home > the cfr think tank > experts > leslie h. gelb
President Emeritus and Board Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9742; for all media requests call +1-212-434-9460
E-mail: JZelmati@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
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One-page bio (PDF, 52K)
Video clip (WMV, 970K)
Video clip (MP4, 1.3 MB)
Pulitzer Prize-winner, former correspondent for the New York Times, and senior official in State and Defense Departments; expert on U.S. foreign policy and national security. Author of the new book Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue Foreign Policy (HarperCollins, March 2009).
Expertise:U.S. foreign policy; national security; Russia; Persian Gulf.
Experience:Columnist, Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Op-ed Page Editor, National Security Correspondent, Diplomatic Correspondent, New York Times (1981-93); Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1980-81); Assistant Secretary of State for political/military affairs (1977-79); Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution (1969-73); Visiting Professor, Georgetown University (1969-73); Director of Policy Planning and Arms Control for International Security Affairs, Department of Defense (1967-69); Executive Assistant, U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits (1966-67).
Honors:Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism (1985); American Political Science Association (APSA) Woodrow Wilson Award for the best book on international relations (1981); Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Selected Publications:Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue Foreign Policy (HarperCollins, March 2009); Anglo-American Relations, 1945-1950: Toward a Theory of Alliances (Taylor & Francis, 1988); Claiming the Heavens: The New York Times Complete Guide to the Star Wars Debate (coauthor, Crown Publishing Group, 1988); Our Own Worst Enemy: The Unmaking of American Foreign Policy (coauthor, Simon & Schuster, 1984); The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked (coauthor, Brookings Institution Press, 1980).
Related Links:
"Two Arguments for What to Do in Afghanistan," By Peter Bergen and Les Gelb (Time; Thursday, October 1, 2009)
New York Times Editor's Choice: "Power Rules" (New York Times Sunday Book Review; April 16, 2009)
"'Power Rules,' by Les Gelb: We're Still the One" (New York Times Sunday Book Review; April 10, 2009)
First Chapter: "Power Rules" (New York Times; April 10, 2009)
"Common Sense to the Rescue of Policy" (New York Times book review of Power Rules; March 22, 2009)
November 2, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Les Gelb points to stalled U.S. efforts in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and others as evidence that "Barack Obama has arrived at a terrible moment of truth in foreign policy."
See more in Afghanistan, Middle East, Conflict Assessment, Presidency
October 25, 2009
Article
Parade
Leslie Gelb spends a day with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton as she goes through her "grueling and inspirational" regular duties.
See more in Diplomacy, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Organization of Government
October 25, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb warns President Obama against trying to "square the foreign policy and international security realities [in Afghanistan] with political imperatives [at home]."
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 6, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
With debate raging on whether to increase troops in Afghanistan, Leslie H. Gelb writes that the United States can succeed there by empowering Afghans to take control of their own country.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment
October 1, 2009
Op-Ed
Time Magazine
Peter Bergen and Leslie H. Gelb present two policy options for troop presence in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment
September 27, 2009
Op-Ed
Forbes Online
Leslie H. Gelb comments on the passing of New York Times columnist, Bill Safire, "the best friend and the worst enemy to friends and foes."
See more in Society and Culture, Media and Foreign Policy
September 22, 2009
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Leslie H. Gelb lays out directions for a new strategy in Afghanistan, claiming that the Obama administration's current one is confusing to the American people, Congress and the U.S. military.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 11, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb argues, "From Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal to the looming civil war in Iraq, the president will likely face a major global crisis before the year's end."
See more in National Security and Defense, International Peace and Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 23, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb comments on the elections in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 17, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb comments, "The president's decision to send Georgian troops to Afghanistan will infuriate Moscow -- and reveals his lack of appreciation for exactly what it takes to accomplish big priorities."
See more in Afghanistan, Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 6, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb asks, "'What's Obama's exit strategy' in Afghanistan?"
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 20, 2009
Op-Ed
Time Magazine
Leslie H. Gelb remembers Robert McNamara.
See more in Vietnam, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 22, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb argues that President Obama is right to keep his distance--this is what Iranians want, and they have smart, sophisticated reasons for it.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 15, 2009
Op-Ed
Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
See more in Iraq, National Security and Defense, Media and Foreign Policy
June 15, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb writes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "made some significant points that Washington shouldn’t ignore," in his speech on Sunday.
See more in Middle East, Israel, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 13, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb discusses the outcome of the Iranian election and its significance for U.S. policy.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 10, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb discusses the surge of reformers ahead of the Iranian elections.
See more in Iran, Elections, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 31, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb discusses Secretary Geithner's trip to China.
See more in United States, China, Geoeconomics, International Finance
May 26, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie Gelb argues, "the president's cool Korea strategy is wise."
See more in North Korea, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 14, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb discusses foreign policy bestsellers.
See more in Foreign Policy History
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
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Deputy Director of Studies Administration
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jhill@cfr.org
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