Janusz Bugajski

**Janusz Bugajski** (23 September 1954 – 18 October 2025) was a British-born American senior fellow and analyst at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C. He also hosted a television show called "Bugajski Hour" which is broadcast in the Balkans.

Bugajski was the chair of the Southern and Central European Studies Program at the Diplomatic Service Institute of the United States Department of State.

He worked as a consultant on Eastern European affairs at many organizations and for United States government agencies. He testified before the United States Congress.

## Life and career

In 1954 he was born to Piotr Bugajski (a teacher) and Jadwiga (Kavska) Bugajski in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. He is of Polish descent and is bilingual in English and Polish.

### Education and early career

In 1977 he received a Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Kent in Canterbury, Great Britain. Four years later he received a Master's degree in philosophy and a Doctorate in social anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

From 1981 to 1983, Bugajski worked as a consultant (a professional who provides advice in their field of expertise) on Polish affairs at BBC television in London.

From 1984–1985, he worked as a senior researcher analyst at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Munich, Germany.

### Center for Strategic and International Studies

In 1986, Bugajski joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., where he would hold several jobs. He served as Associate Director from 1986 to 1993, and in 1993 he became their Director of East European Studies. Later he served as the Director of CSIS's New European Democracy Program.

### Consultant on Eastern European affairs

Throughout his career, Bugajski worked as a consultant on Eastern European affairs for organizations and US government agencies, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of Defense, the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Institute of Free Trade Unions (AFL–CIO), the Council on International Studies and Exchanges (IREX) and BBC Television in London.

During his career, Bugajski was an associate professor at American University; a teacher at the Smithsonian Institution; an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a non-partisan think tank; and a consultant to the International Republican Institute. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

### Death

Bugajski died on 18 October 2025, at the age of 71.

## Awards

Bugajski was awarded grants in 1988 from the Earhart Foundation and in 1989 from the Linda and Harry Bradley Foundation. In 1991, the Center for Strategic and International Studies gave him a leadership award.

In 1998, in recognition of his contributions to international affairs, he received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the United States Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Information Agency (USIA), and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

In 2010, he was awarded the Thanks of the Polish Free Trade Union Solidarity.

## Editorial work

Bugajski is a regular contributor to various American and European newspapers and magazines.

His 1992 volume _Nations in Turmoil: Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Europe_ (Westview, 1992) was selected by Choice as an outstanding academic book. Two years later, he published _Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: A Guide to Nationalities, Politics, Organizations, and Parties_ (M.E. Sharpe, 1994). Both books focus on the tension between Russia and the West; Russian "neo-imperialism" in various conflict regions; and the lessons of the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.

### Selected publications

Bugajski has published extensively in his fields of expertise.  According to the CSIS's web page, he published the following writings:

- _Failed State: A Guide to Russia's Rupture_ (Jamestown Foundation, 2022)  ;
- _The Eurasian Divide: Russia's Vulnerable Flanks_ (Jamestown Foundation, 2016);
- _Conflict Zones: Comparing the North Caucasus and the Western Balkans_ (Jamestown Foundation, 2014);
- _Reclaiming the Balkans: Challenges to European Integration and US Disengagement_ (Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, 2013);
- _Lessons from Georgia: The Conflict of Russian and Western Interests in Wider Europe_ (CSIS Press, 2010);
- _Dismantling the West: Russia's Atlantic Agenda_ (Potomac Books, 2009);
- _America's New European Allies_ (Nova, 2009);
- _Expanding Eurasia: Russia's European Ambitions_ (CSIS, 2008);
- _Atlantic Bridges: America's New European Allies_, with Ilona Teleki ( Rowman and Littlefield, 2007);
- _Cold Peace: Russia's New Imperialism_ (Praeger, 2004);
- _Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-Communist Era_ (ME Sharp, 2002);
- _Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: A guide to national politics, organizations, and parties_ (M. IS. Sharp, 1994);
- _Nations in Disarray: Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Europe_ (Westview, 1993, 1995);
- _Fourth World Conflicts: Communism and Rural Societies_ (Westview, 1991);
- _Sandinista Communism and Rural Nicaragua_ (Praeger/CSIS, 1990);
- _East European Fault Lines: Dissent, Opposition, and Social Activism_ (Westview Press, 1989);
- _Czechoslovakia: A Decade of Charter 77 Dissent_ (Praeger/CSIS, 1987);

Bugajski also wrote the following publications for the Center for European Policy Analysis:

- _Is Bosnia a Ticking Time Bomb?_ (January 6, 2020)
- _Vulnerable Europe_ (March 4, 2020)
- _Mind the Gap_ (April 10, 2020)

## Other websites

- Jamestown senior staff
- Who's Who in Polish America, Janusz Bugajski

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Janusz Bugajski
- **image**: Janusz Bugajski.jpg
- **birth place**: Nantwich, Cheshire, England, UK
- **alma mater**: University of Kent at Canterbury, London School of Economics and Political Science
- **occupation**: political scientist