Javier Rupérez
Encyclopedia
Francisco Javier Rupérez Rubio, a Spanish
politician, diplomat and writer, was born in Madrid
on April 24, 1941. He holds degrees in law (1962) and journalism
(1975) from the Complutense University of Madrid
. Since 2006 he has held the rank of full Ambassador
within the Spanish Diplomatic Service, which he joined in 1967.
, he was one of the founders, in 1962, of the monthly magazine Cuadernos para el Diálogo, edited by Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez
, where he wrote regularly about foreign policy
, cinema
and theatre
. After Franco's death in 1975 he joined the centrist party Unión de Centro Democrático (UCD) led by Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez
, of which Rupérez was Secretary for Foreign Relations and member of the Executive Committee. In 1982 he joined the Partido Demócrata Popular
(PDP), later called Democracia Cristiana(DC), of which he was elected Vice President and later (1988) President. He was instrumental in facilitating the merging of the PDP/DC party with other parties to form the new Partido Popular
(PP), led by the future Prime Minister (1996–2004) José María Aznar
. He was Vice President of the party and member of its leadership committee.
, Ethiopia
(1967–1969), Warsaw
, Poland
(1969–1972), Helsinki
, Finland
(1972–1973) and Geneva
, Switzerland
(1973–1975). Between 1976 and 1977 he was Chief of Staff to the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was Ambassador of Spain to the Madrid session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1980–1982), Ambassador of Spain to NATO (1982–1983) and Ambassador of Spain to the United States of America (2000–2004). He was Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations
in New York between 2004 and 2007 as Executive Director of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee
. He has been living in Chicago
since 2007 as Consul General of Spain to the US Midwest.
between 1979 and 2000, in the Spanish Congress of Deputies (1979–1983 and 1986–2000) and as a Senator
for the Castile-La Mancha
region (1983–1986). As a member of the House he represented the electoral districts of Cuenca
(1979–1982,1986–1989), Madrid
(1989–1993) and Ciudad Real
(1993-2000.) He was the Foreign and Defense Affairs Parliamentary Spokesman for the UCD, PDP
and PP
. His connections abroad and his early adherence to the Christian Democracy, in due time proved useful for the international recognition of those parties. He was Vice President of the European Union of Christian Democrats between 1986 and 1988 and President of the Christian Democrat International (1998–2000).
He was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (1996–2000) and Chairman of the Defense Committee (2000). He was President of OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly (1996–1998) and President of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly
(1998–2000). Between 1979 and 1983 he was active in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In 1979 he was kidnapped by the Basque separatist
group ETA
and held captive for a month (November 11 to December 12).
, El País, El Imparcial- and to a number of leading periodicals -Revista de Occidente, Cuadernos de pensamiento político, Cuenta y Razón, and Análisis del Instituto Elcano.
He lectures regularly at several Spanish universities - Complutense
in Madrid, Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU
in Madrid, Menendez Pelayo in Santander
- as well as American universities - NYU
and Columbia
in New York City
; Brigham Young
in Provo, Utah
; University of Wisconsin at Madison
; DePaul
in Chicago; Central Connecticut State University
in New Britain
; and at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
politician, diplomat and writer, was born in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on April 24, 1941. He holds degrees in law (1962) and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
(1975) from the Complutense University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
. Since 2006 he has held the rank of full Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
within the Spanish Diplomatic Service, which he joined in 1967.
Early career
Already active in politics in his university years as a member of the clandestine Christian Democratic opposition to General FrancoFrancisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, he was one of the founders, in 1962, of the monthly magazine Cuadernos para el Diálogo, edited by Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez
Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez
Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez Cortés was a Spanish politician and jurist. He was minister of Education under Franco but he drifted apart from the regime since 1956 and, adopting a Christian Democrat position, steadily started to promote a quiet transition to democracy, especially through Cuadernos para el...
, where he wrote regularly about foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. After Franco's death in 1975 he joined the centrist party Unión de Centro Democrático (UCD) led by Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF is a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of...
, of which Rupérez was Secretary for Foreign Relations and member of the Executive Committee. In 1982 he joined the Partido Demócrata Popular
Democratic Popular Party (Spain)
The People's Democratic Party was a christian-democratic Spanish political party.It was part of the Democratic Centre Union until 1982, when it entered into alliance with the Popular Alliance , which received the second largest number of votes in 1982 and 1986 elections.In 1989 the party, along...
(PDP), later called Democracia Cristiana(DC), of which he was elected Vice President and later (1988) President. He was instrumental in facilitating the merging of the PDP/DC party with other parties to form the new Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
(PP), led by the future Prime Minister (1996–2004) José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
. He was Vice President of the party and member of its leadership committee.
Diplomatic career
As a diplomat he has been posted to Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
(1967–1969), Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(1969–1972), Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(1972–1973) and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(1973–1975). Between 1976 and 1977 he was Chief of Staff to the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was Ambassador of Spain to the Madrid session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1980–1982), Ambassador of Spain to NATO (1982–1983) and Ambassador of Spain to the United States of America (2000–2004). He was Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in New York between 2004 and 2007 as Executive Director of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee
United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee
The Counter-Terrorism Committee is a subsidiary body of the United Nations Security Council.In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1373, which, among its provisions, obliges all States to...
. He has been living in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
since 2007 as Consul General of Spain to the US Midwest.
Spanish and international politics
He was a Member of the Spanish ParliamentCortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
between 1979 and 2000, in the Spanish Congress of Deputies (1979–1983 and 1986–2000) and as a Senator
Spanish Senate
The Senate of Spain is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 264 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 56 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time.The last election...
for the Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities...
region (1983–1986). As a member of the House he represented the electoral districts of Cuenca
Cuenca (Spanish Congress Electoral District)
Cuenca is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales....
(1979–1982,1986–1989), Madrid
Madrid (Spanish Congress Electoral District)
Madrid is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It has the largest electorate of all the 52 districts. Madrid is the largest city...
(1989–1993) and Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (Spanish Congress Electoral District)
Ciudad Real is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It is one of the five electoral districts that correspond to the provinces of Castilla La Mancha. With nearly 55,000 voters out of the...
(1993-2000.) He was the Foreign and Defense Affairs Parliamentary Spokesman for the UCD, PDP
Democratic Popular Party (Spain)
The People's Democratic Party was a christian-democratic Spanish political party.It was part of the Democratic Centre Union until 1982, when it entered into alliance with the Popular Alliance , which received the second largest number of votes in 1982 and 1986 elections.In 1989 the party, along...
and PP
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
. His connections abroad and his early adherence to the Christian Democracy, in due time proved useful for the international recognition of those parties. He was Vice President of the European Union of Christian Democrats between 1986 and 1988 and President of the Christian Democrat International (1998–2000).
He was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (1996–2000) and Chairman of the Defense Committee (2000). He was President of OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly (1996–1998) and President of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Founded in 1955, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Alliance. Its current President is Karl A...
(1998–2000). Between 1979 and 1983 he was active in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In 1979 he was kidnapped by the Basque separatist
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
group ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
and held captive for a month (November 11 to December 12).
Publications and lectures
He has been and remains a regular contributor to Spain's national newspapers -ABC, El MundoEl Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
, El País, El Imparcial- and to a number of leading periodicals -Revista de Occidente, Cuadernos de pensamiento político, Cuenta y Razón, and Análisis del Instituto Elcano.
He lectures regularly at several Spanish universities - Complutense
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
in Madrid, Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU
Centro de Estudios Universitarios
The former Centro de Estudios Universitarios , currently called Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU is a foundation for the development of education...
in Madrid, Menendez Pelayo in Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
- as well as American universities - NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Brigham Young
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
; University of Wisconsin at Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
; DePaul
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
in Chicago; Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
in New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
; and at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a nationally ranked, private, Benedictine, Catholic liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889 by Abbot Hilary Pfrängle, O.S.B. of Saint Mary's Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Bishop Denis M. Bradley of Manchester, New Hampshire, the...
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
.
Works authored
- El espejismo multilateral(The Multilateral Mirage) Almuzara, Cordoba, 2009.
- El precio de una sombra (The Price of a Shadow) a novel, Destino, Barcelona, 2005.
- Secuestrado por ETA (Kidnapped by ETA) Temas de Hoy, Madrid, 1991.
- Primer Libro de Relatos (First Book of Stories) Bitácora , Madrid, 1989.
- España en la OTAN: relato parcial (Spain in NATO: a Partial Account) Planeta, Barcelona,1986.
- Una cierta idea de España (A Certain Idea of Spain) Humanismo y Democracia, Madrid, 1983.
- Europa entre el miedo y la esperanza (Europe Caught between Fear and Hope) Cuadernos para el Diálogo, Madrid, 1975.
- Estado Confesional y Libertad Religiosa (Religious Freedom and Confessional State) Cuadernos para el Diálogo, Madrid, 1970
Co-author
- Comentarios al Esquema XIII (Essays on Schema XIII of the II Vatican Council), Cuadernos para el Diálogo, Madrid, 1968.
Editor and co-author
- Minorías nacionales en los escritos de Pablo de Azcárate (National Minorities in the works of Pablo de Azcárate) Congreso de los Diputados, Madrid, 1998.
- Diez años en la vida de los españoles, (Ten Years in the Life of the Spanish People) Planeta, Barcelona, 1993.
- El rompecabezas europeo:las nuevas geometrías de la seguridad (The European Security Puzzle: Fitting the pieces together) Humanismo y Democracia, Madrid 1993.
- El decenio González (The González Decade) Encuentro, Madrid, 1992.
- Problemas culturales de la integración social de los inmigrantes:la nueva Europa y la cuenca sur del Mediterráneo (Cultural Issues in the Social Integration of Immigrants: the new Europe and the Southern Mediterranean) Humanismo y Democracia, Madrid, 1992.
- España, Europa, Occidente:una política integrada de seguridad (Spain, Europe and the West: An Integrated Security Policy) Distribución y Comunicación, Madrid, 1984.