John Bolton

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

August 17, 2016 6:19 am

Putin Rolls Over Obama — and Everyone Else

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow demonstrated clearly America’s deteriorating position in both Europe and the Middle East. Following...

August 16, 2016 6:06 am

Dismantling the Iran Nuclear Deal

Barack Obama's cash transfer to Iran of $400 million to trigger the release of four American hostages highlights yet again the strategic errors infecting his...

July 12, 2016 6:37 am

Lessons Already Learned From Brexit

The United Kingdom's revolutionary decision to leave the European Union stunned pollsters, financial markets, European and American political commentators and even London's bookies. Indeed, the...

July 7, 2016 6:09 am

On Saddam Hussein, Donald Trump Is Dead Wrong

Given its length, the Chilcot report will address many subjects. One that will likely receive minimal attention will be the actual overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s...

June 28, 2016 12:51 am

Americans Should Applaud the Brexit Vote

We Americans have a profound interest in helping ensure the success of Brexit, the June 23 decision by British voters to leave the European Union....

June 27, 2016 1:37 am

Why ‘Brexit’ Was a True Populist Revolt

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has stunned political leaders, financial markets, and all those holding the theological view that EU-style governance is the...

June 15, 2016 6:42 am

Two Critical Lessons From the Terror Attacks in Orlando

Sunday brought the latest terrorist attack in America, the largest mass shooting in US history, with all its attendant tragedy. Words cannot adequately describe the horror that...

May 11, 2016 6:36 am

We Should Let the UK Leave Europe

President Obama’s threat that a British exit from the European Union would harm the United Kingdom economically may well backfire. Not only did Obama unnecessarily...

May 10, 2016 6:29 am

The Problem With Hillary Clinton’s Interventions

One of contemporary political journalism's clichés is that Hillary Clinton's foreign policy is more “hawkish” than Barack Obama's — “tougher,” more “interventionist.” Pundits left and...

April 20, 2016 6:54 am

Salvaging America’s Mideast Policy After Obama

On June 21, President Obama will attend his last summit with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the six oil-producing monarchies on the Arabian Peninsula. Afterward,...

March 4, 2016 4:46 am

Iran’s Election Charade

Early returns for Iran’s national legislature, or Majlis, indicate that “moderates” and “reformers” won big in Tehran. But “Downstate” Majlis outcomes are slower to appear....

February 16, 2016 6:13 am

America Must Improve Its National Missile-Defense Program

North Korea launched its second Earth satellite last Sunday, underscoring its continuing progress toward deliverable nuclear weapons. Coming just a month after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear...

February 8, 2016 7:55 am

Hillary Clinton’s Email Practices Were Far From Normal

For alumni of US national-security departments and agencies, Hillary Clinton’s email saga is mind-numbing. The publicly available information makes clear she and her aides violated...

February 3, 2016 7:47 am