Gérard Araud, 63, a career diplomat, was appointed Ambassador of France to the United States in September 2014. He previously held numerous positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, notably including that of Director for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament (2000-2003), Ambassador of France to Israel (2003-2006), Director General for Political Affairs and Security (2006-2009), and, most recently, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in New York (2009-2014).

Over the course of his career, Mr. Araud has developed specialized knowledge in two key areas: the Middle East and strategic & security issues. Regarding the latter, he was the French negotiator on the Iranian nuclear issue from 2006 to 2009. In New York, at the Security Council, he notably contributed to the adoption of resolutions on Libya (#1970 and #1973), Côte d'Ivoire (#1975), the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and the Central African Republic.  Additionally, he participated in debates on the Syrian and Ukrainian crises.

A prolific writer, Mr. Araud recently contributed three articles to the quarterly intellectual review, Commentaire, two on the outbreak of WWI and one on French foreign policy from 1919 to 1939. The literary magazine Esprit published his piece on the search for a new world order. Currently, he is working on a piece about the Treaty of Versailles.

On 3/9, the Washington Post published this interview with Mr. Araud discussing his concerns about the upcoming presidential election in France.  On 2/20, he spoke with NPR about the the rise of populist movements and cyber interference in electoral processes.

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