Concentration

Summary

He was selected by President George W. Bush to serve as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia at the most critical point in the history of the relationship between the two countries. After Senate confirmation, he served as ambassador from October 2001 through October 2003.

Ambassador Jordan took charge of his Mission in the wake of the September 11 attacks that radically affected U.S.-Saudi relations. He led American efforts to secure Saudi cooperation in the Middle East following 9/11. As ambassador, he worked closely with President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell in matters such as the historic presidential summit meetings in Crawford, Texas and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Ambassador Jordan vigorously led U.S. efforts to encourage Saudi accession to the World Trade Organization and to promote stronger U.S.-Saudi ties in both the public and private sectors.

Resuming his law career at Baker Botts in 2004, Ambassador Jordan currently engages in international business, government relations, international arbitration and dispute resolution practices. He has served as personal attorney to President George W. Bush and also has advised major corporations in shareholder litigation and in antitrust, corporate governance and dispute resolution matters. He has participated in engagements involving international transactions in the transportation, security, health care, hospitality, technology, educational, mining, financial and energy sectors.

Mr. Jordan is a member of the American Arbitration Association Commercial and International Centre for Dispute Resolution rosters of neutrals, the Panel of Distinguished Neutrals of the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution and The London Court of International Arbitration. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he has served as chairman of the board of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations and as vice chairman of the board of directors of the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies. He also serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of the Center for American and International Law, the advisory board of the Center's Institute for Transnational Arbitration and on the board of governors of the Middle East Institute.

Mr. Jordan serves as Diplomat in Residence at Southern Methodist University, and as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at SMU's Dedman School of Law. In 2007 he received the Fellows Award presented by the Dallas Bar Foundation.

Ambassador Jordan frequently shares his in-depth experience in international relations in interviews with the major international news media. He has given speeches before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and Committees on Foreign Relations in Washington, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston and Chicago, as well as before audiences in London, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Amman, Beirut, Dubai, Hong Kong and Rome.

Publications, Speeches and Presentations

• Saudi Arabia: An Opportunity - New Ways of Doing Business, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), March 2006 (Stephen Matthews and Nabil Issa, co-authors)
• "Multilateralism and American Policy: A Diplomat's View," Multilateralism v. Unilateralism: Policy Choices in a Global Society, British Institute of International and Comparative Law and Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2004 (John B. Attanasio and Joseph J. Norton, eds.)

Speeches and Presentations

• "Ethical Dilemmas in War," Schlinger Symposium, Dallas, Texas, December 2009
•  "Arabs and Israelis Struggle for Common Ground," Wellesley College, October 2009
• "Strange Bedfellows in the Middle East: Emerging Trends in the Region," American Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, November 2008
• "Strange Bedfellows in the Middle East," Association for Conflict Resolution, Austin, Texas, September 2008
• "Geopolitical Realities in the New World," Natural Gas Partners 2005 Strategy Seminar, Santa Fe, July 2005