Alexander "Alex" Rondeli ( ka, ალექსანდრე რონდელი; 7 January 1942 – 12 June 2015) was a Georgian political scientist and one of the country's leading specialists in international affairs who founded and led the

think-tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies The Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies also known as Rondeli Foundation (GFSIS; ka, საქართველოს სტრატეგიისა და საერთაშორისო ურთიერთო� ...

from 1998 until his death in 2015. Rondeli was born in 1942. He graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at

Tbilisi State University Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( ka, ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი, tr; often shorten ...

and obtained a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1974. He went on an exchange program to the

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

as a research fellow from 1976 to 1977. He was also a mid-career fellow at the

Woodrow Wilson School The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (''abbrev.'' SPIA; formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of co ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(1993–94), a visiting professor at

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

(1991),

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

(1995), and

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

(1992, 1995, and 1997). He chaired the Department of International Relations at Tbilisi State University from 1991 to 1996 and directed Foreign Policy Research and Analysis Center at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , type= Ministry , seal= Seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.svg , seal_width = , seal_caption = Logo of the Georgian MFA , image = MFA Geo Building 3 Leonidze Str.jpg , image_size= 300px ...

from 1997 to 2001. He held a diplomatic rank of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. In 1998 he became a founding member and president of an independent, non-profit policy think-tank, the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, which has a declared aim of "helping improve public policy decision-making in Georgia through research and analysis, training of policymakers and policy analysts, and public education about the strategic issues". Rondeli was a frequent commentator on the politics and international relations of Georgia and authored many books, articles, and op-eds. two books, ''International Relations'' and ''The Small State in the International System'', both in Georgian, are standard texts in Georgian higher education. He was an advocate of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic orientation, which he saw as the only option for the country to become a viable democracy. He died in 2015, aged 73.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rondeli, Alexander 1942 births 2015 deaths Political scientists from Georgia (country) Tbilisi State University alumni Academic staff of Tbilisi State University Alumni of the London School of Economics Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni