From Fletcher to the Heights of Diplomacy, then Back to Fletcher
Klaus Scharioth F74 FG78
After completing national service in his native Germany during the Cold War, Klaus Scharioth, F74, FG78 realized he wanted to explore the world. He received a scholarship to attend the College of Idaho, where he studied international relations, psychology, and sociology, then returned to Germany and Switzerland to pursue a law degree at the Universities of Bonn, Geneva and Freiburg. He enjoyed especially constitutional and international law, but thought that the practice of law in Germany would not fulfill him for the rest of his life.
Klaus sought guidance as he looked to broaden his understanding of international affairs, law, economics, and development from a former College of Idaho professor, who provided a list of recommended universities with the Fletcher School topping it. Once again, a scholarship drew Klaus to the United States. He earned his MA from Fletcher in 1974 and MALD in 1975. Originally planning a one-year stay in Medford, Klaus kept extending it, eventually completing his PhD at Fletcher in 1978.
While preparing his doctoral dissertation, Klaus joined the German Foreign Service. He described juggling diplomatic duties and a PhD thesis simultaneously as “painful,” yet it offered him the opportunity to gain real-world insights in diplomacy. Due to his dissertation’s focus on the Indian Supreme Court, he was assigned to the Asia desk and later to the press department and the State Secretary office.
His first overseas post was in Quito, Ecuador, a result of his preference for placement in the global south. Driven by a conviction shaped at Fletcher, Klaus believed in the need for creative solutions benefiting both North and South. After his time in Ecuador, the German Foreign Service invited him to join its prestigious Policy Planning Staff and the German mission to the United Nations where he served as Vice-chair of the Legal and the Charter Committee.
A pivotal moment in Klaus’ career occurred after the fall of the Berlin Wall when he played a role in negotiating the Two Plus Four Treaty for German unity. Serving as a legal advisor, he seized the opportunity to contribute to Germany's reunification.
Temporarily stepping away from the German Foreign Service, Klaus joined NATO, directing the private office of three consecutive Secretaries General, Manfred Woerner, Willy Claes, and Javier Solana, something that had never happened before or after. Upon his return to the German Foreign Office, he headed the North America and Security Policy Department and later the whole Political Department. In 2002, he assumed the role of State Secretary of the Foreign Office, the highest civil service position in German diplomacy. From 2006 to 2011, he served as German Ambassador to the United States.
Throughout the years, Klaus remained connected with Fletcher, often visiting to share his career experiences. In 2011, Dean Stephen Bosworth extended an invitation to Klaus to join the faculty as a professor of practice. Driven by his desire to work with young people from all over the world and share insights from his career, as well as a wish to give back to the institution he owed so much to, Klaus embraced the opportunity to teach and learn from students and continues to serve as an active part of the Fletcher community.