Hubert Védrine | |
|---|---|
 Védrine in 2006 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 4 June 1997 – 6 May 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Lionel Jospin |
| Preceded by | Hervé de Charette |
| Succeeded by | Dominique de Villepin |
| Secretary General to thePresident of France | |
| In office 17 May 1991 – 17 May 1995 | |
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Jean-Louis Bianco |
| Succeeded by | Dominique de Villepin |
| Spokesperson of the President | |
| In office 24 May 1988 – 17 May 1991 | |
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Michèle Gendreau-Massaloux |
| Succeeded by | Jean Musitelli |
| Diplomatic advisor to the President | |
| In office 24 May 1981 – 23 May 1988 | |
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Jacques Blot |
| Succeeded by | Jean Musitelli |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hubert Yves Pierre Védrine (1947-07-31)31 July 1947 (age 78) |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Alma mater | Sciences Po École nationale d'administration |
Hubert Yves Pierre Védrine (French:[ybɛʁvedʁin]; born 31 July 1947) is a French retired senior civil servant and politician who served asMinister of Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2002. A member of theSocialist Party (PS), he was an advisor and later secretary general at theÉlysée under PresidentFrançois Mitterrand. Following his retirement from politics, Védrine became an advisor atMoelis & Company.
Following a history degree and graduating from bothSciences Po andENA, Védrine had toyed with the idea of entering journalism but, on the advice of the historian and family friendJean Lacouture, instead took a post at the culture ministry.[1]
Védrine was one of the longest-serving aides to a French President and worked closely with PresidentFrançois Mitterrand from 1981 to 1995. Védrine served first as Mitterrand's diplomatic advisor (the French equivalent of theNational Security Advisor) from 1981 to 1988, then as Mitterrand's spokesperson from 1988 to 1991, and finally as Secretary-General of the French presidency (the equivalent of theWhite House Chief of Staff) from 1991 to 1995.
Védrine then served asForeign Minister of France from 1997 to 2002 in the government ofLionel Jospin.[2]
After the re-election ofJacques Chirac in May 2002, Védrine was replaced byDominique de Villepin. All three men were characterised by their strong opposition to unilateral action by the United States inIraq.
Védrine popularized the neologism hyperpower to describe what he saw as the historically-unparalleled influence and might that were held by the United States at the turn of the century.[3]
In 2003, Védrine founded Hubert Vedrine Conseil, a consulting firm.
In 2005, he was appointed byUN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a member of the High Council for theAlliance of Civilizations, an initiative that seeks to galvanize international action against extremism through intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
He took part in 2007 on the committee preparing the Paris Conference on the Environment to lay the foundations for a future United Nations Environment Organization.
Védrine is the author of more than 19 books, two of them having been translated inEnglish byPhilip H. Gordon:France in an age of globalization, co-authored withDominique Moïsi (publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 2001) andHistory strikes back : how states, nations, and conflicts are shaping the twenty-first century (publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 2008), co-authored with Adrien Abecassis and Mohamed Bouabdallah.
Around the2017 elections, news media reported that laterPresidentEmmanuel Macron sought regularly the advice of Védrine on foreign policy issues.[4] In 2020, he was appointed byNATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenberg to join a group of experts to support his work in a reflection process to further strengthen NATO's political dimension.[5]
In February 2020, Védrine joined around fifty former European prime ministers and foreign ministers in signing an open letter published by British newspaperThe Guardian to condemnU.S. PresidentDonald Trump'sMiddle East peace plan, saying it would create anapartheid-like situation in occupied Palestinian territory.[14]
| Ribbon bar | Country | Honour |
|---|---|---|
 | Italy | Grand Officier of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic[15] |
 | Moldova | Grand Officier of theOrder of Work Glory[16] |
 | Monaco | Grand Officier of theOrder of Saint-Charles[17] |
 | Poland | Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Republic of Poland[16] |
 | Portugal | Grand Cross of theOrder of Prince Henry[18] |
 | Romania | Grand Officier of theOrder of the Star of Romania[16] |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1997–2002 | Succeeded by |
