Atlantic Council

Biography

Frederic C. Hof

Frederic C. Hof is a senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. On March 28, 2012 President Obama conferred on Ambassador Hof the rank of ambassador in connection with his new duties as special advisor for transition in Syria. Amb. Hof was previously the special coordinator for regional affairs in the US Department of State’s Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, where he advised Special Envoy George Mitchell on the full range of Arab-Israeli peace issues falling under his purview and focusing on Syria-Israel and Israel-Lebanon matters. He joined the Department of State in April 2009 after serving as president and CEO of AALC, limited company, an international business consulting and project finance firm formerly known as Armitage Associates LC.

Amb. Hof’s professional life has focused largely on the Middle East. In 2001 he directed the Jerusalem field operations of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee headed by former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and was the lead drafter of the Committee’s April 30, 2001 Report. In 1983, as a US Army officer, he helped draft the “Long Commission” report which investigated the October 1983 bombing of the US Marine headquarters at Beirut International Airport. Both reports drew considerable international praise for fairness and integrity.

A 1969 graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Amb. Hof began his professional career as an Army officer. He is a Vietnam veteran and served as a US Army Middle East foreign area officer, studying Arabic at the Foreign Service Institute in Tunisia and receiving a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. He served as US Army attaché in Beirut, Lebanon and later in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Director for Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestinian Affairs.

Amb. Hof has written extensively on Arab-Israeli issues. He is the author of Galilee Divided: The Israel-Lebanon Frontier, 1916-1984 (Westview Press, 1985), Line of Battle, Border of Peace? The Line of June 4, 1967 (Middle East Insight, 1999), and Beyond the Boundary: Lebanon, Israel and the Challenge of Change (Middle East Insight, 2000). He has also written many articles on Jordan Valley water issues. His writing on the Israel-Syria, Israel-Lebanon and (by virtue of his work on the “Mitchell” Committee) Israel-Palestinian tracks of the Middle East peace process has contributed positively to the body of literature promoting Arab-Israeli peace.

His awards include the Purple Heart, the Department of State Superior Honor Award, the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the Defense Superior Service Medal. He resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife, Brenda.

Recent Interviews:

A Candid Discussion with Frederic Hof
Foreign Policy Association | May 3, 2013

Political Solution in Syria
Radio Rai 1 | March 30, 2013

Assisting Armed Rebels in Syria
PBS NewsHour | March 15, 2013

Analysts See Shift in US Response to Syrian Conflict
NPR | March 11, 2013

US Perspective on Syrian Civil War
Orient TV | March 8, 2013

Syrian Conflict
Radio BBC 5 Live | March 7, 2013

 Crisis in Syria 
Al Arabiya | February 1, 2013

Joyce Karam Interviews Frederic C. Hof on Syria Crisis 
Al Hayat | January 11, 2013

President Bashar Assad: His Inner Circle and His Options 
NPR | January 8, 2013

Assad Calls for Talks but Denounces Opposition 
BBC | January 6, 2013

No Diplomatic Solution in Syria
CNN | December 12, 2012 

As Syrian Rebels Receive Endorsement, Will They Also Get Military Assistance?
PBS NewsHour | December 12, 2012

Syrian Conflict Could Escalate in Many Directions 
NPR | December 9, 2012

International Community Strategize for Ending War 
PBS NewsHour | December 8, 2012

Political and Military Pressure Tightens On Damascus
 NPR | December 1, 2012
 

Publications:

Syria: Geneva Resurrected?
Viewpoint | May 8, 2013

Syria: Keeping One's Eye on the Ball
Viewpoint | May 7, 2013

Syria: The Chemical Weapons Red Line
Viewpoint | May 1, 2013

Syria and Geneva: No Precondition, but a Certain Result
Viewpoint | April 25, 2013

Syria: Defending the Indefensible
Viewpoint | April 22, 2013

Consent of the Governed: A New Middle East Political Order?
Viewpoint | April 15, 2013

The No Fly Zone Conundrum
Viewpoint | April 08, 2013

A New Syria Must Have US Support
Washington Post | March 27, 2013

Syria: Is Iraq the Wrong Lesson?
Viewpoint | March 26, 2013

The United States, Europe, and the Case of Syria
Viewpoint | March 25, 2013

Syria: A Slippery Slope?
Viewpoint | March 18, 2013

Syria's Opposition: Ready or Not?
Viewpoint | March 11, 2013

Can Syria Survive?
Viewpoint | March 8, 3013

Syria: Kerry's Opening to the Free Syrian Army
Viewpoint | March 5, 2013

Syria: From Objective to Strategy
Viewpoint | February 22, 2013

Syria: Thinking Strategically
Viewpoint | February 19, 2013

The President’s Decision-Making on Syria
Viewpoint | February 12, 2013

Syria: Transitional Government and US Choices
Viewpoint | January 29, 2013

Syria: Strategy for What? 
Viewpoint | January 23, 2013

Syria: Is It Too Late? 
Viewpoint | January 14, 2013

Forming a Syrian Opposition Government: The Time is Now 
Viewpoint | January 8, 2013

Syria 2013: Will the Poison Pill of Sectarianism Work? 
Viewpoint | January 3, 2013

Syria’s Time is Running Out 
Foreign Policy | December 19, 2012

Syria: Seven Key Points 
Viewpoint | December 13, 2012

The Dublin Meeting and its Meaning for Syria 
Viewpoint | December 07, 2012

Syria: Has the Bubble Burst? 
Viewpoint | December 05, 2012