Ivo Daalder

Education and academic career

Daalder was educated at the University of Kent, Oxford University, and Georgetown University, and received his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was fellow at Harvard University's Center for Science and International Affairs and the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He received a Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs and an International Affairs Fellowship of the Council on Foreign Relations. Daalder was an associate professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, where he was also director of research at the Center for International and Security Studies. He was a Senior Fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution from 1997 to 2009, where he was a specialist in European security, transatlantic relations, and national security affairs.

National Security Council and Hart-Rudman Commission

In 1995–1997, Daalder served as a director for European Affairs on the National Security Council staff under President Bill Clinton, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward Bosnia. From 1998–2001, Daalder served as a member of the Study Group of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century (the Hart-Rudman Commission), a multi-year examination of U.S. national security requirements and institutions.

Permanent Representative to NATO

On March 11, 2009, President Obama nominated Daalder to become the United States Permanent Representative to NATO, a post commonly referred to as "U.S. Ambassador to NATO".

One of the issues that Daalder has addressed is the lack of communication on security issues between NATO and the European Union. In October 2010 he wrote in the International Herald Tribune: "NATO and E.U. capabilities need to be in synch, and their operations need to be complementary. We should regularly engage in a robust and transparent exchange of views on a wide range of shared interests. Policy should support work in the field; those in harm's way shouldn't have to work around our failures in Brussels."

NATO intervention in Libya

Daalder was U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO in February 2011 when the Libyan Civil War began with uprisings against Muammar Gaddafi in several cities, followed by a military crackdown by the Gaddafi regime. On March 17, 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling upon the international community to take "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya. On March 19, following UN authorization, the United States led a coalition of allied countries, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, launching air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, destroying his air defense system and imposing a no-fly zone and a naval blockade to prevent shipments of arms.

Following this first success, Daalder led the U.S. efforts to persuade NATO to take over command and control of the operation. On March 27, the North Atlantic Council voted unanimously to take charge of what became known as Operation Unified Protector. The Operation had three missions; to police the arms embargo, to patrol the no-fly zone, and to protect civilians. Fourteen NATO allies took part in the actual operations, along with contingents from Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In Libya, unlike other military intervention in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States played a largely supporting role, providing intelligence, aerial surveillance and refueling, while other NATO allies, including France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium, flew most of the bombing missions.

The first two missions were quickly put into place, but, due to the presence of Gaddafi forces in or near civilian areas, NATO was unable to strike with full force. By August 2011, however, the opposition forces were strong enough to seize Tripoli and within two months had taken control of the entire country. On October 23, 2011–233 days after Operation Unified Protector had begun—the NATO North Atlantic Council declared its mission complete.

In February 2012, Daalder and Admiral James Stavridis, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, wrote their own verdict on the operation in Foreign Affairs: "NATO's operation in Libya has rightly been hailed as a model intervention. The alliance responded rapidly to a deteriorating situation that threatened hundreds of thousands of civilians rebelling against an oppressive regime. It succeeded in protecting those civilians and, ultimately, in providing the time and space for local forces to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. And it did so by involving partners in the region and sharing the burden among the alliance's partners".

Chicago Council on Global Affairs

In July 2013, Daalder became President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs – an independent, nonpartisan think tank that convenes leading global voices, conducts independent research, and engages the public to provide insights and influence the public discourse on critical global issues. Under Daalder, the Council has extended the reach and relevance of its global work by increasing its roster of experts and portfolio of issues; extending the Council's historic platform for global leaders to engage the public; building a global audience by connecting through digital and social media channels; revitalizing the Council's brand; and growing its financial, foundation, and membership support. Daalder also conceived and spearheaded the 2015 Chicago Forum on Global Cities, a now annual conference in partnership with the Financial Times that convenes leaders and delegates from around the world for a cross-sector exploration of the influence and impact of global cities in shaping the world's future. Following this rapid growth, the Council was ranked the top "Think Tank to Watch" by the University of Pennsylvania's 2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index.

Books

Newspaper articles

Other publications