Lee Harold Smith (born April 10, 1962, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an American journalist and author known for his expertise in Middle East analysis. Raised in New York City, he attended George Washington University and Cornell University, and studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo and Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut. His career has focused on research and commentary on Islamist ideologies and regional politics, with contributions to publications and think tanks. He is a former visiting scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an associate at the Delphi Global Analysis Group.