Richard A. Clarke - Government Career

Government Career

In 1973, he began work in the federal government as a management intern in the U.S. Department of Defense. Beginning in 1985, Clarke served in the Reagan administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence. During the Presidential administration of George H.W. Bush, as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, he coordinated diplomatic efforts to support the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the subsequent security arrangements. During the Clinton administration, Clarke became the counter-terrorism coordinator for the National Security Council. He also advised Madeleine Albright during the Genocide in Rwanda, to request the UN to withdraw all UN troops from Rwanda. She refused and permitted Gen. Dallaire to keep a few hundred troops who managed to save thousands from the genocide. Later Clarke told Samantha Powers “It wasn’t in American’s national interest. If we had to do the same thing today and I was advising the President, I would advise the same thing." He directed the authoring of PDD-25 which outlined a reduced military and economic role for the United States in Rwanda as well as future peacekeeping operations. He remained counter-terrorism coordinator during the first year of the George W. Bush administration, and later was the Special Advisor to the President on cybersecurity and cyberterrorism. He resigned from the Bush administration in 2003.

Clarke's positions inside the government have included:

• United States National Security Council, 1992–2003
  • Special Advisor 2001-2003
  • National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism, 1998–2001
  • Chairman of the Counter-terrorism Security Group, 1992–2003
• United States Department of State 1985-1992
  • Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs, 1989–1992
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence, 1985–1988