Janet Wallach

Janet Wallach "is a journalist and the author of eight books. She has written extensively about the Middle East. Her book, Desert Queen; The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, is the biography of the British official most responsible for the creation of modern Iraq. Published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (1996), it has been translated into twelve languages. It The New York Times Sunday Book Review said, “Ms. Wallach is an expert on the region and her knowledge is on full display here. The San Francisco Chronicle called it “necessary reading for anyone interested in the Middle East.”...

"As a frequent contributor to The Washington Post Magazine from 1982-1987, and as a contributor to Smithsonian Magazine and other periodicals, Janet Wallach has written cover story profiles of Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; Reza Pahlavi, heir to the throne of Iran; PLO envoy Hassan Abdul Rahman; Saudi entrepreneur Adnan Khashoggi; First Lady of Egypt Jihan Sadat; and the British official Gertrude Bell.

"Ms. Wallach is currently president of Seeds of Peace, a conflict resolution program which brings together teenagers from the Middle East; India, Pakistan and Afghanistan; the Balkans; and Greece, Turkey and divided Cyprus. The organization has a year-round program that includes a summer camp in Maine, a Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, annual conferences and an educational arm that helps Seeds alumni attend college in the U.S. More than 2,500 participants have participated in a three-week session at the camp in Maine and then returned to their regions for further workshops, meetings and conflict resolution programs.

"Ms. Wallach is a Woodrow Wilson Institute Visiting Fellow and has taught at Earlham College; Longwood College; Ohio Wesleyan University; Stetson College; St. Olaf College; Bradford College; Susquehana College; and West Virginia Wesleyan College.

"Janet Wallach has been a guest speaker at Arizona State University (T.E. Lawrence Symposium); the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs; Chautauqua Institution; The Cosmopolitan Club; The Explorers’ Club, Harmonie Club; Meridien House; the National Arts Club; Quinnipiac College; St. Olaf College (Nobel Peace Prize Symposium); Wellesley College; Women’s Democratic Club; Women’s Republican Club; and Yale University...

"Janet Wallach was born in New York City and received a B.A. degree from New York University. She was married to the late John Wallach, founder and president of Seeds of Peace, and has two sons, David Allyn, and Michael Wallach."