Feierstein, Gerald Michael, 1951-

<p>Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein is senior vice president at MEI. He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in May 2016 after a 41-year career with the personal rank of Career Minister. As a diplomat he served in nine overseas postings, including three tours of duty in Pakistan, as well as assignments in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Tunisia. In 2010, President Obama appointed Amb. Feierstein U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, where he served until 2013. From 2013 until his retirement, Amb. Feierstein was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.</p>

<p>In addition to his career-long focus on the Near East and South Asia, Amb. Feierstein also played a prominent role in developing and implementing State Department policies and programs to counter violent extremism. As Deputy Coordinator and Principal Deputy Coordinator in the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism bureau, Amb. Feierstein led the development of initiatives to build regional networks to confront extremist groups as well as to counter terrorist financing and promote counter-terrorism messaging. He continued to focus on defeating terrorist groups through his subsequent tours as Deputy Chief of Mission in Pakistan and as Ambassador to Yemen.</p>

<p><b>Education:</b><br>
Bachelor's from Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA, 1973; Master's from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 1975</p>

<p><b>Countries/Regions of Expertise:</b><br>
Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan</p>

<p><b>Issues of Expertise</b>:<br>
U.S. Middle East policy, Diplomatic Engagement, U.S. Security Policy and Regional Cooperation, Counter-Terrorism</p>

<p>Gerald Michael Feierstein (born 1951) was the United States Ambassador to Yemen under President Barack Obama from September 2010 to October 2013. Since December 2013, Feierstein has served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs in the Department of State.</p>

<p>Feierstein was born in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from Point Park College in 1973 and an M.A. in International Relations from Duquesne University in 1975. In June 1975, he joined the Foreign Service.</p>

<p>In June 1975, Feierstein joined the Foreign Service as Director of the Office of Regional Affairs in the Near East Bureau. He subsequently served as: Director of the Office of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh Affairs; Deputy Director in the Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs; and Desk Officer for Nepal, Pakistan and Egypt.</p>

<p>Between 2006 and 2008, Feierstein served in Washington, D.C. as Principal Deputy Assistant Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Coordinator for Programs in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism.</p>

<p>Feierstein has served at the following overseas posts:
<li>1976–78 Islamabad Pakistan</li>
<li>1983–85 Tunis Tunisia</li>
<li>1985–87 Riyadh Saudi Arabia</li>
<li>1989–92 Peshawar Pakistan</li>
<li>1995–98 Muscat Oman Chargé d'affaires</li>
<li>1998–2001 Jerusalem Israel Deputy consul general</li>
<li>2003–04 Beirut Lebanon</li>
<li>2008–10 Islamabad Pakistan Deputy Chief of Mission</li>
<li>2010–13 Sana'a Yemen Ambassador</li>
</p>

<p>In 2012, al Qaeda in Yemen offered 3 kilograms (96 ozt) of gold (about US$160,000) for killing Ambassador Feierstein, and 5 million Yemeni riyals (about US$23,000) for killing an American soldier in Yemen.</p>

<p>Since October 2016, Feierstein has served as a Senior Fellow and Director for Gulf Affairs and Government Relations at the Middle East Institute. In November 2018, the MEI Board of Directors named Feierstein as Senior Vice President of the Institute.</p>

<p>Feierstein met his first wife, Mary, who is Pakistani, while first posted in Islamabad. His son served two combat tours in the United States Marine Corps during the Iraq War. In 2015, the marriage ended in divorce. In 2015, Feierstein married Carolyn McIntyre.</p>