Bruce Riedel
Bruce Riedel is a Senior Advisor of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, where he assists clients with issues related to the Middle East and South Asia. With 30 years of policy-making experience in regional diplomacy and counter-terrorism, Mr. Riedel is an expert on the Middle East and South Asia.
A former CIA officer, he has served as senior advisor to four U.S. presidents and is the recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal in 2001 and a Department of State Meritorious Honor Award in 2006 for his work in the intelligence and defense community.
In February 2009, President Obama appointed Mr. Riedel as chair of the White House review to overhaul U.S. policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Riedel is currently a Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. His expertise there includes counter-terrorism; Arab-Israeli issues; Persian Gulf security; India and Pakistan.
Previously, Mr. Riedel served as a Special Advisor to NATO in Brussels, Belgium (2003-2006). He served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs at the National Security Council (2001-2002), and Special Assistant to President Clinton and Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (1997-2001).
Prior to that, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near East and South Asian Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (1995-1997) and as National Intelligence Officer for Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Intelligence Council (1993-1995).
He was Director for Gulf and South Asia Affairs at the National Security Council (1991-1993) and Deputy Chief for the Persian Gulf Task Force at the Central Intelligence Agency (1990-1991).
Mr. Riedel earned his B.A. from Brown University and his M.A. from Harvard University.