Elliott Abrams | |
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Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs | |
In office July 17, 1985 – January 20, 1989 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Langhorne Motley |
Succeeded by | Bernard Aronson |
Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs | |
In office December 12, 1981 – July 17, 1985 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Patt Derian |
Succeeded by | Richard Schifter |
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs | |
In office May 13, 1981 – December 1, 1981 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Richard McCall |
Succeeded by | Gregory Newell |
Personal details | |
Born |
New York City, New York, U.S. |
January 24, 1948
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Rachel Decter (1980–2013) |
Children | 3 |
Education |
Harvard University (BA, JD) London School of Economics (MA) |
Elliott Abrams (born January 24, 1948) is a former American diplomat, lawyer and political scientist who served in foreign policy positions for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Abrams was convicted of withholding information from Congress about the Iran–Contra affair while serving under Reagan, but was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush.
He is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, Abrams holds positions on the Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf (CPSG), Center for Security Policy & National Secretary Advisory Council, Committee for a Free Lebanon, and the Project for the New American Century. Abrams is a current member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council and teaches foreign policy at Georgetown University as well as maintaining a CFR blog called "Pressure Points" about US foreign policy and human rights. In February 2014, Abrams, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, gave testimony before a House congressional committee that Christians globally are the most persecuted of the world religions.
During the Reagan administration, Abrams gained notoriety for his involvement in controversial foreign policy decisions regarding Nicaragua and El Salvador. During George W. Bush's first term, he served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs. At the start of Bush's second term, Abrams was promoted to be his Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy, in charge of promoting Bush's strategy of advancing democracy abroad. His appointment by Bush was controversial due to his conviction in 1991 on two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully withholding information from Congress during the Iran–Contra affair investigation.