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Amb. Eric Edelman

Amb. Eric Edelman is a Distinguished Scholar at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense & Strategy and the Co-Chair of its Iran Policy Project and Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project.

Amb. Edelman served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House where he led organizations providing analysis, strategy, policy development, security services, trade advocacy, public outreach, citizen services and congressional relations.

From August 2005 to January 2009, he served as the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. He oversaw strategy development as the Department of Defense’s senior policy official with global responsibility for bilateral defense relations, war plans, special operations forces, homeland defense, missile defense, nuclear weapons and arms control policies, counter-proliferation, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, arms sales, and defense trade controls.

He served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to the vice president for national security affairs.

Amb. Edelman has been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and several Department of State Superior Honor Awards. In January 2011, he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the French Government.

He received a bachelor’s degree in history and government from Cornell University and has a doctorate in U.S. diplomatic history from Yale University.

Publications

What Will Trump or Harris Do if Iran Goes Nuclear?
Biden at the NATO Summit in Vilnius: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Iran’s Protesters Want Regime Change
What Erdoğan Has Wrought?
Enough of the ‘Tenuous’ Iran Nuclear Deal — It’s Time for Plan B
The Strongman Cometh
Could Saudi Arabia Help Save Biden’s Flailing Presidency?
America should re-envision the Eastern Med as a multi-theater power-projection platform
President Biden, Don’t Help our Adversaries Break NATO
Why Greece Can Be a Powerful Ally
What We Have Learned About Biden’s Foreign Policy
Amb. Edelman discusses JINSA’s latest Eastern Med report on Bulwark podcast
The US Must Not Rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal
Team Biden Tries to Thread the Needle on the Iran Nuclear Deal
America Must Do More To Prevent An Iranian Nuclear Weapon
Washington Must Address Turkey’s Rising Aggression Amid COVID-19
America Must Act In Libya Against Turkey, Russia
Greece Is at the Nexus of America’s Geopolitical Crossroads
A Return to Geopolitics in the Mediterranean
Iran’s Nuclear Clock is Ticking Once Again. Here’s How to Stop It
A Comprehensive Strategy That Secures Real And Lasting Changes In Iran’s Behavior
Trump’s Quick Fix Approach to Iran Nuclear Deal Creates Untenable Policy Dilemma
US Must Bolster Its Presence In MidEast As ISIS Falls
How Trump Can Prevent a Nuclear Iran
Iran Needs to Take America Seriously Again
Congress Must Reject Flawed Nuke Deal
The Roots of Turkish Conduct: Understanding the Evolution of Turkish Policy
How to Negotiate with Iran