Mohamed ElBaradei to Join Fletcher School

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general emeritus of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and co-recipient, with the IAEA, of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to prevent military use of nuclear energy and ensure its safe use for peaceful purposes, will join the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy as Nobel-Laureate-in-Residence in fall 2014.

“The entire Fletcher and Tufts community is proud to welcome Dr. ElBaradei, a courageous leader and powerful advocate for international peace and security,” says James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School. In his role as the former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Stavridis says he attended many conferences and meetings with ElBaradei. “He is such an important diplomatic figure, and we are thrilled to have him with us next fall.”

Academic Dean and Professor of International Law Ian Johnstone notes, “Our faculty and students will benefit greatly from the lessons of his 50-year career as a scholar, diplomat, public servant and statesman.”

As Nobel-Laureate-in-Residence, ElBaradei will be involved in a range of activities across the university, drawing on his experience as head of the IAEA as well as the critical role he played in Egypt through the recent years of political turmoil. ElBaradei has been at the center of efforts to address nuclear crises in Iraq, North Korea and Iran.

He served three terms as director general of the IAEA, from December 1997 until November 2009, when he was appointed director general emeritus.

After leaving the IAEA, ElBaradei became involved in Egyptian politics and was seen as a potential leader of the transitional government after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. In 2012, he was set to stand as a candidate in the presidential elections, but withdrew in the absence of an agreed-upon constitution. He was named interim vice president in July 2013, but resigned in protest a month later, when security forces moved in to clear two protest camps in Cairo.

ElBaradei began his career in the Egyptian Diplomatic Service in 1964, serving in the permanent missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. Subsequently, he served as a special assistant to the foreign minister of Egypt and was a member of the negotiating team whose efforts led to the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.

He left the diplomatic service in 1980 and became a senior fellow in charge of the international law program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. From 1981 to 1987, he was also an adjunct professor of international law at New York University School of Law.

“I’m delighted and honored to be part of Fletcher, one of the top schools in international affairs,” ElBaradei says. “At a time when we are facing the chaos and complexity of an increasingly interconnected world, sound management of international affairs has become key to our global well-being.”