Miomir Žužul (born 19 June 1955) is a Croatian diplomat and politician. He is currently a senior international policy advisor at the firm of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in Washington, DC.

Education

Žužul obtained a doctorate in

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

in 1987 as well as a doctorate in

conflict management Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict. The aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and group outcomes, including effectiveness or performance ...

at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. In 1990 he became a full professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.

Politics

Žužul started his political career as a member of Communist party of the

Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Socia ...

. He left the party in 1987 and, with the fall of communism, entered the new dominant right wing party of

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cr ...

(HDZ). Žužul was previously the

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of Croatia (2003–2005), Croatian Ambassador to the United States (1996–2000), Croatian deputy foreign minister (1992–1993) and Croatian ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

(1993–1996). Žužul was involved in

Washington Agreement The Washington Agreement ( Croatian: ''washingtonski sporazum'' and Bosnian: ''vašingtonski sporazum'') was a ceasefire agreement between the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, signed in Washington ...

(1994) and

Dayton Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски миро ...

(1995) as a member of the Croatian negotiating team. During his early diplomatic career, Žužul befriended many important people in American political and business circles. He has often been perceived as one of the more pro-American politicians in Croatia. In early 2000s, he was one of the most trusted allies of

Ivo Sanader Ivo Sanader (born 8 June 1953) is a former Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009. He is to date the second longest-serving prime minister since independence, holding the office for over five and a half ye ...

in his struggle for the leadership of the HDZ. He was named the new foreign minister in the Ivo Sanader government in December 2003. In 2004 various Croatian media began to publish details of alleged corruption scandals involving Žužul. Although Žužul denied those charges, even some of Sanader's allies in

Sabor The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabo ...

expressed desire to have him removed. Sanader resisted this pressure and had Žužul keep his post. The Croatian Parliament cleared Žužul of the charges brought against him, and the majority of the media outlets that initially reported corruption allegations against Žužul have retracted their stories. Court cases against the rest are pending. However, in January 2005, Žužul announced his resignation because he did not want to pose a burden for the government, and formally left his post in February. Sanader's candidate Jadranka Kosor during

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

commented that she expected the resignation to come. On 17 August 2007,

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, appointed Žužul, "to be his personal representative in a mission to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on (a) missile incident that took place on 6 August," alleged to be a Russian missile strike on Georgian territory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuzul, Miomir 1955 births Living people Politicians from Split, Croatia Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Harvard Kennedy School alumni Diplomats from Split, Croatia Permanent Representatives of Croatia to the United Nations Ambassadors of Croatia to the United States Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament Croatian Democratic Union politicians Foreign ministers of Croatia People associated with Squire Patton Boggs Arnold & Porter people