Edward S. Walker, Jr., former United States Ambassador and current president of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank on Middle East Policy, has been appointed to the Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professorship in Global Political Theory. Ambassador Walker, a 1962 Hamilton graduate, served as the Linowitz Professor of Middle East Studies in 2003 and 2005.
He will teach a course this fall titled "Making America's Policy Toward the Middle East."
Before assuming his position as president of the Middle East Institute, Walker worked with Colin Powell in the new Bush Administration as assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, a position he had previously held under Madeleine Albright during the second Clinton administration. During that time he helped initiate and negotiate U.S. policy toward Iraq and engaged in recalibrating U.S. policies toward Iran and the Middle East Peace Process.
Walker's diplomatic career includes positions as U.S. ambassador to Israel (1997-1999), the Arab Republic of Egypt (1994-1997) and the United Arab Emirates (1989-1992), as well as deputy permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations (1992-1993). In the course of his 35-year career, Walker worked with every Israeli Prime Minister since Golda Meir, with Presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, with Presidents Haffez Assad and Bashar al-Assad of Syria, with King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and with Kings Hussein and Abdullah of Jordan, among others. During his time as ambassador in Israel, Walker worked closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu in preparation for and during the Wye negotiations. In Egypt he worked with Vice President Al Gore and President Mubarak on a major initiative to reform the Egyptian economy. Walker also worked with U.S. and Egyptian intelligence officials to counter the terrorist threat facing Egypt.
Ambassador Walker appears regularly on U.S. and Arab television news broadcasts to offer an American perspective on current issues and matters critical to building better relations between the peoples of the Middle East and Americans. An accomplished speaker known for his work on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Walker offers intimate knowledge and analysis of the Middle East, its politics and its people. Walker has been a consistent advocate for tolerance and peace and a constant, strong opponent of terrorism as both inhumane and counterproductive.
The Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professorship in Global Political Theory is devoted to the understanding of political philosophy in a global context, including the future of democracy, transitional democracies, human rights in global economies, the threat of terrorism and its causes, the challenges of global cultural conflict and the efforts and institutions committed to the resolution of conflict around the world.
He will teach a course this fall titled "Making America's Policy Toward the Middle East."
Before assuming his position as president of the Middle East Institute, Walker worked with Colin Powell in the new Bush Administration as assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, a position he had previously held under Madeleine Albright during the second Clinton administration. During that time he helped initiate and negotiate U.S. policy toward Iraq and engaged in recalibrating U.S. policies toward Iran and the Middle East Peace Process.
Walker's diplomatic career includes positions as U.S. ambassador to Israel (1997-1999), the Arab Republic of Egypt (1994-1997) and the United Arab Emirates (1989-1992), as well as deputy permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations (1992-1993). In the course of his 35-year career, Walker worked with every Israeli Prime Minister since Golda Meir, with Presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, with Presidents Haffez Assad and Bashar al-Assad of Syria, with King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and with Kings Hussein and Abdullah of Jordan, among others. During his time as ambassador in Israel, Walker worked closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu in preparation for and during the Wye negotiations. In Egypt he worked with Vice President Al Gore and President Mubarak on a major initiative to reform the Egyptian economy. Walker also worked with U.S. and Egyptian intelligence officials to counter the terrorist threat facing Egypt.
Ambassador Walker appears regularly on U.S. and Arab television news broadcasts to offer an American perspective on current issues and matters critical to building better relations between the peoples of the Middle East and Americans. An accomplished speaker known for his work on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Walker offers intimate knowledge and analysis of the Middle East, its politics and its people. Walker has been a consistent advocate for tolerance and peace and a constant, strong opponent of terrorism as both inhumane and counterproductive.
The Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professorship in Global Political Theory is devoted to the understanding of political philosophy in a global context, including the future of democracy, transitional democracies, human rights in global economies, the threat of terrorism and its causes, the challenges of global cultural conflict and the efforts and institutions committed to the resolution of conflict around the world.
