Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
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Charles W. Freeman, Jr. (born 1943) was the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992. He is also president of the Middle East Policy Council.
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[edit] Biographical Information
Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. succeeded Senator George McGovern as President of the Middle East Policy Council on December 1, 1997.
Ambassador Freeman was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1993-94, earning the highest public service awards of the Department of Defense for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. He served as U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm). He was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the historic U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola.
Chas. Freeman served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires in the American embassies at both Bangkok (1984-1986) and Beijing (1981-1984). He was Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 1979-1981. He was the principal American interpreter during the late President Nixon's path-breaking visit to China in 1972. In addition to his Middle Eastern, African, East Asian and European diplomatic experience, he served in India.
Ambassador Freeman earned a certificate in Latin American studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, certificates in both the national and Taiwan dialects of Chinese from the former Foreign Service Institute field school in Taiwan, a BA from Yale University and a JD from the Harvard Law School. He is the recipient of numerous high honors and awards. He is the author of The Diplomat's Dictionary (Revised Edition) and Arts of Power, both published by the United States Institute of Peace in 1997. Ambassador Freeman is Chairman of the Board of Projects International, Inc., a Washington-based business development firm that specializes in arranging international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients. He also serves as Co-Chair of the United States-China Policy Foundation and Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council of the United States. He is a member of the boards of the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Pacific Pension Institute, the Washington World Affairs Council, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, as well as an overseer of Roger Williams University.
[edit] Previous Positions
- 1995 - Present Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc.
- 1994-95 Distinguished Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
- 1993-94 Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs
- 1992-93 Distinguished Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies
- 1989-92 U S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- 1986-89 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, African Affairs
[edit] Recent Honors
- 1995 Elected to American Academy of Diplomacy
- 1994 Distinguished Public Service Award (Policy innovation in Europe)
- 1994 Distinguished Public Service Award (Contributions in Defense Policy)
- 1994 Order of 'Abd Al-'Azziz, 1st Class (Diplomatic Service)
- 1991 Defense Meritorious Service (Desert Shield/Storm)
- 1991 CIA Medallion (Desert Shield/Storm)
- 1991 Distinguished Honor Award (Desert Shield/Storm)
[edit] Recent Major Publications and Writings
Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy, U.S. Institute of Peace Press, Washington, D.C., 1997. The Diplomat's Dictionary, Second Edition, revised, U.S. Institute of Peace Press, Washington, D.C. 1997
[edit] Quotes
One of the major things the Saudis have historically done, in part out of friendship with the United States, is to insist that oil continues to be priced in dollars. Therefore, the US Treasury can print money and buy oil, which is an advantage no other country has. With the emergence of other currencies and with strains in the relationship, I wonder whether there will not again be, as there have been in the past, people in Saudi Arabia who raise the question of why they should be so kind to the United States. [1] [2]
