Lord Hurd

Douglas Hurd has had a distinguished career in British politics,  having served as Foreign Secretary in both the Major and the Thatcher Governments. During 23 years in Parliament he also served as Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. 

During his time as Foreign Secretary (1989 -1995),  he oversaw Britain's diplomatic responses to the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, as well as the first Gulf War.

One of the defining features of Hurd's tenure as Foreign Secretary was the British reaction to the conflict in the Balkans.  During the war in Bosnia, Hurd was seen as a leading voice among European 

politicians arguing against sending military aid to the Bosnians, in defiance of the line taken by President Clinton, and arguing that such a move would only create a 'level killing field' and prolong the conflict unduly. 

Lord Hurd is also well known as a writer of political thrillers and his non-fiction works include The Arrow War (1967), The Search for Peace (1997), Memoirs (2003) and Robert Peel, a Biography (2007).

Lord Hurd was MP for Mid-Oxfordshire and then Witney from 1974-1997.  He retired at the 1997 General Election, and was subsequently appointed a Baron.