Kimbra L. Fishel is a political scientist specializing in international relations, US national security and terrorism. She has taught courses in International Politics, American Government and the American Presidency at the University of Maryland at College Park, George Washington University in DC, and the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on US Foreign Policy and National Security, the United Nations, Conflict and Warfare, US Military Intervention, and Terrorism with an emphasis on Al Qaeda's attempt to challenge the existing international structure.