He grew up in the Washington, DC area, was raised in the Episcopal Church, and did his academic work in Middle Eastern studies at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and in the Middle East. During his two years of study in the region, he traveled to Syria, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and remains grateful and mindful of the many acquaintances that he made. Aside from writing on U.S. foreign policy, he divides his time between performing rock and punk music, and wandering through Maryland's Appalachian Mountains.