Robert Zoellick
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Robert Bruce Zoellick (; ; born July 25, 1953) is an American public official and lawyer who was the 11th president of the World Bank Group, a position he held from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012."Press Release Regarding the Selection of Mr. Robert B. Zoellick as President of the World Bank"
''
World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...
'', June 25, 2007, accessed June 26, 2007.
He was previously chairman of international advisors at
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
from 2006 to 2007,
United States Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state. If the secretary of state resigns or dies, the deputy secretary of state becomes acting secretary of state unti ...
from 2005 to 2006, and U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005. Prior to those posts, from 1985 to 2001 he served in a variety of capacities in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, in addition to positions in various think tanks and academia. Zoellick has been a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs since ending his term with the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
in 2012. Since 2017 he has been a Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group.


Early life and education

Zoellick was born in
Evergreen Park, Illinois Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943. The village shares a border with Chicago on the north, east, and south sides; while also sharing a border with Oak Lawn on the west side. H ...
, the son of Gladys (Lenz) and William T. Zoellick. His ancestors were German and he was raised
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
.: "Whenever he is in Chicago on business, he drives by his old school and Bethany Lutheran Church where his family worshipped...." He grew up in
Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 United State ...
, and attended
Naperville Central High School Naperville Central High School (Naperville Central or NCHS) is a four-year state school, public high school located in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The school, which enrolls students in grades nine through twelve, is a par ...
, graduating in 1971. After high school, Zoellick studied history as an undergraduate at
Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...
, where he graduated with his
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in 1975 with membership in
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
. He then dual enrolled at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he simultaneously studied
public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...
and law, earning his
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
(J.D.) from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
and his
Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a graduate-level professional degree. It provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to pu ...
from the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
in 1981.USTR.gov, , 30 September 2004


Career


Judicial clerkship (1982–1983)

Upon graduation from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
, Zoellick served as a
law clerk A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...
for Judge Patricia Wald on the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, ...
from 1982 to 1983.


Government service (1985–1992)

Zoellick was special assistant to Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Richard G. Darman from July to December 1985, and was counselor and executive secretary to
United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House chief of staff and 67th United States secretary ...
from January to July 1988. He was issues director for the 1988
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
Presidential campaign from July to November 1988. During Bush's presidency, Zoellick served with Baker, by then Secretary of State, as Counselor of the United States Department of State from March 1989 to August 1992, and as Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs from May 1991 to August 1992. Zoellick served as Bush's personal representative or " sherpa" for the G7 Economic Summits in 1991 and 1992. He led the US Delegation to the Two Plus Four talks on German reunification; for his achievements in this role, the Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the Knight Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
. Baker's book ''The Politics of Diplomacy'' describes Zoellick as his "right-hand man on NAFTA". In August 1992, Zoellick was appointed
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President.


Business, academia, and politics (1993–2001)

After leaving government service, Zoellick served from 1993 to 1997 as an Executive Vice President of
Fannie Mae The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, is a United States government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) and, since 1968, a publicly traded company. Founded in 1938 during the Great Depression as part of the New ...
, and was also its General Counsel from 1993 through 1996. Afterwards, Zoellick was John M. Olin Visiting Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval Academy (1997–98); and Research Scholar at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
's John F. Kennedy School of Government (1999–2001). From July 1999 to February 2001, he was Senior International Advisor to
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
. He served as a member of the board of directors of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
from 1994 through 2001. From 1997 to 2001, he also served as director of the Aspen Strategy Group. From January 1999 to May 1999, Zoellick was president and CEO of the
Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...
(CSIS). He resigned due to pressure from the board, which objected to his role as an occasional adviser to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. In the 2000 presidential election campaign, Zoellick served as a foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush as part of a group, led by
Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...
, which she termed The Vulcans, after her home town of Birmingham, Alabama. James Baker designated him as his second-in-command—"a sort of chief operating officer or chief of staff"—in the 36-day battle over the
2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida The 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida was a period of vote recounting in Florida that occurred during the weeks after Election Day in the 2000 United States presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. ...
.


U.S. Trade Representative (2001–2005)

George W. Bush named Zoellick U.S. Trade Representative in his first term, making him a member of the
Executive Office of the President The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The office consists o ...
and
Cabinet of the United States The Cabinet of the United States is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. The Cabinet generally meets with the president in Cabinet Room (White House), a room adjacent to the Oval Office in the West Wing of ...
. He took office on February 7, 2001. According to the
Office of the United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting United States foreign trade policies. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it ...
website, Zoellick completed negotiations to bring China and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
into the
World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
(WTO); developed a strategy to launch new global trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2001 in
Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
,
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
; worked with
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
to enact the 2001 Jordan–United States Free Trade Agreement and the 2001
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
Trade Agreement; and worked with Congress to pass the Trade Act of 2002, which included new Trade Promotion Authority. According to journalist and author Nikolas Kozloff, Zoellick relentlessly promoted the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) over the objections of
labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
,
environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...
, and
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
groups, and engaged in fear-mongering around
Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...
and Hugo Chavez to do so. Zoellick played a key role in the U.S.-WTO dispute against the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
over
genetically modified food Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using various methods of genetic engineering. G ...
s. Before the U.S. filed its WTO lawsuit against the EU in 2003, Zoellick stated "The EU's moratorium violates WTO rules. People around the world have been eating biotech food for years. Biotech food helps nourish the world's hungry population, offers tremendous opportunities for better health and nutrition, and protects the environment by reducing soil erosion and pesticide use."


Deputy Secretary of State (2005–2006)

On January 7, 2005, Bush nominated Zoellick to be Deputy Secretary of State. He assumed the office on February 22, 2005. Zoellick was a major influence on the Bush administration's policies regarding China. In an important speech on September 21, 2005, Zoellick challenged China "to become a 'responsible stakeholder' in the international system, contributing more actively than in the past to help shore up the stability of the international system from which it ha benefited so greatly." Zoellick was also the Bush administration's point-man on the Darfur conflict peace process, making four trips to Sudan to press the two sides to agree. He spearheaded U.S. efforts in the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement. Zoellick resigned his position as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State in June 2006 to rejoin Goldman Sachs, this time as Vice Chairman, International, and to advise the investment bank on global strategy.


President of the World Bank (2007–2012)

On May 30, 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Zoellick to replace
Paul Wolfowitz Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943) is an American political scientist and diplomat who served as the 10th President of the World Bank, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, and dean of Paul H. Nitze Scho ...
as President of the World Bank. He took office on July 1, 2007. In a speech at the National Press Club in Washington in October 2007, Zoellick outlined "six strategic themes in support of the goal of an inclusive and sustainable globalization" to guide the future work of the World Bank: overcoming poverty and spurring sustainable growth in the poorest countries, especially Africa; addressing the problems of states coming out of conflict or seeking to avoid breakdown of the state; using a more differentiated business model for middle-income countries; fostering regional and global public goods that transcend national boundaries and benefit multiple countries and citizens; supporting development and opportunities in the Arab World; and using the World Bank's "brain trust" of applied experience to address the five other strategic themes. During Zoellick's time at the World Bank, the institution's capital stock was expanded and lending volumes increased to help member countries deal with the global financial and economic crisis; assistance was stepped up to deal with the famine in the Horn of Africa; a major increase in resources was achieved for the institution's soft loan facility, the
International Development Association The International Development Association (IDA) () is a development finance institution which offers concessional loans and grant (money), grants to the world's poorest developing country, developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World ...
(IDA), which lends to the poorest countries; and a reform was carried out to the World Bank's shareholding, Executive Board and voting structure, to increase the influence of developing and emerging economies in the World Bank's governance. Zoellick made advances in the use of open data, promoted senior officials from developing countries, addressed climate change, expanded aid during the financial crisis and obtained a capital increase, with developing countries providing more than half. Zoellick stepped down from the World Bank presidency when his term ended on June 30, 2012.


Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2012–present)

After leaving the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
, Zoellick took up the position as a senior fellow at
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in July 2012. From October 2013 to September 2016, he served as Chairman of International Advisors to Goldman Sachs.


Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign

In August 2012, during the
2012 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Bi ...
, Zoellick was appointed to lead the
national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...
portion of Republican candidate
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
's transition team should he be elected
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
. According to political commentator Fred Barnes, writing beforehand in ''The International Economy'' magazine, Zoellick at the time was considered a "heavyweight with impressive government experience". The selection of Zoellick drew criticism from conservatives, especially neoconservatives. Romney lost the election to incumbent
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
.


Additional posts

Zoellick is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
, and was on its board of directors from 1994 through 2001. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission. He was a participant in the Bilderberg Group from 2003 through at least 2017, and was a member of its steering committee. He is also a member of Washington, D.C.–based think tank, The Inter-American Dialogue. He chairs the Global Tiger Initiative, and is a member of the Global Leadership Council of Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian agency. Since 2013, he has been a member of the board of directors of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and since 2018 of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...
. In May 2017, Zoellick joined Brunswick Group, a global public affairs and communications firm, as a Senior Counselor, and in February 2018 he was made one of the four principals of Brunswick's newly launched Brunswick Geopolitical. Since November 2020 he has been chair of
Standard Chartered Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in th ...
's international advisory council. Since June 2021 he has been an independent director of Robinhood. He is a trustee of the
Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...
, and has served on the advisory board of the
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
. Zoellick was a board member Said Holdings from 1996 to 2001. He was on the board of the Precursor Group from October 2000 to February 2001, and was a member of the advisory board of the venture fund Viventures from October 2000 to February 2001. Zoellick was a board member of Alliance Capital Management from 1997 to 2001, and served as chairman of
AllianceBernstein AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (AB) is a global asset management firm providing investment management and research services worldwide to institutional, high-net-worth and Investor, retail investors. AllianceBernstein's headquarters are located ...
from 2017 to 2019. He was also on the advisory board of
AXA Axa S.A. is a French multinational insurance corporation headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It also provides investment management and other financial services via its subsidiaries. As of 2024, it is the fourth largest financi ...
, AllianceBernstein's parent company. From January 1999 to February 2001, he was a member of the advisory council at
Enron Enron Corporation was an American Energy development, energy, Commodity, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was led by Kenneth Lay and developed in 1985 via a merger between Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both re ...
. From 2013 to 2023, Zoellick was a board member of
Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited ( ) is a Singaporean State ownership, state-owned multinational investment firm. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$288 billion (S$389 billion) as of 2024. Headquartered at Orchard ...
, Singapore's
sovereign wealth fund A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund, is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as ...
. Since 2023, he has been Temasek's Chairman, Americas and Chairman of the Temasek Americas Advisory Panel. He was on the board of directors of Laureate International Universities from December 2013 through December 2017.
Jack Dorsey Jack Patrick Dorsey (born November 19, 1976) is an American businessperson, who is a co-founder of Twitter, Inc. and its CEO during 2007–2008 and 2015–2021, as well as co-founder, principal executive officer and chairman of Block, Inc. (deve ...
announced on July 19, 2018, that Zoellick would be a member of
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
's board of directors. As of April 22, 2022, Zoellick had neither posted on Twitter nor liked any other tweet.
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
dissolved Twitter's board of directors in October 2022 after purchasing the website. He has served on the international advisory board of
Rolls-Royce Holdings Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and dist ...
. He has served as both a fellow and a trustee of the German Marshall Fund. He has served on the board of the European Institute. He was a member of
Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
William Cohen's Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee.


Honors

He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State's highest honor; the Alexander Hamilton Award of the Department of the Treasury; and the Medal for Distinguished Public Service of the Department of Defense. In 1992, he received the Knight Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
for his eminent achievements in the course of
German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The Mexican and Chilean governments awarded him their highest honors for non-citizens, the Aztec Eagle and the
Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
, for recognition of his work on free trade, development, and the environment. In 2016, he received the Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy. In 2017, he was a recipient of the Economic Club of Minnesota's Bill Frenzel Champion of Free Trade Award.


Views

In a January 2000 ''
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...
'' essay entitled "Campaign 2000: A Republican Foreign Policy," Zoellick noted five Republican principles (respect for power, building and sustaining coalitions and alliances, recognizing common interests with international agreements and institutions, embracing new technologies for global politics and security, and the continuing presence of bad actors. " ere is still evil in the world—people who hate America and the ideas for which it stands. Today, we face enemies who are hard at work to develop
nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...
,
biological Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...
, and
chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...
, along with the missiles to deliver them. The United States must remain vigilant and have the strength to defeat its enemies. People driven by enmity or by a need to dominate will not respond to reason or goodwill. They will manipulate civilized rules for uncivilized ends." In Australia's ''New Left Review'', Gavan McCormack wrote that as USTR Zoellick had intervened during a 2004
privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
issue in Japanese
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ...
's re-election campaign: "The office of the U.S. Trade Representative has played an active part in drafting the
Japan Post was a Japanese statutory corporation that existed from 2003 to 2007, offering postal and package delivery services, Retail banking, banking services, and life insurance. It is the nation's largest employer, with over 400,000 employees, and ru ...
privatization law. An October 2004 letter from Robert Zoellick to Japan's Finance Minister Takenaka Heizo, tabled in the Diet on August 2, 2005, included a handwritten note from Zoellick commending Takenaka. Challenged to explain this apparent U.S. government intervention in a domestic matter, Koizumi merely expressed his satisfaction that Takenaka had been befriended by such an important figure… It is hard to overestimate the scale of the opportunity offered to U.S. and global finance capital by the privatization of the
Postal Savings System Postal savings systems provide depositors who unbanked, do not have access to banks a safe and convenient method to save money. Many nations have operated banking systems involving post offices to promote saving money among the poor. History I ...
." In the lead-up to the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit and in the immediate wake of the U.S.
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
and subsequent Fed QE2 monetary-policy move, Zoellick wrote in a ''Financial Times'' editorial that the Group of 20 leading economies should consider adopting a global reserve currency based on gold as part of structural reforms to the world’s foreign-exchange regime. In March 2016, Zoellick was one of three Cabinet-level Republican officials to oppose Trump's presidential candidacy, in an open letter signed by 122 members of the Republican national security community. In August 2016, Zoellick signed a letter from 50 of America's most senior Republican national security officials, which warned that a Donald Trump presidency would be a national security risk and would threaten the nation's well-being. In a November 1, 2016, interview with ''
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
'', Zoellick said "My belief differences with Trump were not only placed on policy – his protectionism, his infatuation with authoritarian leaders and Vladimir Putin. But also that I think he is a narcissistic, ego-driven person and that he would be dangerous. I have had the good fortune to serve a number of different presidents and I know the importance of that job and I don't want him in the Oval Office." Zoellick is the author of the 2020 book, ''America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy'', which asserts that since the country's founding, U.S. foreign policy has been defined by five traditions: the continent of North America; trade, transnationalism and technology; alliances and order; public and congressional support; and America’s purpose.


Personal life

Zoellick married Sherry Lynn Ferguson in 1980. They live in
McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population of the community was 50,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is ...
.


See also

*
2008–2009 Keynesian resurgence The 2008 financial crisis was followed by a global resurgence of interest in Keynesian economics among prominent economists and policy makers. This included discussions and implementation of economic policies in accordance with the recommendations ...


References


External links


Biography
at
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
*
Articles by Robert B. Zoellick
listed on Muck Rack * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoellick, Robert 1953 births 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century Lutherans 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century Lutherans American people of German descent Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Diplomats from Illinois Foreign Policy Research Institute George W. Bush administration cabinet members George W. Bush administration personnel Goldman Sachs people Harvard Law School alumni Illinois Republicans International Republican Institute Harvard Kennedy School alumni Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Living people Lutherans from Illinois Massachusetts Republicans Members of the Inter-American Dialogue Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group Peterson Institute for International Economics Politicians from Naperville, Illinois Presidents of the World Bank Group Swarthmore College alumni United States deputy secretaries of state United States trade representatives White House deputy chiefs of staff