Program archives

Barry Jacobs is the American Jewish Committee's Director of Strategic Studies in the Office of Government and International Affairs, and Associate Director of the AJC's Asia and Pacific Rim Institute. He joined AJC in 1996. He follows political affairs and offers counsel on Asia, particularly China, Japan and the two Koreas; the Subcontinent; Central Asia and Caucasus; and the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey and Cyprus). He is also a specialist in multilateral issues, particularly international trade, energy and weapons systems with an emphasis on nuclear weapons and proliferation.

He was Senior Foreign Service Officer with the United States Information Agency (1968-94), receiving its highest commendations on two occasions. He served in Athens and Thessaloniki (1966-68), and as press attaché and assistant public affairs officer in Cyprus (1968-71). He also served in Venezuela (1972-76); and as public affairs officer in Jerusalem (1980-84), New Delhi (1985-88), and San Salvador (1988-90). He has been decorated by the governments of Venezuela and El Salvador.

His domestic assignments included deputy director of the Washington Foreign Press Center, deputy program manager for USIA's WorldNet television service, and director of USIA's Latin American Wireless File. In 1976, he was a Pearson Fellow, on special assignment with the International Division of the Michigan Department of Commerce's Office of Trade Development, and received the Governor's "Outstanding Achievement" award when he returned to federal service.

In 1994, he joined the Discovery Channel as its first Director, later Vice President, for International Media for its new networks in Latin America and Asia. He has degrees from the University of Michigan, the National War College, and The George Washington University, was a Salzburg Fellow, and did graduate study as a Monroe Scholar at the London School of Economics. His wife is the former U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, and current Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security.