Challenges of Managing Conflict in Today's World

Ambassador Richard Solomon is President of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and has held this position since 1993. USIP provides the analysis, training, and tools to prevent and end conflicts; promotes stability; and professionalizes the field of peacebuilding. It is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress.

As Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 1989 to 1992, Ambassador Solomon negotiated the first U.N. 'Permanent Five' peacemaking agreement for Cambodia. From 1992 to 1993, Solomon served as U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. In that capacity, he oversaw the closure of the U.S. naval bases and developed a new framework for bilateral and regional security cooperation. Prior to that he was Director of the Policy Planning at the State Department (1986–89) and senior staff member of the National Security Council (1971–76), where he was involved in the process of normalizing relations with the People's Republic of China.

In 1995, Solomon was awarded the State Department's Foreign Affairs Award for Public Service for his role in obtaining international agreement for the U.N. peace plan for Cambodia. In 2005, he was awarded the Hubert H. Humphrey Award for a career of 'notable public service by a political scientist' by the American Political Science Association.

Earlier in his career, Solomon was head of the Social Science Department at the RAND Corporation. He began his career as a professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Co-sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the International Policy Center, and the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies.