Damon Wilson
Encyclopedia
Damon Wilson is an American foreign policy
advisor
and the current director of the International Security program at the Atlantic Council
of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank
based in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Wilson served as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council
during President George W. Bush
's second term.
He attended Duke University
as a Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
degree
in Political Science
in 1995.
Following graduation, Wilson was awarded the first Hart Leadership Fellowship for the year 1995-1996, working in Rwanda with Save the Children
's Children and War Program. During the fellowship, he helped design the field office's information and documentation systems and participated in program planning for projects focused on unaccompanied children.
Wilson completed his master’s degree (MPA) at Princeton University
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
in 1998. While there, he taught an undergraduate policy workshop on Implementing NATO Expansion with Dr. Richard Ullman and was selected for a Presidential Management Fellowship
. As a fellow, Wilson worked on the State Department's China desk and at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing
.
Wilson speaks French and has been decorated by the Presidents of Estonia
, Hungary
, Latvia
and Poland
for his efforts to advance transatlantic relations.
, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
before finally moving to the Atlantic Council
.
in his drive to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, conducting operations beyond Europe particularly in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats. Mr. Wilson also supported the Secretary General's role in the successful effort to avert civil war in Macedonia.
, directed efforts to deepen engagement with America’s allies in Central and Eastern Europe, including beginning the expansion of more secure visa-free travel, and promoted close consultations with coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan.
of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank
based in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on NATO transformation, European defense, emerging global security challenges and transatlantic defense and intelligence cooperation. He frequently speaks and writes on European foreign policy and security issues.
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
advisor
and the current director of the International Security program at the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Wilson served as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
during President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's second term.
Biography
Wilson was born in Charleston, South Carolina.He attended Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
as a Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1995.
Following graduation, Wilson was awarded the first Hart Leadership Fellowship for the year 1995-1996, working in Rwanda with Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
's Children and War Program. During the fellowship, he helped design the field office's information and documentation systems and participated in program planning for projects focused on unaccompanied children.
Wilson completed his master’s degree (MPA) at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
in 1998. While there, he taught an undergraduate policy workshop on Implementing NATO Expansion with Dr. Richard Ullman and was selected for a Presidential Management Fellowship
Presidential Management Fellows Program
The Presidential Management Fellows program is a prestigious two year paid government fellowship sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management for recent graduate students who seek a two year fellowship in a United States government agency. Selection begins with the nomination of the student...
. As a fellow, Wilson worked on the State Department's China desk and at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Wilson speaks French and has been decorated by the Presidents of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
for his efforts to advance transatlantic relations.
Career
Wilson has had a long career in working on defense policy as it relates to NATO and US-European relations. He has worked for the NATO Secretary General, the National Security CouncilUnited States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
Embassy of the United States in Baghdad
The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Iraq. It is located in Baghdad and is home to the Ambassador to Iraq. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is currently the Chief of Mission....
before finally moving to the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
.
Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General
As Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, assisting Lord RobertsonGeorge Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen
George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, is a British Labour Party politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and early January 2004; he succeeded Javier Solana in that position...
in his drive to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, conducting operations beyond Europe particularly in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats. Mr. Wilson also supported the Secretary General's role in the successful effort to avert civil war in Macedonia.
Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council
From January 2004 to November 2006, as Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson strengthened ties with the German Chancellery, coordinated interagency policy in support of reform in Ukraine, including during the Orange RevolutionOrange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
, directed efforts to deepen engagement with America’s allies in Central and Eastern Europe, including beginning the expansion of more secure visa-free travel, and promoted close consultations with coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
In 2007, Wilson served at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as the Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff, where he helped manage the largest U.S. Embassy, implementing a reorganization plan which strengthened coordination, accountability and effectiveness, and played a key role in overseeing the Embassy’s effort to design and implement a civilian surge throughout Iraq.Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council
From December 2007 to January 2009, as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson played a leading role in developing and coordinating U.S. government efforts to advance a Europe whole, free and at peace. He managed interagency policy on NATO, the European Union, Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, Eurasian energy security and Turkey, and planned numerous Presidential visits to Europe, including U.S.-European Union and NATO Summits.Director of the International Security Program at the Atlantic Council
Since early 2009 to present, Wilson directs the International Security program at the Atlantic CouncilAtlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
based in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on NATO transformation, European defense, emerging global security challenges and transatlantic defense and intelligence cooperation. He frequently speaks and writes on European foreign policy and security issues.
Executive Vice President of the Atlantic Council
As of the Summer of 2011, Mr. Wilson has been formally promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of the Atlantic Council. His former posting as the Director of the International Security Program has been filled by Barry Pavel.Profiles and Bios
Speeches and Interviews
- Congressional Testimony (Video) on the Future of NATO, U.S. Senate, May 6, 2009
- Interview (Video) on President Obama's Visit to Moscow, AHA! Network, June 16, 2009
- Interview (Video) on Vice President Biden's Trip to Ukraine and Georgia, Voice of America, July 20, 2009
Publications and articles
- "Transatlantic Partnership Under the Obama Administration", Euro-Atlantic Quarterly, February 2009
- "Russia Must Also Hit the Reset Button", New Atlanticist, April 1, 2009
- "Ukraine on the Brink", Foreign Policy Magazine, May 28, 2009
- "Open Letter to President Obama on Democracy and Human Rights in Russia", Foreign Policy Initiative, July 1, 2009
- "Biden Defines Europe Policy", New Atlanticist, August 5, 2009