Moscow X: A Novel

On Tuesday, March 5, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project hosted author and former CIA analyst David McCloskey for a talk on his recently released book, Moscow X: A Novel.

David McCloskey is the author of the novels Moscow X and Damascus Station. His books have been Apple and Amazon ‘Picks of the Month’ and have sold over one hundred thousand copies worldwide. His first novel, Damascus Station, was a finalist for the 2022 International Thriller Writer’s award for ‘Best First Novel,’ a Financial Times ‘Best Summer Book of 2022,’ and is in development for television at Lionsgate Entertainment.

McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and former consultant at McKinsey & Company. While at the CIA, he wrote regularly for the President’s Daily Brief, delivered classified testimony to Congressional oversight committees, and briefed senior White House officials, ambassadors, military officials, and Arab royalty. He worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East throughout the Arab Spring and conducted a rotation in the Counterterrorism Center focused on the jihad in Syria and Iraq. During his time at McKinsey, McCloskey advised national security, aerospace, and transportation clients on a range of strategic and operational issues.

McCloskey holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, where he specialized in energy policy and the Middle East.