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Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-202-509-8424
E-mail: jimg@gwu.edu
Location:
Washington, DC
Media downloads:
One-page bio (PDF, 54K)
CV (PDF, 49K)
Award-winning author, former State Department official, and staff member of the National Security Council. Professor of political science and international politics at George Washington University. Latest book is America Between the Wars (with Derek Chollet, PublicAffairs Books, June 2008).
Expertise:Transatlantic relations; U.S.-Russian relations; NATO; the European Union.
Experience:Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University; Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2007); Policy Research Scholar, George Washington Institute of Public Policy (2005-2007); Henry Alfred Kissinger Scholar in Foreign Policy and International Relations, Library of Congress (2005-2006); Director, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University (2001-2005); Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution (1999-2001); Acting Director, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University (1999-2000); Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution (1998-1999); Director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs, National Security Council (1996); Foreign Affairs Officer, Office on the New Independent States, U.S. Department of State (1995-1996); International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (1995-1996); Assistant Professor of Government, Cornell University (1991-1993); Visiting Fellow, Center for International Security and Arms Control, Stanford University (1989-1990); Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley (1988).
Selected Publications:"Democracy Promotion's Discontent" (with Derek Chollet, Huffington Post, August 22, 2008); "Bush Rejects Bushism" (with Derek Chollet, The American Prospect, August 11, 2008); "What the Next U.S. President Means for Europe" (The Guardian, July 12, 2008); "Kennan had a vision. Things aren't so clear now" (with Derek Chollet, Washington Post Magazine, July 13, 2008); "McCain's Choice" (with Derek Chollet, The National Interest, July 2, 2008); "The (Bill) Clinton Legacy" (with Derek Chollet; Huffington Post; June 9, 2008); “Global NATO,” Foreign Affairs (coauthor, September/October 2006); “The Faulty Premises of the Next Marshall Plan,” Washington Quarterly (coauthor, Winter 2005-2006); “What to Do About Russia,” Policy Review (coauthor, October/November 2005); “Now’s Not the Time for Europe to Go Wobbly,” Washington Post (coauthor, 2005); “Dealing with Putin,” Weekly Standard (coauthor, 2005); “A New European Divide,” Washington Post (2004); “Nationalist Strategies and European Integration,” Perspectives on Politics (coauthor, 2004); Power and Purpose: U.S. Policy toward Russia after the Cold War (coauthor, Brookings Institution Press, 2003); Not Whether But When: The U.S. Decision to Enlarge NATO (Brookings Institution Press, 1999); Leadership Style and Soviet Foreign Policy: Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994).
Related Links:
James Goldgeier writes on NATO Enlargement and Russia for International Affairs Forum (Center for International Relations; April 2009)
James Goldgeier at the World Affairs Council Annual Conference 2009: The First 70 Days - Has the Obama Administration Got it Right? (April 3, 2009)
James Goldgeier at the World Affairs Council Annual Conference 2009: Russia, Europe, NATO, and the Near Abroad (April 3, 2009)
James Goldgeier discusses America in transition at the Miller Center for Public Affairs (video; March 20, 2009)
James Goldgeier discusses America between the Wars in an interview with Milt Rosenberg (WGN Radio; February 24, 2009)
H-Diplo Roundtable Review of America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 (PDF; January 7, 2009)
James Goldgeier and Steven Cook discuss foreign policy in the 2008 presidential election at the Washington Foreign Press Club (video; October 29, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss American foreign policy from the end of the Cold War to 9/11 on Conversations with History (October 3, 2008)
James Goldgeier discusses the presidential campaign debates on "The Federal Drive" with Tom Temim and Jane Norris (Federal News Radio, September 26, 2008)
James Goldgeier discusses America Between the Wars on VOA (September 13, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollett discuss America Between the Wars with Zócalo at NPR West (September 24, 2008)
James Goldgeier on bigthink.com, "The Road to 9/11" (August 20, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollett discuss America Between the Wars on Bloomberg Night Talk (July 28, 2008)
James Goldgeier discusses tensions within Eastern Europe on the Kojo Nnamdi Show (July 14, 2008)
James Goldgeier discusses America Between the Wars with Larry Rifkin on WATR (July 16, 2008)
Opinio Juris Discussion of America Between the Wars (July 11, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss their new book, America Between the Wars, at the Library of Congress (June 12, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss their new book, America Between the Wars, at The Aspen Insitute (June 16, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss their new book, America Between the Wars, on "The Leonard Lopate Show" (WNYC; June 24, 2008)
Video: James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss their new book, America Between the Wars, at The Aspen Insitute (video; June 16, 2008)
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet discuss their new book, America Between the Wars at NDN forum (March 12, 2008)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
November 16, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts recall how the the United States envisioned its role in a post-Soviet world two decades ago when the Berlin Wall fell and whether expectations of 1989 square with the challenges of 2009.
See more in United States, Foreign Policy History, Grand Strategy
November 16, 2009
Video
Watch experts recall how the the United States envisioned its role in a post-Soviet world two decades ago when the Berlin Wall fell and whether expectations of 1989 square with the challenges of 2009.
See more in United States, Foreign Policy History, Grand Strategy
November 9, 2009
Op-Ed
Politico
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, James Goldgeier examines what the occasion meant for the Republican party, and how it has affected the U.S. presidency since.
See more in Germany, Democracy and Human Rights, Society and Culture, Presidency
November 8, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Times
The fall of the Berlin Wall was not the only significant international development of 1989, writes James Goldgeier. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the Tiananmen Square massacre in China signified the emergence of two new international challenges: failed states and illiberal capitalism, each of which has "vexed" the United States for the past two decades.
See more in Germany, Democracy and Human Rights, International Peace and Security, Foreign Policy History
November 5, 2009
Expert Brief
The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago marked a triumph of the U.S. strategy of containment. But U.S. policymakers have been struggling to establish new guidelines for confronting the world's complex challenges.
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History
August/September 2009
Article
Policy Review
James M. Goldgeier questions whether Cold War mentalities on the part of Russia and the United States still need to be overcome twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics
Frontiers of Conflict, Vol. 31 (1) - Spring 2009 Issue
Article
Harvard International Review
James M. Goldgeier discusses NATO's 60th anniversary.
See more in NATO, International Organizations
March 30, 2009
Expert Brief
President Obama's first major overseas summits are shadowed by disputes with European allies over stimulus plans and commitment to the Afghan war. He should seize the opportunity to appeal for a strong Europe and a strong NATO.
See more in Afghanistan, Europe/Russia, NATO
March 22, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Times
James M. Goldgeier argues that while NATO has much to celebrate during its 60th anniversary, it must overcome its inability to operate effectively as a military alliance in Afghanistan in order to be relevant in the 21st century.
See more in Afghanistan, Europe/Russia, NATO
February 25, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts discuss the role of NATO in the international system as part of the Council on Foreign Relations "NATO at 60" Symposium.
See more in NATO, International Organizations, International Peace and Security
February 25, 2009
Video
Watch experts discuss the role of NATO in the international system as part of the Council on Foreign Relations "NATO at 60" Symposium.
See more in International Organizations, International Peace and Security
February 25, 2009
Transcript
International relations experts Charles Kupchan, Steven Walt, and Ole Waever discuss the role of NATO in the international system as part of the Council on Foreign Relations' NATO at 60 Symposium.
See more in NATO, Global Governance, International Organizations
November 25, 2008
Academic Module
This module features teaching notes by Derek H. Chollet and James M. Goldgeier, coauthors of America Between the Wars, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this CFR book, Mr. Chollet and Dr. Goldgeier explore how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the world we live in today.
See more in United States, Foreign Policy History
November 14, 2008
Expert Brief
CFR's James Goldgeier and Charles Kupchan discuss the effect of the global financial crisis on Europe.
See more in Europe/Russia, Financial Crises
October 2, 2008
Audio
Listen to authors Derek H. Chollet and James M. Goldgeier discuss their new book and events from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 with students, as part of the CFR Academic Conference Call Series.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History
September 22, 2008
Audio
Listen to CFR fellows discuss topics such as U.S. relations with Asia, Russia, and Europe, as well as the financial crisis, nuclear terrorism, and climate change, as they relate to the presidential foreign policy debate.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
September 22, 2008
Transcript
Perspective on the Presidential Foreign Policy Debate.
See more in United States, Congress, Foreign Policy History, Public Diplomacy
August 22, 2008
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
Given the tarnished record of George W. Bush’s “freedom agenda,” the idea of promoting democracy throughout the world is losing traction with both Democrats and Republicans, write James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet.
See more in Democracy Promotion, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 21, 2008
Op-Ed
Guardian UK
James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet remind America’s European friends that they should not be lulled into thinking that the exit of President Bush will mean that all of the tough problems will be solved and the hard work will be over. In fact, the work is just getting started.
See more in Europe/Russia, Presidency
July 14, 2008
Op-Ed
There seems to be rampant speculation among national security wonks about what kind of foreign policy doctrine the next president will espouse, write James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet. However, in today’s complex world the president would be better off without a “one-size-fits-all” doctrine for handling foreign affairs.
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
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