WhoRunsGov

James Steinberg

Outgoing Deputy Secretary of State (January 2009-); Incoming Dean, Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

(Elizabeth Dalziel/
AFP/Getty Images)

Why He Matters

Over the course of his 35-year career, Steinberg has earned a reputation as a foreign policy heavyweight.

His international relations experience is expansive: he worked on Capitol Hill as a staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee; as an analyst at the RAND Corporation in California; and as the director of the State Department's Policy Planning Department. Former President Bill Clinton named him deputy National Security Adviser in 1996.

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At a Glance

  • Career History: Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of International Affairs at University of Texas (since 2005); Foreign Policy Director, Brookings Institution, (2001 to 2005); Senior adviser, Markle Foundation, (2000 to 2001); Deputy National Security Adviser, (1996 to 2000)
  • Other government positions: Director, State Department Policy Planning Office, (1992 to 1996); Aide, Senate Armed Services Committee (1983 to 1985)
  • Birthday: May 7, 1953
  • Hometown: Boston, Mass.
  • Alma Mater: Harvard College, B.A., 1973; Yale University, J.D., 1978
  • Spouse: Sherburne B. Abbott
  • Office: LBJ School of Public Affairs2315 Red River St.Sid Richardson Hall Unit 3, Rm. 3.100Austin, TX 78712-1536512-471-3200
  • Web site
 

Path to Power

Steinberg was born in Boston, Mass., in 1953. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University at the age of 20. While a student, he volunteered on the presidential campaigns of Jimmy Carter and Michael Dukakis.

Steinberg graduated from Yale Law School in 1978 and then accepted a clerkship with Washington Court of Appeals Judge David Bazelon.

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The Issues

Steinberg is an expert on a range of foreign policy issues, including national security, international relations and intelligence gathering. He is particularly interested in explaining how the U.S. must change its military and humanitarian strategies because of increased globalization.

He is a staunch critic of George W. Bush's foreign policy, which he said has weakened the U.S. reputation abroad. He has said that the "Bush Doctrine" of preventative war delegitimizes diplomatic efforts and may encourage other countries such as India and China to attack enemies before they exhaust negotiation efforts.

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The Network

Steinberg has written a series of articles criticizing the "Bush Doctrine" of preemption with foreign policy adviser Ivo Daalder.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Steinberg travelled abroad with Obama with two other advisers Susan Rice, a former assistant secretary of state, and Richard Danzig, a former secretary of the Navy.He is also close with Thomas Donilon, who lobbied for his hire at the State Department.

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