He previously served as senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and as a member on the National Security Council in the Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter administrations.

Professor Schulhofer-Wohl, his replacement, commended his legacy by point out that "more than 200 students take [his class] every year, and that's clearly due in no small part to Dr. Quandt and what he brings to it.

Quandt praised American leaders for opposing colonial influences in the Middle East (for example, Eisenhower's opposition to the joint Israeli-British-French invasion of Egypt).

[5] Other successes included America maintaining stability in key oil-rich countries,[5] promoting peace between Egypt and Israel, and avoiding direct confrontation with the Soviets.

He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and served on the board of trustees of the American University in Cairo and that of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.