Former National Security Advisor to Vice President Al Gore Will Continue to Teach Courses for Tomorrow’s National Security Experts

WASHINGTON – Leon Fuerth, who served as national security advisor to Vice President Al Gore, has been reappointed as a  J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professorat The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs through the end of 2002.  

GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg expressed his gratification for Fuerth’s ongoing commitment and said, “Leon Fuerth’s extensive background in national security affairs has added significantly to our security policy curriculum.  His courses are extremely popular with students and he is frequently sought after to play a leading role in seminars, workshops and other university-wide programs where his thoughtful deliberation of the many considerations important to making policy decisions adds a experienced point of view to the problems at hand.”

Fuerth has taught courses on subjects that cover his broad interests and expertise.  They include two senior seminars: US National Security Policy: Two Administrations and US Foreign Policy in the Clinton Administration; and two capstone projects for graduate students: Long Range Issues in National Security and Forward Engagement.  In November of 2001, he delivered his annual Shapiro lecture titled, “Rethinking the End of History: The Coming of a New Historical Era.”  This comprehensive examination of the problems tomorrow’s leaders will face, drew on the contributions of Elliott School students to a capstone project Fuerth conducted in the fall of 2001.  A transcript of the lecture can be found on http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/news/transcripts/.   Fuerth will deliver a second Shapiro Lecture this coming fall.

Harry Harding, dean of the Elliott School, said he was very pleased that Leon Fuerth was willing to serve out the full length of a Shapiro Professorship’s maximum two-year term.  “Professor Fuerth has added a new dimension to the Elliott School’s curricula.  For example, his capstone course is designed to give graduating Masters candidates the hands-on problem solving skills that they will need to address the broad range of global, regional and national concerns confronting us now and in the future. This is real leadership training and it is an outstanding example of what we do best at the Elliott School.”

Fuerth holds a bachelor’s degree in english and a master’s degree in history from New York University, as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.  He spent 11 years as a foreign service officer, serving in such places as the U.S. consulate in Zagreb and the State Department.  When Al Gore was elected to the Senate in 1985, Fuerth joined his staff as senior legislative assistant for national security.  Fuerth served on the Principals’ Committee of the National Security Council, alongside the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, and the president’s own national security advisor.