Gérard Araud

Gérard Araud, 69, a career diplomat, has retired from the French foreign service as Ambassador of France to the United States (2014-2019). He previously held numerous positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notably Director for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament (2000-2003), Ambassador of France to Israel (2003-2006), Director General for Political Affairs and Security (2006-2009), and Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in New York (2009-2014). He has reached the highest rank in the French diplomatic service (‘’Ambassadeur de France’’).

Over the course of his career, Mr. Araud has developed specialized knowledge in two key areas: Middle East and strategic & security issues. As regards the latter, he was the French negotiator on the Iranian nuclear issue from 2006 to 2009. In New York, at the Security Council, he notably contributed to the adoption of resolutions on Libya (#1970 and #1973), Côte d’Ivoire (#1975), the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and the Central African Republic, and participated in debates on the Syrian and Ukrainian crises.

He has written numerous journal articles, including recently in ‘’Commentaire’’, on the outbreak of WWI, on the treaty of Versailles, on the French foreign policy between 1919 and 1939, and on the fall of the Roman Empire and in ‘’Esprit’’, on the search for a new world order. He has published his Memoirs (“Passeport diplomatique’’ chez Grasset) in 2019 and a biography of Henry Kissinger in 2020 (‘’Henry Kissinger, le diplomate du siècle’’) in 2020.

After retiring, he is advising several companies. He is trustee of the International Crisis Group and Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Atlantic Council in Washington DC. He is a columnist for the French weekly ‘’Le Point’’and for the National French Radio ‘’France Inter’’ and has frequently being interviewed as an foreign affairs expert by CNN International, the BBC and other French and English speaking TV and radios.