Eric S. Edelman
Encyclopedia
Eric Steven Edelman is a former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
(2003-2005), former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland
(1998-2001), and former Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001-2003). A career Foreign Service Officer
, Edelman entered the Senior Foreign Service in 1992. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense
’s award for Distinguished Civilian Service (1993) and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (1990 and 1996).
He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in May 2009 and is a visiting scholar at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS), and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
.
in History
and Government from Cornell University
in 1972, and a Ph.D.
in U.S. Diplomatic History from Yale University
in 1981.
. In a private letter to Senator Clinton in response to a request made to the Pentagon in May 2007 for an outline plans for withdrawing troops from combat in Iraq, Edelman rebuffed her request and wrote:
The Associated Press
(AP) described his criticisms as "stinging". According to the Associated Press, Edelman's comments were: “...unusual, particularly because it was directed at a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.” The Associated Press pointed out that fellow committee member Republican
Senator
Richard Lugar
had also called for discussions of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, but had escaped Edelman's criticism. Clinton has said she is "shocked by the timeworn tactic of once again impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions about the Iraq war." In a letter to Secretary of Defense Gates, Senator Clinton reiterated her request for plans on troop redeployment and protested Edelman's criticism and asked if Edelman's letter accuratedly reflected Gates' views as Secretary of Defense. In reference to Clinton's comments, Secretary of Defense Gates has said "I believe that congressional debate on Iraq has been constructive and appropriate."
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense for all matters...
, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
United States Ambassador to Turkey
The United States of America has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the nineteenth century.-Chargé d'Affaires:*George W. Erving *David Porter -Minister Resident:*David Porter *Dabney Smith Carr...
(2003-2005), former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(1998-2001), and former Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001-2003). A career Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
, Edelman entered the Senior Foreign Service in 1992. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
’s award for Distinguished Civilian Service (1993) and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (1990 and 1996).
He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in May 2009 and is a visiting scholar at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
(SAIS), and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments is an independent, non-profit, Washington, D.C.-based think tank specializing in US defense policy, force planning, and budgets. It is headed by Andrew Krepinevich, a West Point graduate...
.
Education
Edelman received a B.A.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...
in History
Cornell University Department of History
|- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | College | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Arts and Sciences |- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Department Chair | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Barry Strauss...
and Government from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1972, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in U.S. Diplomatic History from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1981.
U.S. Government service
- Edelman was appointed to the position of Undersecretary of Defense for Policy on August 9, 2005, via recess appointmentRecess appointmentA recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
by George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge 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....
, after his nominationNominationNomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
was stalled in the SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Edelman replaced Douglas FeithDouglas FeithDouglas J. Feith served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense relations...
, who had resigned. The appointment since his confirmation by the senate would have been impossible to achieve, set to expire in January 2007 when a new Congress convened, was confirmed by the Senate on February 9, 2006. - Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (July 2003-June 2005): Edelman served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey after the second Iraq invasion, during which anti-American tensions within Turkey were high.
- Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (February 2001-July 2003) — a member of Dick Cheney's staff
- Ambassador to the Republic of Finland (1998-2001)
- Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State (June 1996-July 1998)
- Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic (June 1994-June 1996)
- Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State on the New Independent States (April 1993-July 1993)
- Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Soviet and East European Affairs (April 1990-April 1993)
- Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (April 1989-April 1990)
- Head of External Political Section at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (1987-1989)
- Director of Soviet Policies at the Office of Soviet Affairs at the Department of State (1984-1986)
- Special Assistant to Secretary of State George P. Shultz (1982-1984)
- Staff Officer on the Secretariat Staff (1982)
- Watch Officer in the State Department Operations Center (1981-1982)
- Member of the U.S. Middle East Delegation to the West Bank/Gaza Autonomy Talks Delegations (1980-1981)
Criticism of Senator Hillary Clinton
In July 2007, Edelman attracted media attention for criticizing Senator Hillary Clinton, a member of the Senate Armed Services CommitteeUnited States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
. In a private letter to Senator Clinton in response to a request made to the Pentagon in May 2007 for an outline plans for withdrawing troops from combat in Iraq, Edelman rebuffed her request and wrote:
"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia."
The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) described his criticisms as "stinging". According to the Associated Press, Edelman's comments were: “...unusual, particularly because it was directed at a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.” The Associated Press pointed out that fellow committee member Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Richard Lugar
had also called for discussions of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, but had escaped Edelman's criticism. Clinton has said she is "shocked by the timeworn tactic of once again impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions about the Iraq war." In a letter to Secretary of Defense Gates, Senator Clinton reiterated her request for plans on troop redeployment and protested Edelman's criticism and asked if Edelman's letter accuratedly reflected Gates' views as Secretary of Defense. In reference to Clinton's comments, Secretary of Defense Gates has said "I believe that congressional debate on Iraq has been constructive and appropriate."