Gerald Michael Feierstein (born 1951) was the
United States Ambassador to Yemen under
President Barack Obama from September 2010 to October 2013.
Since December 2013, Feierstein has served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs in the Department of State.
Background
Feierstein was born in 1951 in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
He received a
B.A. in
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
from
Point Park College in 1973 and an
M.A. in
International Relations from
Duquesne University in 1975.
In June 1975, he joined the
Foreign Service.
Career
Diplomatic service
In June 1975, Feierstein joined the Foreign Service as Director of the Office of Regional Affairs in the Near East Bureau. He subsequently served as: Director of the Office of
Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and
Bangladesh Affairs; Deputy Director in the Office of
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
Affairs; and Desk Officer for
Nepal, Pakistan and
Egypt.
Between 2006 and 2008, Feierstein served in
Washington, D.C. as Principal Deputy Assistant Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Coordinator for Programs in the
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
.
Feierstein has served at the following overseas posts:
In 2012,
al Qaeda in Yemen offered of gold (about US$160,000)
for killing Ambassador Feierstein, and 5 million
Yemeni riyal
The rial ( ar, ريال يمني; sign: ﷼; abbreviation: YRl (singular) and YRls (plural) in Latin, ,ر.ي in Arabic; ISO code: YER) is the official currency of the Republic of Yemen. It is technically divided into 100 fils, although coins de ...
s (about US$23,000)
[OANDA Currency/precious metals Converter](_blank)
for December 31, 2012 for killing an American soldier in Yemen.
Later
Since October 2016 , Feierstein has served as a Senior Fellow and Director for Gulf Affairs and Government Relations at the Middle East Institute.[
]
In November 2018, the MEI Board of Directors named Feierstein as Senior Vice President of the Institute.
Personal life
Feierstein met his first wife, Mary, who is Pakistani, while first posted in Islamabad.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Feierstein, Gerald Michael
1951 births
Living people
Duquesne University alumni
Ambassadors of the United States to Yemen
Point Park University alumni
Diplomats from Philadelphia
American expatriates in Pakistan
United States Foreign Service personnel