Prof. Dr. Klaus Scharioth

About Klaus Scharioth

Klaus Scharioth is Professor of Practice at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, Massachusetts, and Rector of the Mercator College for International Affairs in Germany. He was a member of the German diplomatic service for more than 35 years (1976 to 2011). From 2006 to 2011, Klaus Scharioth served as the German Ambassador to the USA and from 2002 to 2006 as State Secretary of the Foreign Office. Previously, he held positions including Political Director and Head of the Political Department, Head of the Subdepartment for International Security and North America, Chief of Staff to the Foreign Minister, Chief of Staff to the NATO Secretary General, as well as Deputy Chairman of the UN Legal Committee and the UN Charter Committee.

Previous postings took him to the German Embassy in Ecuador, to the Planning Staff, and to the International Law Department of the Foreign Office. In Germany, Klaus Scharioth passed the State Examination in Law; he also holds a Ph.D., MALD, and MA from the Fletcher School, as well as honorary doctorates from the College of Idaho, Chatham University, and Old Dominion University. He is also a Senior non-resident Fellow of the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC, a member of the Board of Humanity in Action, a member of the International Advisory Council of the Istanbul Policy Center, and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.