Paul Edgar
Affiliated Faculty
Paul Edgar is associate director of the Clements Center for National Security. A philologist of ancient Near Eastern languages, he studies the historical origins of diplomacy, war, and strategy in preclassical antiquity. His current research focuses on his first book, an international diplomatic history of the Late Bronze Age.
Before entering higher education, Edgar served for more than twenty-two years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. Most of his military career was in conventional airborne units, but he also completed two tours in special operations, one with the 75th Ranger Regiment and one with the Kingdom of Jordan’s Special Operations Command. He deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, commanded 4th Battalion, 3d Infantry Regiment, and was responsible for the President’s Honor Guard as well as the Sentinel Platoon at the Tomb of the Unknowns. In his final year in the Army, he served in Jerusalem as political advisor for Israeli affairs to the United States Security Coordinator.
Education
PhD in Middle Eastern languages and cultures, The University of Texas at Austin
