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home > the cfr think tank > experts > bernard gwertzman
Consulting Editor
Contact Info:
E-mail: bgwertzman@cfr.org
Bernard Gwertzman has spent his entire career in journalism, starting as a reporter for the Washington Star in Washington, DC, in 1960. There he covered the Cold War as a specialist on Communist affairs. In late 1968, he was hired by the New York Times and sent to Moscow as its bureau chief from 1969-71, where he covered the tensions along the Soviet-Chinese border and the first steps toward detente.
In 1971, Gwertzman returned to Washington, where he worked for the next sixteen years covering U.S. foreign policy for the Times. He traveled throughout the Middle East with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, where he charted the first Arab-Israeli accords, leading up to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel brokered by President Carter in 1979. In that period, he also wrote extensively on the first arms control accords between the United States and Russia.
With the advent of President Reagan to the White House in 1981, he covered the chill in Soviet-American relations, followed by the warming of the Gorbachev-Reagan ties. In 1987, Gwertzman was invited to New York to become the deputy foreign editor of the Times, and in 1989, he became foreign editor. During his tenure as foreign editor, he directed the Times' coverage of the collapse of the Soviet empire, the Persian Gulf war, the U.S. invasion of Panama, the first Israeli agreement with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and the outbreak of the Bosnian war. In the six years Mr. Gwertzman was at the helm, the New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes for international coverage.
When the Times began its electronic division in the summer of 1995, Mr. Gwertzman shifted to new media. He was editor-in-chief of the New York Times on the web from 1996 until he retired from the Times in 2002. He has been consulting editor for cfr.org since October 2002. Gwertzman, who has an AB and MA from Harvard, is the co-author with Haynes Johnson of Fulbright: the Dissenter, and with Michael Kaufman on three anthologies on the fall of Communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union. He lives in Riverdale, NY, with his wife Marie-Jeanne. He has two married sons, James and Michael.
May 15, 2008
David Makovsky, Director, Project on the Middle East Peace Process, Washington Institute for Near East Policy interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
David Makovsky, an expert on Israeli politics, says there is concern a forced resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could unravel his efforts on Palestinian peace.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, Sovereignty, Peacemaking
May 14, 2008
Josef Joffe, Publisher-Editor, Die Zeit interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Josef Joffe, an expert on European and U.S. politics, notes unparalleled European interest in the U.S. presidential campaigns—and unrealistic expectations as well.
See more in United States, Europe/Russia, Media and Foreign Policy
May 12, 2008
Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Daily Star, Beirut interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Michael Young, a political analyst in Beirut, says Hezbollah’s efforts to impose its will in Lebanon reflect the “cold war” in the region between Iran and its allies and those who prefer ties with the United States.
See more in Iran, Lebanon, Sovereignty, Conflict Assessment
May 7, 2008
Martin S. Indyk, Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Martin S. Indyk, who served as ambassador to Israel in the Clinton presidency and advises Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign, says it's crucial for President Bush and Secretary of State Rice to become more involved in sealing a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, International Peace and Security, Diplomacy
April 30, 2008
Aaron David Miller, Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Contrary to many analysts of the Middle East, Aaron David Miller, who has served as a Middle East negotiator for presidents of both parties, sees reason for optimism in the current process.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, Diplomacy
April 29, 2008
Bruce O. Riedel, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
South Asia expert Bruce Riedel sees the continuing development of U.S.-India ties as a major accomplishment of President Bush, who has built on steps taken by his predecessor.
See more in United States, India, Trade, Energy, Diplomacy
April 25, 2008
Elizabeth Fuller, Analyst, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Elizabeth Fuller, an expert on Georgian affairs, says Russia may be promoting joint states as a solution to some frozen conflicts in its sphere of influence.
See more in Georgia, Russian Fed., Sovereignty
April 23, 2008
Gary Samore, Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Gary Samore, a senior arms-control negotiator in the Clinton administration, says the Bush administration has agreed to a compromise with North Korea on demands for it to confess the extent of its uranium-enrichment activities.
See more in North Korea, Diplomacy, Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament, Weapons of Mass Destruction
April 23, 2008
Edward Friedman, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Edward Friedman, an expert on Chinese nationalism, says China’s ethnic Han majority views minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs as "people who should be incorporated into the larger Chinese state."
See more in China, Taiwan, East Asia, Minorities, Diversity and Foreign Policy, Nationalism
April 21, 2008
Allan Gyngell, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney, Australia interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Allan Gyngell, a former Australian diplomat, says there is concern in Australia and East Asia that the next U.S. president might retreat from the United States' support for free trade.
See more in United States, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, Elections
April 14, 2008
Andrei Piontkovsky, Executive Director of the Strategic Studies Center, Moscow interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Russian analyst Andrei A. Piontkovsky says the next U.S. president could face a more conciliatory policy from the Kremlin and new Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., Elections
April 16, 2008
Daniel C. Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Visiting Professor in Middle East Policy Studies, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Daniel C. Kurtzer, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, says the next U.S. president must make Israeli-Palestinian negotiations a priority.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, International Peace and Security, Diplomacy
April 11, 2008
Timothy Samuel Shah, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Religion and Foreign Policy interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Timothy Samuel Shah, a scholar on religious issues, says that when Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to the United States as pope, it will give Americans their first chance to hear firsthand his views on Iraq, the environment, and immigration.
See more in Western Europe, Religion
April 7, 2008
Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow for Europe Studies interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Charles A. Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, says the just-concluded NATO summit illustrates the changes taking place in the alliance, where it will become increasingly difficult to reach agreements on issues.
See more in Georgia, Russian Fed., Ukraine, NATO
March 31, 2008
Serge Schmemann, Editorial Page Editor, International Herald Tribune interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Serge Schmemann, a veteran journalist based in Europe, says the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign has generated “a bigger stir than any election I can remember.”
See more in United States, Media and Foreign Policy
March 26, 2008
Vali R. Nasr, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Vali R. Nasr, a leading expert on Shiites, says the fighting in southern Iraq amounts to a power struggle between pro and anti-U.S. Shiite militias. The country’s Shiite prime minister, he says, is “irrelevant.”
See more in Iran, Iraq, Conflict Assessment
March 24, 2008
Alan D. Romberg, Distinguished Fellow, Director of East Asia Program, Henry L. Stimson Center interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Taiwan expert Alan D. Romberg says the election of Ma Ying-jeou as the island’s next president should usher in a new era of less contentious cross-Strait relations.
See more in China, Taiwan, Elections, Nationalism, Sovereignty
March 19, 2008
Steven A. Cook, Douglas Dillon Fellow interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Steven A. Cook, a Middle East expert, says he sees no chance the United States would break away from Israel and deal directly with Hamas in the Israeli-Palestinian peace dialogue, even if it might help move negotiations forward.
See more in United States, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Diplomacy
March 18, 2008
| Interview of: | Farideh Farhi, Adjunct Professor, University of Hawaii |
|---|
Interview
Farideh Farhi, an Iranian-born expert on Iranian politics, discusses the outcome of Iran’s parliamentary elections and its implications for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
March 14, 2008
Daniel P. Serwer, Vice President, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Interview
Daniel Serwer, an Iraq expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace, sees encouraging signs of political compromise among Iraqi politicians .
See more in Iraq, Elections, Civil Reconstruction
Climate change poses threats to national security in a number of ways. In this report, sponsored by the Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Joshua W. Busby offers specific recommendations for confronting this important issue, including a list of "no-regrets" policies.
This report, by International Affairs Fellow Michelle D. Gavin and sponsored by the Center for Preventive Action, surveys the current situation in Zimbabwe and proposes steps that can increase the likelihood that regime change, when it comes, will bring constructive reform instead of conflict and state collapse.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
Gary Samore
Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1-212-434-9627
gsamore@cfr.org
Sebastian Mallaby
Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for
Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
Fellow for International Economics
smallaby@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1-212-434-9753
jhill@cfr.org
The David Rockefeller Studies Program is the Council’s “think tank.” Its work is integral to achieving the Council’s goal of contributing to the foreign policy debate. Fellows in the Studies Program do this by researching, writing, and commenting on the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.
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