Clinton administration In 1995–1997, Daalder served as a director for European Affairs on the
National Security Council staff under President
Bill Clinton, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward Bosnia. One of the issues that Daalder has addressed is the lack of communication on security issues between NATO and the
European Union. In October 2010 he wrote in the
International Herald Tribune: "NATO and E.U. capabilities need to be in synch, and their operations need to be complementary. We should regularly engage in a robust and transparent exchange of views on a wide range of shared interests. Policy should support work in the field; those in harm's way shouldn't have to work around our failures in Brussels." On March 27, the North Atlantic Council voted unanimously to take charge of what became known as
Operation Unified Protector. The Operation had three missions; to police the arms embargo, to patrol the no-fly zone, and to protect civilians. Fourteen NATO allies took part in the actual operations, along with contingents from
Jordan,
Morocco,
Qatar, and the
United Arab Emirates. In Libya, unlike other military intervention in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States played a largely supporting role, providing intelligence, aerial surveillance and refueling, while other NATO allies, including France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium, flew most of the bombing missions. The first two missions were quickly put into place, but, due to the presence of Gaddafi forces in or near civilian areas, NATO was unable to strike with full force. By August 2011, however, the opposition forces were strong enough to seize Tripoli and within two months had taken control of the entire country. On October 23, 2011–233 days after Operation Unified Protector had begun—the NATO North Atlantic Council declared its mission complete. He then served as the organization's CEO from 2023 to 2025.
Bibliography Books • ''The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership'', with
James M. Lindsay (PublicAffairs (October, 2018)) •
In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Portraits of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents they Serve—From JFK to George W. Bush, with I.M. Destler. (Simon & Schuster, 2009). •
Beyond Preemption: Force and Legitimacy in a Changing World (edited, 2007). •
The Crescent of Crisis: U.S.-European Strategy for the Greater Middle East, co-edited with Nicole Gnesotto and Phil Gordon (2006). •
America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy, with
James M. Lindsay (2003). Winner of 2003
Lionel Gelber Prize. Revised and updated edition published by John Wiley & Sons in 2005. Translated into Chinese, Dutch, Korean, Italian and Polish. •
Protecting the American Homeland: One Year on, with
Michael E. O'Hanlon (editor), I. M. Destler, David L. Gunter, Robert Litan,
Peter Orszag, and James Steinberg (2003). •
Protecting the American Homeland: A Preliminary Analysis, with
Michael E. O'Hanlon (editor), I. M. Destler, David L. Gunter, Robert Litan,
Peter Orszag, and James Steinberg (2002). • ''Winning Ugly: NATO's War to Save Kosovo'', with Michael E. O'Hanlon (2000). • ''Getting to Dayton: The Making of America's Bosnia Policy'' (2000).
Newspaper articles • "America's new global challenge", with Anne-Marie Slaughter
Boston Globe, July 24, 2008. • "Talking to Iran Is Our Best Option", with Philip Gordon
The Washington Post, June 29, 2008. • "The United Nations Can Save Burma", with Paul Stares
International Herald Tribune and
Boston Globe, May 13, 2008. • "NATO: A Mockery of Enlargement", with
James Goldgeier,
International Herald Tribune, April 8, 2008. • "Presidential Politics Can Help Iraq Policy", with Philip Gordon,
Boston Globe, March 29, 2008. • "Iraq After the Surge"
NRC Handelsblad, December 8, 2007. • "A Nuclear-Free World", with John Holum,
Boston Globe, October 5, 2007. • "Nuclear Weapons in the Age of al-Qaeda", with Jeffrey Lewis,
Financial Times, August 13, 2007. • "The Next Intervention: Legitimacy Matters", with Robert Kagan,
The Washington Post, August 6, 2007. • "U.S. and Europe Must Learn About Alliances", with
James Goldgeier,
Financial Times, December 14, 2006. • "Global Challenges for NATO", with
James Goldgeier,
El País, November 27, 2006. • "NATO: For Global Security, Expand the Alliance", with
James Goldgeier,
International Herald Tribune, October 12, 2006. • "Five Years After 9/11 – A Balance Sheet",
NRC Handelsblad, September 6, 2006. • "Is War With Iran Inevitable?",
NRC Handelsblad, April 21, 2006. • "Still Time for a Good Deal With India", with Michael Levi,
Washington Post, March 10, 2006. • "Face-to-Face: The Recent Spike of Violence in Iraq",
Washington Examiner, March 2, 2006. • "The Limits of Rice's Diplomacy",
NRC Handelsblad, January 17, 2006. • "We Should Strike Iran, But Not With Bombs", with Philip Gordon,
Washington Post, January 22, 2006.
Other publications • "NATO's Victory in Libya- the Right Way to Run an Intervention."
Foreign Affairs, March–April 2012. • "In the Shadow of the Oval Office: The Next National Security Adviser", with I. M. Destler,
Foreign Affairs, January/February 2009, pp. 114–29. • "The Logic of Zero", with Jan Lodal,
Foreign Affairs, November/December 2008, pp. 80–95. • "America and the Use of Force: Sources of Legitimacy", with
Robert Kagan, in Chollet, Lindberg and Shorr (eds).
Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide, 2008. • "Restore Trust in America's Leadership", with
James M. Lindsay,
Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, Fall 2007. • "Coping with Failure in Iraq",
Vrij Nederland, June 16, 2007. • (With
James M. Lindsay) "Democracies of the World, Unite: The Debate Continues",
The American Interest, Vol. II, No. 4 (March/April 2007), pp. 137–139 • "Democracies of the World, Unite", with
James M. Lindsay,
The American Interest, January/February 2007. • "Renewing the Nuclear Bargain", with Michael H. Fuchs and Morton H. Halperin, in Halperin, Laurenti, Rundlet and Boyer (eds)
Power and Superpower: Global Leadership and Exceptionalism in the 21st Century, 2007. • "Global NATO", with James Goldgeier,
Foreign Affairs, September/October 2006, pp. 105–113. ==Personal life==