Bisher Al-Khasawneh is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. He is also the former Jordanian prime minister and defense minister of Jordan. He was the advisor to King Abdullah II for policies, coordination, and communication. Al-Khasawneh also served as cabinet minister of state for foreign affairs and legal affairs. He held ambassadorial positions for Jordan in France, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya, as well as at UNESCO and the Arab League. He also was an observer of Jordan to the African Union. He is currently a member of the Jordanian Senate.  

Al-Khasawneh was a career diplomat serving in Jordan’s embassies in London and Cairo as well as Jordan’s Mission to the United Nations in New York. He headed the Peace Negotiations Bureau, the American and European Directorate, the Legal and Human Rights Directorate, and the Policy and Planning Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also served as the chief of staff to the foreign minister and as official spokesperson at the ministry.  

Al-Khasawneh holds a PhD and LLM in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also holds an MA in international relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He holds an LLB from the University of Jordan. He is married and has a son and two daughters.