Edward S. Walker Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Walker Jr. atNebraska Wesleyan University in September 2006 | |
| 19thAssistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs | |
| In office January 18, 2000 – May 1, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Indyk |
| Succeeded by | William J. Burns |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-06-13)June 13, 1940 (age 85) |
| Education | Hamilton College (BA) Boston University (MA) |
Edward S. Walker Jr. (born June 13, 1940)[1] is a formerU.S. Ambassador toIsrael,Egypt, and theUAE and is aMiddle East specialist.
Walker was born inAbington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. atHamilton College in Clinton, New York, in 1963 and his M.A. fromBoston University in 1965.[2] While in college, he became a member of the Hamilton chapter ofChi Psi, a chapter which claims four U.S. Ambassadors as alumni (including Ambassador Walker).[3] In 1985, he attended theRoyal College of Defense Studies in London. In 1962, Walker enlisted in the U.S. Army and served 3 years inHeidelberg,Germany.
Ambassador Edward S. Walker Jr. is an Adjunct Scholar at theMiddle East Institute's public policy center. Ambassador Walker served asMEI's President and CEO for over five years, from 2001 until August 2006.
Walker's diplomatic career:
In the course of his career, Walker worked with every Israeli Prime Minister sinceGolda Meir, with Presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, with PresidentsHafez al-Assad andBashar al-Assad of Syria, with King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and with Kings Hussein and Abdullah of Jordon, among others. During his time as Ambassador to Israel, Walker worked closely with Prime MinisterNetanyahu in preparation for and during the Wye negotiations. He started the negotiations withLibya which led to Libya's decision to abandon itsweapons of mass destruction programs and pay almost 3 billion US dollars in compensation to the families ofPan Am Flight 103 as well asUTA Flight 772.[4] In Egypt he worked with Vice PresidentAl Gore and PresidentHosni Mubarak on a major initiative to reform the Egyptian economy. Walker also worked with US and Egyptian intelligence officials to counter the terrorist threat facing that country.
Walker previously worked withColin Powell in the new Bush Administration as assistant secretary of state for Near-Eastern affairs, a position he had previously held underMadeleine Albright during the second Clinton administration. During that time he helped initiate and negotiate U.S. policy towardIraq and engaged in recalibrating U.S. policies towardIran and the Middle East peace process.
Currently, Edward S. Walker Jr. holds the Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professorship in Global Political Theory atHamilton College. He formerly served as the Linowitz Professor of Middle East Studies in 2003 and 2005. During the Fall 2008, he is teaching "Global Challenges" and "Terrorism, Islam and Counter-terrorism". In the spring 2009, he will teach "Democracy, Religion and International Cooperation" and "International Decision-Making."[5]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to United Arab Emirates 1989–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to Egypt 1994–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to Israel 1997–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs 2000–2001 | Succeeded by |
