Elliott Abrams American lawyer and political analyst Date of Birth: 24.01.1948 Country: USA

Biography of Elliot Abrams

Elliot Abrams is an American lawyer and political analyst. He was born on January 24, 1948, in a Jewish family in New York. His father was an immigration lawyer.

Abrams attended Harvard College in the late 1960s and was roommates with Steven Kelman. Together, they wrote a rebellious article called "The Contented Revolutionists" for "The New Leader" magazine. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1969. He then pursued a Master's degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics in 1970 and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1973.

After completing his education, Abrams practiced law in New York during the summers with his father. He also worked as a staff lawyer from 1973 to 1975 and from 1979 to 1981, handling legal matters with his colleagues. He served as a staff assistant in the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1975 and later became a staff member of Henry Jackson's short-lived presidential campaign. From 1977 to 1979, Abrams served as a special advisor and eventually became the chief of staff to Senator Daniel Moynihan.

Abrams gained national prominence during the Reagan administration, where he held positions as an assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs in the early 1980s and later as an assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs. During his tenure, Abrams faced criticism from church groups and human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, for allegedly covering up human rights abuses committed by US-backed governments in countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

On June 25, 2001, George W. Bush appointed Abrams as a special assistant to the president and senior director for democracy, human rights, and international operations at the National Security Council. He accompanied Condoleezza Rice as a key advisor during her visits to the Middle East in late July 2006, when discussions on the Lebanon-Israel conflict were in full swing.

Abrams married Rachel Decter, the stepdaughter of Norman Podhoretz, the editor of "Commentary" magazine, in 1980. The couple has three children named Jacob, Sarah, and Joseph.

Throughout his career, Abrams has been involved in controversial foreign policy decisions and has faced scrutiny for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. However, his conviction was later overturned by George H.W. Bush, who utilized his constitutional powers. Currently, Abrams serves as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, focusing on the study of the modern Middle East.