On 17 May Avis T. Bohlen gave a talk on "The Rise and Fall of Arms Control: Future Prospects."
Avis Bohlen is the former Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Prior to that she served for 25 years as a career Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department and 30 years with the US government. During that time her positions included: Assistant Secretary for Arms Control (1999-2002), Ambassador to Bulgaria (1996-1999) and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris (1991-1995). Prior to those she carried out numerous assignments in the State Department’s Bureau of European Affairs, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe in charge of security issues.
Avis also worked on the Secretary’s policy planning staff. Over the years she has been involved in policy on a wide range of issues relating to U.S.-European relations, U.S. relations with France, European security issues, arms control and Soviet affairs. She served in Sofia, Bulgaria, Paris, Geneva, Vienna before retiring from the U.S. State Department in May 2002.
Before joining the Foreign Service in 1979, she worked for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. She has an M.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Radcliffe College. She currently serves on Board of IREX (International Research and Exchanges), Atlantic Council of the United States and American College of Sofia. Recent publications include: "Rise and Fall of Arms Control", Survival, September 2003.
