Leon Fuerth

Leon Sigmund Fuerth (born 1939) is a former diplomat who served as national security adviser to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. He was succeeded in that capacity by I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in January 2001. Fuerth now directs The Project on Forward Engagement at The George Washington University, where he also serves as a professor of international affairs.

Education

Fuerth has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in History from New York University. He earned an M.P.A. from Harvard after serving as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Early career

Prior to beginning work on Capitol Hill in 1979, Fuerth spent eleven years as a foreign service officer with the State Department. His diplomatic posts included the U.S. Consulate General in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. He also worked in the office of the Counselor of the Department; the Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and in both the Bureau of Political Military Affairs and the Bureau of European Affairs in several capacities. He became a resource for strategic intelligence (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons); arms control; Soviet and Warsaw Pact affairs; and NATO.

After working for Congressman Les Aspin as staff director of the sub-committee on covert action in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Fuerth spent many years working for Al Gore in a variety of capacities. In the 1980s he worked for Congressman Gore on issues such as arms control and stability. In 1985 Fuerth...
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