John Bolton

John R. Bolton currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. His area of research is U.S. foreign and national security policy. Prior to arriving at AEI, Amb. Bolton served as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 1, 2005 to December 9, 2006. From June 2001 to May 2005, Ambassador Bolton served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, also in the Bush Administration. Prior to this, Ambassador Bolton was Senior Vice President of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He supervised the AEI research program, financial oversight, dissemination of the AEI research and publications, public affairs and general management. Ambassador Bolton has spent many years of his career in public service. Previous positions he has held are Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs at the Department of State, 1989-1993; Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, 1985-1989; Assistant Administrator for Program and Policy Coordination, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1982-1983; General Counsel, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1981-1982. Ambassador Bolton is also an attorney. He was an associate at the Washington office of Covington & Burling, and then a member of the firm from 1983-1985, after public service at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He currently is "of counsel" to the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. Bolton graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude from Yale College (1970), and received his J.D. from Yale Law School (1974), where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal. Ambassador Bolton is married to Gretchen Smith Bolton. They have one daughter, Jennifer Sarah, an investment banker in New York.

ARTICLES BY: John Bolton

April 16, 2013 9:45 am

0

The Same Policy Cannot Work For Both Iran and North Korea

Tensions are high regarding the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs of Iran and North Korea. In dealing with both rogue states for 20...

March 28, 2013 3:45 am

1

Obama’s Israel Visit Changes Nothing

President Obama's trip to Israel and Jordan last week had two widely divergent objectives. Publicly, he wanted to repair the political damage he has...

March 21, 2013 1:58 am

5

The Real Message of Obama’s Visit to Israel

The White House is contending that Barack Obama's first visit to Israel as president underlines his administration's commitment to Israel's security. Rarely, however, has the style...

March 12, 2013 12:36 am

2

The Obama Administration is Deluded About Syria

Predictably, President Obama's recent decision to provide additional nonlethal military aid to the opposition Syrian National Coalition and its military wing has pleased...

February 27, 2013 2:02 am

1

Overthrowing Saddam Hussein Was the Right Move for the US and Its Allies

Overthrowing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 achieved important American strategic objectives. Our broad international coalition accomplished its military mission with low casualties and great...

February 21, 2013 2:27 am

0

How to Answer the North Korean Threat

North Korea's third nuclear test, on Feb. 12, coming two months after firing a missile into orbit, brings the country perilously close to becoming...

February 13, 2013 12:52 am

1

Iran Is Israel’s Top Priority – And it Should be Obama’s

Israel's successful Jan. 30 air attack against a Syrian military convoy received significant media attention, being the first overt Israeli intervention in Syria's brutal and...

February 12, 2013 2:48 am

0

Benghazi Bungle: Obama’s Pass-the-Buck Presidency

The Obama administration's national-security leadership vacuum was on full display during the February 7 Senate hearing with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of...

January 30, 2013 8:45 am

0

What to Ask Chuck Hagel About Iran’s Nuclear Threat

The confirmation hearing for Chuck Hagel as defense secretary on Thursday will provide senators with a critical opportunity to probe the nominee's views on...

January 23, 2013 1:07 am

0

Al Qaeda on the Rise: The Grim News From Africa

Accepting his party's renomination for president on Sept. 6, Barack Obama boasted, "Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden...

January 15, 2013 12:05 am

1

Ignore Obama. Change the EU.

Hubris is definitely one of Barack Obama's strong suits. Having broadly retreated in the global war on terror, failed to stem nuclear proliferation and...

January 1, 2013 3:27 am

0

Beyond Benghazi: Questions for Clinton

The State Department's Accountability Review Board last week issued a devastating report on the events leading up to the Sept. 11 assassination of four Americans...

December 20, 2012 4:54 pm

9

Welcome to Obama’s Parallel Universe

Now that he has been safely re-elected, Barack Obama's personal foreign and defense views no longer pose any risk to him in domestic political terms. Unfortunately, however,...

October 11, 2012 2:16 am

0

We Need a Reaganite Foreign Policy

Barack Obama has always been a comfort to European social democrats, given how similar their philosophies are, domestically and internationally. But in American terms, he...