Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA) – Nationally renowned historian Philip D. Zelikow has been appointed a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution after spending twenty-five years as a chaired professor in history at the University of Virginia, where he has also served as dean of its Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and director of the Miller Center for Public Affairs.
Since 2020, Zelikow has been affiliated with the Hoover Institution as a distinguished visiting fellow. His appointment as a senior fellow became effective on October 16, 2023.
In his scholarship, Zelikow focuses on critical episodes in world history and the challenges of policy design and statecraft.
Zelikow is the author of numerous books and essays, including most recently, The Road Less Traveled: The Secret Turning Point of the Great War, 1916–17 (PublicAffairs, 2021); To Build a Better World: Choices to End the Cold War and Create a Global Commonwealth (with Condoleezza Rice; Twelve, 2019); and Suez Deconstructed: An Interactive Study in Crisis, War, and Peacemaking (Brookings Institution Press, 2018).
Notably, Zelikow has directed three successful bipartisan national commissions: the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (also known as the Carter/Ford Commission, 2001), the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also called the 9/11 Commission, 2004), and the Covid Crisis Group. That latter group’s acclaimed report, Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report, was published in April 2023 by PublicAffairs.
“Philip Zelikow has had a distinguished career aimed at advancing peace worldwide while also recognizing America’s vital role in global leadership,” said Hoover Institution director Condoleezza Rice. “His historical scholarship has proven invaluable in guiding us toward the appropriate policy responses in times of crisis.”
“Coming to the Hoover Institution and to Stanford provides the flexibility, the colleagues, and the resources to advance historical scholarship while remaining engaged across a broad range of public issues,” Zelikow said.
Zelikow is an attorney and former career diplomat whose federal government service includes appointments in five past presidential administrations—from Reagan through Obama, in various roles—and in the current Biden administration, as a strategic consultant. On the National Security Council staff (1989–91) he took part in diplomatic efforts to unify Germany and end the Cold War. As counselor of the Department of State (2005–7), he had deputy-level policy responsibilities on issues around the world. He is one of few Americans to have served on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board for leaders from both major political parties.
For coverage opportunities, contact Jeffrey Marschner, 202-760-3187, jmarschner@stanford.edu.
