CAMBRIDGE, MA – February 9, 2025 – The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School is pleased to announce that Brett McGurk has joined the Center as a non-resident Senior Fellow. McGurk’s career in U.S. foreign policy and national security spans four administrations, where he has held top White House and State Department positions under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
Most recently, McGurk served as Deputy Assistant to President Biden and Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council, where he coordinated all aspects of U.S. military and diplomatic policy in the region, and led high-stakes diplomacy across multiple capitals. In that capacity, he spearheaded intensive negotiations that secured a ceasefire in Gaza together with the release of hostages held by Hamas. McGurk also helped coordinate and organize the successful defense of Israel against two of the largest ballistic missile attacks in history. In other arenas, McGurk led negotiations to secure the release of multiple American hostages from Iran. Previously, among other roles, McGurk served as the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, building a coalition of over 80 countries and then leading U.S. efforts to target and dismantle the group. Earlier, he was credited with helping to develop the strategy known as the “surge” to reverse American policy in Iraq and later led negotiations on security and strategic framework agreements with Iraq. He subsequently led negotiations to open relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as well as a framework for the potential normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. His deep expertise and bipartisan public service will enrich the Belfer Center’s community and give Harvard Kennedy School students valuable insights into the recent history of U.S. foreign policy, presidential decision-making across political parties, and the complexities of modern diplomacy, particularly in the Middle East region.
“We are delighted to welcome Brett McGurk to the Belfer Center,” said Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. “Over the course of his extraordinary career, Brett has worked for multiple presidents from both parties, demonstrating how it is still possible to serve one’s country at senior levels regardless of partisan politics. Moreover, few practitioners or experts have developed as deep a set of relationships across the Middle East region or advised multiple presidents on some of the most consequential decisions of war and peace over the last two decades. This commitment to public service and specialized knowledge enabled Brett to negotiate diplomatic breakthroughs in some of the most difficult of circumstances. His abilities and perspective make him an exceptional resource for our students, scholars, and broader community.”
As Senior Fellow, McGurk will contribute to research and teaching on U.S. national security strategy, presidential decision-making, Middle East policy, and breakthrough negotiations. Through public events, seminars, and direct engagement with students, he will offer firsthand perspectives on diplomacy and decision-making at the highest levels of government—as well as ongoing dynamics in the Middle East today. McGurk will also be completing a book project on presidential decision-making, titled Command: Inside the Oval Office with Three Presidents and the Wartime Decisions that Changed the World (Crown).
