes The Landing Zone, a column on national defense and international security featured on the American Legion's website. In addition, Dowd's writing has appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Diplomat & International Canada, VFW Magazine, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The National Post, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Vancouver Sun, The Kansas City Star, The Indianapolis Star, The Weekly Standard Online, National Review Online, FrontPage Magazine, Doublethink Online, World Politics Review, TCSDaily, The American Online, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American Enterprise Online, The Lookout, Light & Life, The Plain Truth and byFaith, among others. (See below for the full listing.)
Dowd began building his portfolio of work in the 1990s as a regular contributor to The Indianapolis News. In the 2000s, he added to that portfolio as associate editor of The American Legion Magazine; contributing writer to Hudson Institute's flagship journal, American Outlook; and frequent contributor to The Washington Times and The World & I. From 2004-2006, he was a contributing writer with The American Enterprise magazine and national security columnist for the magazine’s web-based daily, The American Enterprise Online.
In addition, Dowd's work has been featured in a number of books and anthologies, including: Enduring Issues (SIRS, 2001); Battles of the Korean War (VFW, 2003); At Issue: Justifying Military Action (Thomson/Gale, 2003); Opposing Viewpoints: The Family (Thomson/Gale, 2003); At Issue: Terrorism (Thomson/Gale, 2004); At Issue: Are Efforts to Reduce Terrorism Successful? (Thomson/Gale, 2005); The Reference Shelf (H.W. Wilson, 2006); SIRS Knowledge Source (ProQuest, 2007); They Say, I Say (W.W. Norton, 2007); Volunteerism (Gale, 2008); SIRS Researcher (ProQuest, 2009); and The Psalms of September (Plain Truth, 2003), which included the essay "When Adam Wept," honored by the Evangelical Press Association as the most outstanding evangelistic article of 2003.
Beyond opinion journalism, Dowd has provided communications and marketing support to organizations specializing in public-policy research, healthcare analysis, insurance and economic development. He has been affiliated with a number of leading think tanks, including the Fraser Institute, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and Hudson Institute. His research specialties include defense, security and transatlantic relations. Dowd also has served as director of constituent services for a U.S. congressman and an adjunct professor and lecturer at Butler University, teaching courses on U.S. foreign policy and U.S. history.
Dowd has been a guest on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends," and he has been interviewed by USA Radio, Cox News Service, WISH-TV (CBS affiliate, Indianapolis), WXIN-TV (Fox affiliate, Indianapolis), KPLS Radio (Los Angeles), The Washington Times, The National Post (Canada) and WIBC Radio (Indianapolis). In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, TheWashingtonPost.com, The Guardian, CBS News, MSNBC, BBC News Online, The Wall Street Journal website, the USAToday website and the Council on Foreign Relations' Must Read.
The list of publications that have carried Dowd's work includes:
