Richard Haass
President, Council on Foreign Relations
For better and for worse, agency is almost always there. That gives me a sense of possibility. I feel that if you have good people, and you create good processes, and good systems, I think the odds favor good outcomes.
Summary
On this week’s episode of “Leadership Matters,” Alan is joined by esteemed statesman, nonprofit leader, and public intellectual, Dr. Richard Haass. As president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard has spent the last two decades advising elected civil society, government, academia, and private industry on all matters of foreign policy.
Since becoming president of the Council on Foreign relations, Richard has elevated the renowned nonpartisan think tank to new heights. Under Richard’s leadership, the institution has emerged as a bastion of foreign policy research and expertise, undergoing transformative changes to reach a wider audience and expand its impact.
During their rich conversation, Alan explores Richard’s early life and education, including his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. They dive into Richard’s fascinating public service career, including his time at the Department of Defense, work for various presidential administrations, time as President Bush’s Director of Policy and Planning, and appointment as the U.S. envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process. Richard takes Alan a journey through the important and pioneering work of the Council on Foreign Relations, including some of the lessons in leadership and diplomacy he’s learned along the way.
Mentions & Resources in this Episode
Guest Bio
Dr. Richard Haass currently serves 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 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. In recognition of his service, he received the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award.
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.
Dr. Haass also was vice president and director of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, the Sol M. Linowitz visiting professor of international studies at Hamilton College, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. A Rhodes scholar, Dr. Haass holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and master’s and doctorate degrees from Oxford University. He has also received numerous honorary degrees.
Dr. Haass is the author or editor of thirteen books on American foreign policy and one book on management. His latest book is A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order, published in 2017 by Penguin Press.
Dr. Richard Haass was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in New York City.