About the Expert
Expert Bio
Dr. Richard Haass is a veteran diplomat, a prominent voice on American foreign policy, and an established leader of nonprofit institutions. He is in his eighteenth year as president of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, publisher, and educational institution dedicated to being a resource to help people better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
In 2013, he served as the chair of the multiparty negotiations in Northern Ireland that provided the foundation for the 2014 Stormont House Agreement. For his efforts to promote peace and conflict resolution, he received the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award.
From January 2001 to June 2003, Dr. Haass was director of policy planning for the Department of State, where he directed the policy planning staff and was a principal advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold the rank of ambassador, Dr. Haass also served as U.S. coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan and U.S. envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process.
Dr. Haass has extensive additional government experience. From 1989 to 1993, he was special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. In 1991, Dr. Haass was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for his contributions to the development and articulation of U.S. policy during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Previously, he served in the Departments of State (1981–1985) and Defense (1979–1980), and was a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate.
A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Haass holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and master’s and doctorate of philosophy degrees from Oxford University. He has also received numerous honorary degrees and was a member of the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Hamilton College.
Dr. Haass is the author or editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy and one book on management. His latest book is The World: A Brief Introduction, published by Penguin Press.
Dr. Haass was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in New York City.
Affiliations:
- Member, Board of Directors, Lazard
- Member, Advisory Board, Cyrus Capital Partners
- Member, Investment Committee, Safra Foundation
- Consultant: Palantir, Dataminr, and Percipient.Ai
Featured
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In this special Transition 2021 series of The President’s Inbox, James M. Lindsay sits down each week with experts to discuss the challenges facing the incoming Biden administration. This week, CFR President Richard Haass assesses the world that President-Elect Biden will inherit. Haass’s most recent book is The World: A Brief Introduction.
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In this special Transition 2021 series of The President’s Inbox, James M. Lindsay sits down each week with experts to discuss the challenges facing the incoming Biden administration. This week, CFR President Richard Haass assesses the world that President-Elect Biden will inherit. Haass’s most recent book is The World: A Brief Introduction.
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Whether you think we are making history or repeating it, it’s safe to say we are living in a historic time. In this episode, Why It Matters asks three historians to weigh in on how to use the past to examine the present and make better choices for the future.
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Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the new book The World: A Brief Introduction, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss why it’s important to get smarter about the world around us.
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Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, joins James M. Lindsay to assess President Donald J. Trump's first year in office.
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CFR President Richard N. Haass, Director of Studies James M. Lindsay, and CFR.org Managing Editor Robert McMahon examine the world that President-Elect Donald Trump will inherit on Inauguration Day.