Former CIA official and Middle East analyst Graham E. Fuller has died in Canada at the age of 89, according to reports citing an online obituary notice.
Fuller, who spent decades in U.S. intelligence and foreign policy circles, later worked as a senior analyst at RAND and wrote extensively on the Middle East, political Islam, and regional geopolitics.
He remained a controversial figure in Türkiye, where his name was frequently linked to debates over the FETÖ network, the terrorist group that orchestrated the July 15, 2016, coup attempt.
Fuller was among former U.S. officials reported to have written a reference letter in support of Fethullah Gülen’s U.S. residency process, a point that drew strong criticism in Türkiye.
Turkish prosecutors later sought his arrest as part of the coup attempt investigation, accusing him of links to suspects in the case. Fuller denied the allegations and publicly rejected claims that he had any role in the failed coup attempt.
He had long said he had not been in Türkiye for years and dismissed accusations against him.
Fuller served as vice chairman of the CIA’s National Intelligence Council and was a top strategist during the Cold War.
He strongly backed the “Green Belt Project,” a plan to use “moderate Islamist movements” as a barrier against Soviet communism.
He spent much of his career as CIA station chief in Kabul and in senior posts in Germany, Türkiye, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. His work on Near East and South Asia policy shaped how Washington dealt with the Islamic world for decades.
He often called for dialogue with religious groups that drew skepticism in their related countries.
After retiring from official duties, Fuller continued his academic and writing work, remaining a widely cited—and often disputed—voice on Türkiye, the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy.
