Abraham David Sofaer

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Abraham David Sofaer
16th Legal Adviser of the Department of State
In office
June 10, 1985 June 15, 1990

He represented the World Wide Fund for Nature [World Wildlife Fund?] in its successful effort to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the management and sharing of authority within what remains the world’s most influential environmental organization. The WWF was represented by Lloyd Cutler.[ citation needed ]

During this period, Sofaer began acting as an arbitrator in major international and domestic disputes. He agreed to assist Libya in attempting to satisfy the United Nations Security Council resolutions issued against it concerning the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. He worked out a plan with Libyan officials, including a trial of the suspects in The Hague and compensation for the families of victims, before accepting the assignment. After publicly obtaining a license for the work, however, Sofaer was attacked by some family members and criticized by U.S. officials who were opposed to any such negotiation. He withdrew from representation after concluding he could not be effective in implementing the agreed plan while defending himself.[ citation needed ]

Nonetheless, Sofaer was subjected to a grand jury investigation into whether he had made false statements in applying for the license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control to represent Libya. The investigation was terminated without any action against him, but the District of Columbia Bar found that Sofaer should be "informally admonished" for taking on the representation, on the ground that the U.S. government investigation of the bombing was a "matter" under the code of ethics, like a litigation or appeal, even though Libya was not even a suspect at the time Sofaer left the Department.[ citation needed ] The plan Sofaer developed was ultimately agreed and implemented by the U.S., the Security Council, and Libya.[ citation needed ]

In 1994, Sofaer was appointed George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and National Security Affairs at the Hoover Institution. His "work has focused on separation of powers issues in the American system of government, including the power over war, and on issues related to international law, terrorism, diplomacy, national security, the Middle East conflict, and water resources.”[ citation needed ] For several years, he taught a course on transnational law at the Stanford Law School, and also taught arbitration. While he was at Hoover, he published many op-eds, articles, chapters in books, and two books on international security issues: “The Best Defense?: Legitimacy and Preventive Force; Taking on Iran: Strength, Diplomacy & The Iranian Threat (Hoover 2013)."

Non-profit work

Sofaer is a founding member and former chairman of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He currently serves on its Board as Vice-Chair. He is a trustee of the Koret Foundation of San Francisco, a fellow of the Israel Museum, and a member of the International Advisory Boards of the Israel Democracy Institute [4] and NGO Monitor. [5]

Personal life

Sofaer's father was a cousin of the actor Abraham Sofaer. Their fathers Meyer and Isaac were born in Rangoon, Burma, the descendants of Jewish immigrants from Baghdad, Iraq. They built a trading business in Rangoon, the evidence of which can still be seen in the form of Sofaer’s Building, a large office and retail center which the city is attempting to restore along with other colonial era buildings.

Publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sofaer bio Archived 2009-01-31 at the Wayback Machine Hoover Institution. Retrieved 2-28-09.
  2. 1 2 Abraham David Sofaer at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
  3. Times, Michael R. Gordon and Special To the New York (March 1988). "WASHINGTON TALK: WORKING PROFILE: ABRAHAM D. SOFAER; Legal Adviser Leaves a Trail of Furious Debate". The New York Times.
  4. "Leadership". en.idi.org.il.
  5. "Boards".
  6. "Op-Ed Archive" Archived 2006-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Hoover Institution Web site. Retrieved 2-28-09.
Legal offices
Preceded byJudge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
1979–1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Davis Rowland Robinson
Legal Adviser of the Department of State
1985–1990
Succeeded by
Edwin D. Williamson