William B. Quandt
Encyclopedia
William B. Quandt is an American scholar, author, professor and member of the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia
. He previously served as senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution
and as a member on the National Security Council
in the Richard Nixon
and Jimmy Carter administrations
. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords
and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. His areas of expertise include Algeria
, Egypt
, Israel
, Palestine
, the Peace Process, and U.S. Foreign Policy.
from Stanford University
in 1963, and his Ph.D. in Political Science
from MIT in 1968. He has received several research grants, including ones from the Social Science Research Council
(1966–1968), and the Council on Foreign Relations
(1972–1973). He was also an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania
, worked at the Rand Corporation in the Department of Social Science from 1968–1972, and taught at UCLA and MIT.
and the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty.
Between 1979 and 1994, Quandt was a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution
, where he conducted research on the Middle East
, American policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, and energy policy
. Quandt's involvement and the institution are noted in John Mearsheimer
and Stephen Walt
's 2007 book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
, saying: “Take the Brookings Institution. For many years, its senior expert on the Middle East was William Quandt, a former National Security Council official with a well-deserved reputation for even-handedness. Today, Brookings’s coverage is conducted through the Saban Center for Middle East Policy
, which is financed by Haim Saban, an Israeli-American businessman and ardent Zionist. The centre’s director is the ubiquitous Martin Indyk
. What was once a non-partisan policy institute is now part of the pro-Israel chorus
."
From 1987 to 1988, William Quandt was President of the Middle East Studies Association, a learned society
. He joined the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia
in 1994, where he holds the departmental Edward R. Stettinius chair. He teaches courses on the Middle East and American Foreign Policy. From 2000 to 2003, he also served as their Vice Provost for International Affairs. In 2004, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
Quandt’s book, Peace Process, along with The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict by Steven L. Spiegel and American Presidents and the Middle East, by George Lenczowski
, are considered by historian (and the current Israeli ambassador to the United States), Michael Oren
, as being "three of the genre's finer examples", focusing on the post-WWII period and seeking to investigate broader aspects of America's Middle East history.
, has one daughter and two stepchildren, and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo
and the Foundation for Middle East Peace
.
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He previously served as senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
and as a member on 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...
in the Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Jimmy Carter administrations
Presidency of Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter served as the thirty-ninth President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. His administration sought to make the government "competent and compassionate" but, in the midst of an economic crisis produced by rising energy prices and stagflation, met with difficulty in achieving its...
. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. His areas of expertise include Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Palestine
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, the Peace Process, and U.S. Foreign Policy.
Early life
Quandt was born in 1941 in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in International RelationsInternational relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1963, and his Ph.D. 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...
from MIT in 1968. He has received several research grants, including ones from the Social Science Research Council
Social Science Research Council
The Social Science Research Council is a U.S.-based independent nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines...
(1966–1968), and the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
(1972–1973). He was also an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, worked at the Rand Corporation in the Department of Social Science from 1968–1972, and taught at UCLA and MIT.
Professional career
Quandt served as a staff member on the National Security Council in the Nixon and Carter administrations between 1972–1974 and 1977-1979. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David AccordsCamp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
and the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty.
Between 1979 and 1994, Quandt was a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
, where he conducted research on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, American policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, and energy policy
Energy policy of the United States
The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local public entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards...
. Quandt's involvement and the institution are noted in John Mearsheimer
John Mearsheimer
John J. Mearsheimer is an American professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He is an international relations theorist. Known for his book on offensive realism, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, more recently Mearsheimer has attracted attention for co-authoring and publishing...
and Stephen Walt
Stephen Walt
Stephen Martin Walt is a professor of international affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Among his most prominent works are and . He coauthored The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy with John Mearsheimer.-Education and career:In 1983, he received a Ph.D. in...
's 2007 book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy is the title of a book by John Mearsheimer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, Professor of International Relations at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, published in late August 2007...
, saying: “Take the Brookings Institution. For many years, its senior expert on the Middle East was William Quandt, a former National Security Council official with a well-deserved reputation for even-handedness. Today, Brookings’s coverage is conducted through the Saban Center for Middle East Policy
Saban Center for Middle East Policy
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a center within the Brookings Institution focused on the United States' involvement in the Middle East...
, which is financed by Haim Saban, an Israeli-American businessman and ardent Zionist. The centre’s director is the ubiquitous Martin Indyk
Martin Indyk
Martin Sean Indyk is Vice President and Director for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Indyk served as United States ambassador to Israel and Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs during the Clinton Administration. He is known as the framer of the U.S...
. What was once a non-partisan policy institute is now part of the pro-Israel chorus
Israel lobby in the United States
The Israel lobby is a term used to describe the diverse coalition of those who, as individuals and as groups, seek and have sought to influence the foreign policy of the United States in support of Zionism, Israel or the specific policies of its government...
."
From 1987 to 1988, William Quandt was President of the Middle East Studies Association, a learned society
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
. He joined the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1994, where he holds the departmental Edward R. Stettinius chair. He teaches courses on the Middle East and American Foreign Policy. From 2000 to 2003, he also served as their Vice Provost for International Affairs. In 2004, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
Quandt’s book, Peace Process, along with The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict by Steven L. Spiegel and American Presidents and the Middle East, by George Lenczowski
George Lenczowski
George Lenczowski was a lawyer, diplomat, scholar, and Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley. Lenczowski was a pioneer in his field as the founder and first chair of the Committee of Middle Eastern Studies at Berkeley...
, are considered by historian (and the current Israeli ambassador to the United States), Michael Oren
Michael Oren
Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States...
, as being "three of the genre's finer examples", focusing on the post-WWII period and seeking to investigate broader aspects of America's Middle East history.
Personal life
He is married to the writer Helena CobbanHelena Cobban
Helena Cobban is a British-American writer and researcher on international relations, with special interests in the Middle East, the international system, and transitional justice. In March 2010, she founded a new book-publishing company, Just World Publishing, LLC...
, has one daughter and two stepchildren, and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
and the Foundation for Middle East Peace
Foundation for Middle East Peace
The Foundation for Middle East Peace is an American nonprofit organization that promotes peace between Israel and Palestinians via the two-state solution. The organization was established in 1979 by Merle Thorpe, Jr. Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, Jr...
.
Books and articles
William Quandt has written numerous books, and his articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications. His books include:- Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967, (Brookings, 2005, third edition)
- Between Ballots and Bullets: Algeria's Transition from Authoritarianism, (Brookings, 1998)
- The United States and Egypt: An Essay on Policy for the 1990s, (Brookings, 1990)
- The Middle East: Ten Years After Camp David, (Brookings, 1988), as editor.
- Camp David: Peacemaking and Politics, (Brookings, 1986)
- Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil, (Brookings, 1981)
- Decade of Decisions: American Foreign Policy Toward the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1967-1976, (University of California Press, 1977)
- Revolution and Political Leadership: Algeria, 1954-1968, (MIT Press, 1969)..