Hubert Védrine

Former French Minister for Foreign Affairs

After his education at the Paris-based Ecole Nationale d’Administration, Hubert Védrine started his career as a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Culture, where he was in charge of the office responsible for town conservation (1974-78).

Subsequently, Mr. Védrine became the Spokesman for French President François Mitterand (1988-91), followed by serving as Secretary-General for the Presidency of the Republic (1991-95).

From 1997 to 2002, he was France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Together with Dominique Moïsi, the deputy director of the Paris-based Institut Français des Relations Internationales, he published a book “France in an Age of Globalization,” in which they explored France’s role in the global age in a series of conversations.

In 2008, he published History Strikes Back, in which he explores how states, nations and conflicts are shaping the 21st century.