Exit Interview From State: William J. Burns

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In The Media

Exit Interview From State: William J. Burns

Deputy U.S. Secretary of State William J. Burns reflects on his distinguished tenure as a career foreign service officer.

By David Rothkopf

Published on Oct 24, 2014

Source: Foreign Policy

Today, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State William J. Burns retires after one of the most distinguished tenures as a career foreign service officer in memory. Only the second career diplomat in history to ascend to the No. 2 job at the State Department, he served during over three decades as undersecretary of state for political affairs, ambassador to Russia, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, and ambassador to Jordan. He has also worked as a senior director on the National Security Council staff, as executive secretary to Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright, and has won an array of departmental awards in recognition of his service.

Foreign Policy's David Rothkopf sat down with him for an exit interview on the current state of the world, U.S. leadership in a time of crisis, and what may be just around the bend.

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

About the Author

David Rothkopf

Former Visiting Scholar

David Rothkopf was a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment as well as the former CEO and editor in chief of the FP Group.

Recent Work

In The Media
How Bush, Obama, and Trump Ended Pax Americana
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In The Media
A Bigger Clubhouse
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Foreign Policy North America United States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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