Zegart, Amy B. 1967–

PERSONAL: Born 1967. Education: Stanford University, Ph.D. (political science).

ADDRESSES: Office—University of California at Los Angeles, Box 951656, 6333 Public Policy Bldg., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Educator, author, and policy consultant. Former management consultant to McKinsey and Company; former staff member for National Security Council; University of California, Los Angeles, currently assistant professor of policy studies. Foreign policy advisor for 2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign; member of staff for Institute of Urban Homeland Security, 2003–.

MEMBER: Council on Foreign Relations, Pacific Council on International Policy.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fulbright fellow; Leonard D. White Award, American Political Science Association, for best dissertation in public administration.

WRITINGS:

Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC, Stanford University Press (Stanford, CA), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS: Amy B. Zegart's interest in the making of U.S. foreign policy stretches from the classroom to more practical application. Prior to becoming assistant professor of policy studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, Zegart was a foreign-policy advisor for the Bush campaign leading up to the 2000 presidential election. She served on the staff of the National Security Council, and for three years, worked for the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company, which offers strategic advice to both public and private organizations worldwide. In 2003, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan asked her to join his newly formed Institute for Urban Homeland Security.

Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC grew from Zegart's doctoral dissertation. The book examines national security and its inherent policies by taking a look at the three bodies created by the National Security Act of 1947. Zegart covers the drafting of the Act, explaining how the U.S. Navy influenced the decision, lessening the eventual power of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Central Intelligence Agency in favor of the more powerful National Security Council, and how that affects the role of the President. Romesh Ratnesar, in a review for Washington Monthly, remarked that "what the casual reader takes away from Zegart's book is a deeper sense of appreciation—and even awe—for the enormous responsibilities placed on the Presidency to shape the course of U.S. foreign policy."

Michael J. Barron, reviewing the book for Parameters, wrote that, "Flawed by Design is engaging, well written, nicely argued, and informative. It is a highly useful primer on the administrative history of national security agencies, and would be an excellent supplement for anyone studying the Presidency, U.S. foreign policy, or public administration." Journal of Interdisci-plinary History reviewer Anna Kasten Nelson noted that the book is far more political theory than actual history, mentioning Zegart's inclusion of her own theoretical models as a means to study the flaws of the relevant government agencies. Zegart "fails to convince that they were flawed 'by design,' Nelson added, writing that the book's conclusions are "lacking context." In an Orbis review, Bruce Berkowitz also found Zegart's analysis somewhat flawed, but commented that she "does offer important advice about intelligence reform."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Journal of Interdisciplinary History, autumn, 2000, Anna Kasten Nelson, review of Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC, p. 302.

Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, July 14, 2002, Mariel Garza, "Experts Call for Overall Security Chief for Los Angeles Airport," p. 1; September 22, 2003, Rick Orlov, "Former Los Angeles Mayor Creates Foundation to Study Port Terrorism Threat," p. 1.

Orbis, winter, 2001, Bruce Berkowitz, review of Flawed by Design, p. 152.

Parameters, winter, 2001, Michael J. Barron, review of Flawed by Design, p. 163.

Presidential Studies Quarterly, December, 2000, Kevin V. Mulcahy, review of Flawed by Design, p. 802.

Washington Monthly, January, 2000, Romesh Ratnesar, review of Flawed by Design, p. 55.