Experts

Eric Edelman

Practitioner Senior Fellow

Fast Facts

  • Career minister in the U.S. Foreign Service
  • Undersecretary of defense for policy in the George W. Bush Administration
  • Ambassador to Finland and Turkey
  • Recipient of Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
  • Expertise on defense policy, nuclear policy and proliferation, diplomacy

Areas Of Expertise

  • Foreign Affairs
  • American Defense and Security
  • War and Terrorism

Eric Edelman, practitioner senior fellow, retired as a career minister from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2009, after having served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House. As the undersecretary of defense for policy (2005-2009), he oversaw strategy development as the Defense Department’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. Edelman served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for national security affairs. 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 of 2011 he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the French government. In 2016, he served as the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center.

Eric Edelman News Feed

Washington Post
Trump fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper
"The irony is that the president derided him as ‘Mark Yesper’ and the reason that he got fired is that he wasn’t,” said Eric Edelman, a former top Pentagon official under President George W. Bush. “It’s mean-spirited vengeance and vindictiveness, and he’s doing it because he can.”
Eric Edelman The Washington Post
ASD
Linking Values and Strategy: How Democracies Can Offset Autocratic Advances
In mid-2020, the Alliance for Securing Democracy convened a task force of 30 leading American national security and foreign policy experts to devise a national strategy for the United States to offset autocratic advances in non-military domains of competition. This report reflects the collective insights and recommendations of this bipartisan group. Not all members of the task force agree with every argument or recommendation, but the overall report reflects the general consensus to the best of the authors’ ability.
Eric Edelman Alliance for Securing Democracy
Miller Center Presents
The presidency and endless war
Since 1776, the United States has been at war 93 percent of the time—227 out of 244 years, according to Global Research. Why is that? And what does it mean for the future of our nation, at home and abroad? This half-day public conference will focus on the roots, management, and direction of so-called “endless wars.” During the five sessions, speakers will consider the political, legal, military, cultural, and governance implications of remaining engaged in these indefinite conflicts, and the future prospects of fighting a “forever war."
Eric Edelman Miller Center Presents
Missiles against blue sky with Iranian flags
America must prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon
Whichever candidate wins in November, it seems likely they will attempt renewed engagement with Tehran over its nuclear weapons program
Eric Edelman and Charles Wald The National Interest
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump
Trump’s Russophilia has become intelligence policy
The president has always had an unsettling relationship with Vladimir Putin’s regime, but only recently has it infected the rest of the government.
Eric Edelman and David J. Kramer The Bulwark
JINSA
Leaving the JCPOA Behind: Principles for U.S. Diplomacy in Preventing a Nuclear Iran
Regardless of the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it appears likely the winner will attempt renewed diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear weapons program, either by trying to reenter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or pursuing a new agreement.
Eric Edelman JINSA