William B. Quandt (born November 23, 1941) is an American scholar, author, professor emeritus in the Department of Politics at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. He previously served as senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

and as a member on the National Security Council in the

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and Jimmy Carter administrations. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords and the

Egypt–Israel peace treaty The Egypt–Israel peace treaty ( ar, معاهدة السلام المصرية الإسرائيلية, Mu`āhadat as-Salām al-Misrīyah al-'Isrā'īlīyah; he, הסכם השלום בין ישראל למצרים, ''Heskem HaShalom Bein Yisrael ...

. His areas of expertise include

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, Palestine, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, and

U.S. foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

Early life

Quandt was born in 1941 in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

from Stanford University in 1963, and his Ph.D. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

in 1968. He has received several research grants, including ones from the

Social Science Research Council The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is a US-based, independent, international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines. Established in Manhattan in 1923, it today maintains a he ...

(1966–1968), and the Council on Foreign Relations (1972–1973). He was also an associate professor of political science at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, worked at the Rand Corporation in the Department of Social Science from 1968 to 1972, and taught at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and

Professional career

Quandt served as a staff member on the National Security Council in the Nixon and

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

administrations between 1972–1974 and 1977–1979. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty. RS3J6625 (7366601232)

Between 1979 and 1994, Quandt was a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the

, where he conducted research on the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, American policy toward the

Arab–Israeli conflict The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...

, and energy policy. From 1987 to 1988, William Quandt was president of the

Middle East Studies Association Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encoura ...

, a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership m ...

. He joined the Department of Politics at the

in 1994, where he held the departmental Edward R. Stettinius chair. He taught courses on the Middle East and American Foreign Policy. From 2000 to 2003, he also served as their Vice Provost for International Affairs. In 2004, he was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. After the fall semester of 2012, Quandt retired from his teaching career at UVa. Professor Schulhofer-Wohl, his replacement, commended his legacy by point out that "more than 200 students take is classevery year, and that's clearly due in no small part to Dr. Quandt and what he brings to it. It's an amazing opportunity for me to be able to work so closely with such a distinguished scholar in this way. I don't think many people have that kind of chance." Quandt's book, ''Peace Process'', along with ''The Other Arab–Israeli Conflict'' by Steven L. Spiegel and ''American Presidents and the Middle East'', by

George Lenczowski George Lenczowski (''pol. Jerzy Lenczowski''; February 2, 1915 – February 19, 2000) was a lawyer, diplomat, scholar, and Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley. Lenczowski was a pioneer in his fiel ...

, are considered by historian (and the former Israeli ambassador to the United States),

Michael Oren Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), former member of the Knesset for ...

, as being "three of the genre's finer examples", focusing on the post-World War II period and seeking to investigate broader aspects of America's Middle East history.

, ''Power, Faith and Fantasy'', 2007, "Introduction," p. 11

Personal life

He is married to the writer

Helena Cobban Helena Cobban (born 1952) is a British-American writer and researcher on international relations, with special interests in the Middle East, the international system, and transitional justice. She is a non-resident Senior fellow at the Washingt ...

, has one daughter and two stepchildren, and lives in Washington D.C. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and served on the board of trustees of the American University in Cairo and that of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Books and articles

William Quandt has written numerous books, and his articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications. His books include: * ''Troubled Triangle: The United States, Turkey and Israel in the New Middle East'', Editor (Just World Books, 2011

* ''Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab–Israeli Conflict Since 1967'', (Brookings, 2005, third edition) * ''Between Ballots and Bullets: Algeria's Transition from Authoritarianism'', (Brookings, 1998) * ''The United States and Egypt: An Essay on Policy for the 1990s'', (Brookings, 1990) * ''The Middle East: Ten Years After Camp David'', (Brookings, 1988), as editor. * ''Camp David: Peacemaking and Politics'', (Brookings, 1986) * ''Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil'', (Brookings, 1981) * ''Decade of Decisions: American Foreign Policy Toward the Arab–Israeli Conflict, 1967–1976'', (University of California Press, 1977) * ''Revolution and Political Leadership: Algeria, 1954–1968'', (MIT Press, 1969).

References

External links

*
Personal Notes on the Camp David Summit by William B. Quandt (published online in 2019)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quandt, William B. Middle Eastern studies in the United States 1941 births University of Virginia faculty Living people Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Academics from California Writers from Los Angeles Stanford University alumni MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences alumni