David A. Andelman

Author and foreign correspondent

David A. Andelman is a veteran foreign correspondent, author and commentator who contributes frequently to CNN Opinion on global affairs.
Read Full Bio

Latest

US President Gerald Ford confers with secretary of State Henry Kissinger 1974. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Universal History Archive/Getty Images
Opinion: The one lesson to take away from Henry Kissinger’s journey
Nov 30, 2023
David A. Andelman looks back at a remarkable career that — for better or worse — changed the course of history.
US President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address to the nation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Biden directly appealed to the American people to support funding for Israel and Ukraine's war efforts, warning that Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose parallel threats to US democracy. Photographer: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Opinion: Joe Biden is not getting the credit he deserves on foreign policy
Nov 29, 2023
Contrary to former presidents and current criticisms, President Joe Biden’s determination to defend democracy is a rare and commendable feat, writes David A. Andelman.
Paris skyline with Eiffel Tower at sunset, aerial view
Alexander Spatari/Moment RF/Getty Images
Opinion: In the French language, ‘inclusive’ becomes a loaded word
Nov 12, 2023
France’s battle over removing gender-inclusive language, pushed forward by officials such as Senator Pascale Gruny, has caused deep divisions in the government and nation, writes David A. Andelman.
Newly-elected Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics speaks during a press conference in Riga, Latvia May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Ints Kalnins/Reuters
Opinion: What keeps a Latvian awake at night?
Oct 28, 2023
What keeps Latvians, particularly their president, awake at night these days? Perhaps it is a simple confluence of circumstances, including the threat their neighbor Russia poses to the region, writes David A. Andelman after interviewing President Edgars Rinkēvičs.
US President Joe Biden speaks about the attacks on Israel, in the State Dining Room of the White Houses in Washington, DC, on October 10, 2023. The United States has no plan to become militarily involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas after the Palestinian militant group's surprise attack, the White House said on October 9, 2023. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Opinion: How long can America continue to be arsenal to the world?
Oct 11, 2023
The US is providing unfettered support to Israel. Can it still do the same for Ukraine? David A. Andelman looks at the limits of American military resources.
paris bedbugs 2
Reuters
Opinion: A very French response to Paris’ bedbug bedlam
Oct 04, 2023
They’ve been spotted in cinemas, at Charles de Gaulle Airport, on public transport, and widely seen in social media posts. Conquering the bed bug infestation in Paris could prove a Herculean task, writes David A. Andelman, a habitué of the city.
Smer-SSD party leader and Slovakia's former Primer Minister Robert Fico (2nd L) celebrates his victory in the general elections alongside party members at the party's headquarters in Bratislava on October 1, 2023. A populist party that wants to stop military aid to Ukraine and is critical of the EU and NATO has won Slovakia's election, results showed on October 1, 2023. The Smer-SD party led by former prime minister Robert Fico scored 23.3 percent, beating the centrist Progressive Slovakia on 17 percent, with almost all votes counted. (Photo by TOMAS BENEDIKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by TOMAS BENEDIKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Tomas Benedikovic/AFP/Getty Images
Opinion: The US Congress, Slovakian voters just threw Ukraine under the bus
Oct 02, 2023
Supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin got a big boost this weekend from the US Congress and from voters in the nation of Slovakia, once among Kyiv’s most fervent European backers, writes David A. Andelman.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 19, 2023. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
Opinion: Ukraine’s bumpy road ahead just got rockier
Sep 26, 2023
The goodwill accumulated among the forces of democracy for Ukraine and its courageous president may be running dry, writes David A. Andelman. But the US and its allies must under no circumstances allow that to happen, he says.
(LtoR) China's President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a session meeting during the 10th BRICS summit (acronym for the grouping of the world's leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on July 27, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by MIKE HUTCHINGS / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read MIKE HUTCHINGS/AFP via Getty Images)
Mike Hutchings/AFP/Getty Images
Opinion: Why a G20 without Putin and Xi could be a fantastic opportunity
Sep 10, 2023
With both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping skipping the upcoming G20 meeting in New Delhi, “this could be an opportunity for greater unity on key issues for those world leaders still attending,” writes David A. Andelman.
TOPSHOT - Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane (2nd R) is greeted by supporters upon his arrival at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey on August 6, 2023. Thousands of supporters of the military coup in Niger gathered at a Niamey stadium Sunday, when a deadline set by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to return the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum to power is set to expire, according to AFP journalists. A delegation of members of the ruling National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) arrived at the 30,000-seat stadium to cheers from supporters, many of whom were drapped in Russian flags and portraits of CNSP leaders. (Photo by AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by - has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane] instead of [Colonel-Major Amadou Adramane]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require." (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Opinion: Right now, the US is letting Russia win in Africa – again
Aug 13, 2023
The United States needs to get way more proactive way more quickly in what is rapidly morphing into a huge crisis in the heart of Africa, writes foreign policy analyst David Andelman.
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 17: An empty boat travels the river Seine during the technical test event for the Paris 2024 opening ceremony with the Eiffel Tower in the background on July 17, 2023 in Paris, France. On July 26, 2024, for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the opening ceremony will not be taking place in a stadium. The parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, with boats for each national delegation. Wending their way from east to west the parade will come to the end of its 6 km route in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
Opinion: ‘I wouldn’t swim in that water at gunpoint.’ Paris locals aren’t the only ones dubious about Olympic plans
Jul 27, 2023
Paris 2024 Olympic organizers want to bring back swimming events in the Seine River. But as David A. Andelman writes, “Nothing could impel me to take a swim in that water — not without a full biohazard suit.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, on May 9.
Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images/File
Opinion: Whatever happened to Mutually Assured Destruction?
Jul 06, 2023
With Russia stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, David A. Andelman argues that nuclear arms control treaties are desperately needed – and looks back at the Cold War concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that kept the world’s superpowers in check.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
AP/Getty Images
Opinion: The next shoe to drop in Russia
Jun 26, 2023
Vladimir Putin may be the one who blinked during this weekend’s crisis in Russia, writes David A. Andelman. But ultimately, the focus shifts to Ukraine and how President Volodymyr Zelensky and his generals can best capitalize on the gift that Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has bestowed on them, he says.
PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 14: Piled up rubbish bags are left on the street in front of to Eiffel Tower, during the garbage collectors' strike on March 14, 2023 in Paris, France. On the ninth day of the garbage collectors' strike against the pension reform, garbage cans are piling up in Paris, dozens of filled garbage bags are piled up in the middle of the street. On tuesday, the town hall of Paris counted more than 5,600 tons of uncollected waste. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Opinion: The city of love has a plan for its rats
Jun 15, 2023
Paris is looking into an ambitious plan of “cohabitation” with its notorious rat population. Meanwhile, New York is declaring outright war, writes David A. Andelman.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shakes hands with Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova as he arrives in Washington for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and an address to a joint meeting of Congress, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, U.S., December 21, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters
Opinion: How will Russia’s war end? Zelensky’s representative in the US has an unflinching view
May 16, 2023
Writer David A. Andelman talks to Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, about the trajectory of the war, the anticipated offensive by Ukrainian forces, and the role China could - or should - play.
Yana with niece Albina Shapoval, 11, and nephew Danilo Shapoval, 9.
Yana Shapoval
Opinion: A chilling insight into life for deported Ukrainian children
Apr 19, 2023
David A. Andelman talks to Yana, the aunt of two Ukrainian children who were forcibly deported to Russia.

About

David A. Andelman is a veteran foreign correspondent, author and commentator who contributes frequently to CNN on global affairs. A member of the Board of Contributors of USA Today, he served for more than seven years as Editor & Publisher of World Policy Journal. Earlier, he was executive editor of Forbes.com; a domestic and foreign correspondent for The New York Times in New York, Southeast Asia bureau chief, based in Bangkok, and East European bureau chief, based in Belgrade. He then moved to CBS News where he served for seven years as Paris correspondent. There followed service as a Washington correspondent for CNBC, news editor of Bloomberg News and Business Editor of the New York Daily News. In the course of his career he has traveled through and reported from more than 85 countries.

He is the author of three books, The Peacemakers, published by Harper & Row, and The Fourth World War, published by William Morrow, which he co-authored with the Count de Marenches, long-time head of French intelligence. His third book, A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today was published by John Wiley & Sons, in a new Centenary Edition with foreword by Sir Harold Evans.

Andelman has written for such publications as Harpers, The Atlantic, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Readers Digest, Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is a member of the Century Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Harvard Club of New York, the National Press Club and the Grolier Club. He is first vice president of the Board of Governors of the Society of the Silurians, President-emeritus of the Overseas Press Club of America and serves on its board.