William B. Quandt

Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Politics
University of Virginia

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In the fall of 1994, William B. Quandt joined the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, where he holds the Edward R. Stettinius chair.  From 2000 to 2003, he also served as Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University.  He teaches courses on the Middle East and American Foreign Policy. Prior to this appointment, he was a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, where he conducted research on the Middle East, American policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, and energy policy.

Before going to Brookings in 1979, Dr. Quandt served as a staff member on the National Security Council (1972-1974, 1977-1979). He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Dr. Quandt was also an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, worked at the Rand Corporation in the Department of Social Science from 1968-1972, and taught at UCLA and MIT

William Quandt has written numerous books, and his articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications. His books include: Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967, (Brookings, 2005, third edition):  Between Ballots and Bullets: Algeria's Transition from Authoritarianism, (Brookings, 1998);  The United States and Egypt: An Essay on Policy for the 1990s, (Brookings, 1990);Camp David: Peacemaking and Politics, (Brookings, 1986); Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil, (Brookings, 1981); Decade of Decisions: American Foreign Policy Toward the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1967-1976 , (University of California Press, 1977); and Revolution and Political Leadership: Algeria, 1954-1968, (MIT Press, 1969). He also edited The Middle East: Ten Years After Camp David, (Brookings, 1988).

Dr. Quandt has received a number of research grants, including a Social Science Research Council International Fellowship (1966-1968), the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship (1972-1973), and the National Defense Education Act Fellowship (1963-1965). During 1987-88, he was President of the Middle East Studies Association. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo and the Foundation for Middle East Peace.  In 2004, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2005 he received the All-University Teaching Award at the University of Virginia. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award from the University of Virginia, the highest award for scholarship and service given by the University.

Dr. Quandt was born in 1941 in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in International Relations from Stanford University in 1963, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT in 1968. He is married to the writer Helena Cobban, has one daughter and two step-children, and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.