Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns is a rare breed in Washington — a career foreign-service officer in a job typically held by political appointees and a man esteemed by both Democrats and Republicans. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who kept Burns on as undersecretary of state and then promoted him to his current job last July, has called Burns “a one-person brain trust when it comes to policy and diplomacy.”
Burns has many areas of expertise, including serving as ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008. But his experience in the Middle East is especially deep. Under the George W. Bush administration, he was among those who worked to promote Arab-Israeli peace after the 1991 Gulf War. He then served as ambassador to Jordan from 1998-2001 and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs from 2001 until 2005. Although his current position means he literally covers the globe, Deputy Secretary Burns remains deeply engaged on Middle Eastern issues, in particular the challenges and opportunities of the Arab Spring.
