Eric Edelman

Practitioner Senior Fellow

Fast Facts

Career minister in the U.S. Foreign Service
Undersecretary of defense for policy in the George W. Bush Administration
Ambassador to Finland and Turkey
Recipient of Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
Expertise on defense policy, nuclear policy and proliferation, diplomacy

Areas Of Expertise

Foreign Affairs
American Defense and Security
War and Terrorism

Eric Edelman, practitioner senior fellow, retired as a career minister from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2009, after having served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House. As the undersecretary of defense for policy (2005-2009), he oversaw strategy development as the Defense Department’s senior policy official with global responsibility for bilateral defense relations, war plans, special operations forces, homeland defense, missile defense, nuclear weapons and arms control policies, counter-proliferation, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, arms sales, and defense trade controls. Edelman served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for national security affairs. Edelman has been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and several Department of State Superior Honor Awards. In January of 2011 he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the French government. In 2016, he served as the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center.

Eric Edelman News Feed

Ambassadors unplugged: A hard look at the state of the world

Has the world gone mad? Or are we just in a period of heightened anxiety? Join us as two veteran diplomats, Ambassadors Nancy Soderberg and Eric Edelman (who is also a Miller Center senior fellow), offer their unique perspective on the state of the world and the U.S. role in it in a wide-ranging conversation with each other and audience members.

Eric Edelman Miller Center Presents

Flawed peace plan for Ukraine repeats Kremlin talking points

A distinguished group of American, European, and Russian former government officials and think tank experts has taken advantage of the Munich Security Conference to issue a statement recommending twelve steps to bring greater security to Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic region. For years, the Kremlin has tried to change the conversation on Ukraine, and they are clearly seeking another opening in Munich. In response, twenty-seven former US diplomats, government officials, and experts point out their errors.

Eric Edelman The Atlantic Council

Greece Is at the Nexus of America's Geopolitical Crossroads

n his recent White House meeting with President Donald Trump, Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, emphasized that the United States should view his country as a “reliable and predictable ally” in an unpredictable part of the world. Such a seemingly boilerplate statement actually might have sounded ludicrous just a few years ago, when the neighborhood was quiet and Turkey, not Greece, was the pillar of stability. But today Athens is becoming a crucial pro-American player at the center of important security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. The United States must take advantage of this budding relationship, as part of a renewed strategic focus on the region.

Eric Edelman The National Interest

The U.S. and Iran: 'It's a very important moment'

Former ambassadors Eric Edelman, a Miller Center senior fellow, and Steve Mull, UVA's vice provost for global affairs, agree that Iran has been waging a "sub-conventional" war against the United States for years.

Eric Edelman