Scholars: John Kerry is the least effective Secretary of State

Secretary of State John Kerry.
(Image credit: Stefan Wermuth - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A survey on foreign-policy research asked an elite audience of 1,615 international relations scholars from more than 1,300 U.S. colleges, "Who was the most effective U.S. secretary of state of the past 50 years?"

Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry A. Kissinger is ranked the most effective (32.21 percent). James Baker, who served under George H.W. Bush and helped construct the 34-national alliance that fought along the U.S. in the Gulf War, comes in next (17.71 percent).

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Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.