Edward P. Djerejian

Ambassador (Ret.) Edward Peter Djerejian is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center and is the Founding Director of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University (1994-2022.) He has served in the U.S. Foreign Service for eight presidents, from John F. Kennedy to William J. Clinton (1962-1994). Prior to his nomination by President Clinton as U.S. ambassador to Israel (1993-1994), he was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in both the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations (1991-1993). He was the U.S. ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic (1988-1991). He also served as special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and deputy press secretary for foreign affairs in the White House (1985-1986). His book "Danger and Opportunity: An American Ambassador's Journey Through the Middle East" was published in September of 2008 by Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions. He has been awarded the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award and numerous other honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Anti-Defamation League's Moral Statesman Award, the Association of Rice University's Alumni Gold Medal, and foreign decorations bestowed by the King of Morocco, the Presidents of Armenia and Lebanon. He has an honorary degree from his Alma Mater Georgetown University. He served in U.S. Army Intelligence in the Republic of Korea (1961-1962.)