Evan Ellis

Dr. R. Evan Ellis is a research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, with a focus on the region’s relationships with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors, as well as transnational organized crime and populism.

Dr. Ellis has published over 380 works, including five books: China in Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores (2009), The Strategic Dimension of Chinese Engagement with Latin America (2013), China on the Ground in Latin America (2014), Transnational Organized Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean (2018), and China Engages Latin America: Distorting Development and Democracy? (2022).

In his academic capacity, Dr. Ellis has presented his work in a broad range of business and government forums in twenty-seven countries across four continents. 

Dr. Ellis previously served on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff (S/P) with responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean (WHA), as well as International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) issues. 

He has given testimony on Latin American security issues to the U.S. Congress on various occasions, has discussed his work regarding China and other external actors in Latin America on a broad range of radio and television programs, and is cited regularly in the print media in both the U.S. and Latin America.

Dr. Ellis has also been awarded the Order of Military Merit José María Córdova by the Colombian government for his scholarship on security issues in the region.

Dr. Ellis earned his Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University, with concentrations in comparative politics and international relations.