Speaker biographies

Michael Barone, a political analyst and journalist and a resident fellow at AEI, studies politics, American government, and campaigns and elections. The principal coauthor of the annual Almanac of American Politics (National Journal Group), he has written many books on American politics and history. Mr. Barone is also a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner.

Arthur C. Brooks is the president of AEI. Until January 1, 2009, he was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University. He is the author of eight books and many articles on topics ranging from the economics of the arts to applied mathematics. His most recent books include The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future (Basic Books, May 2010), Gross National Happiness (Basic Books, 2008), Social Entrepreneurship (Prentice Hall, 2008), and Who Really Cares (Basic Books, 2006). Before pursuing his work in public policy, Mr. Brooks spent twelve years as a professional French hornist with the City Orchestra of Barcelona and other ensembles.

John R. Bolton, a diplomat and lawyer, has spent many years in public service. From August 2005 to December 2006, he served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. From 2001 to 2005, he was under secretary of state for arms control and international security. At AEI, Ambassador Bolton's areas of research include foreign policy and international organizations.

Kevin A. Hassett is the director of economic policy studies and a senior fellow at AEI. Before joining AEI, he was a senior economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and an associate professor of economics and finance at the Graduate School of Business of Columbia University, as well as a policy consultant to the Treasury Department during the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He served as an economic adviser to the George W. Bush 2004 presidential campaign and as Senator John McCain's chief economic adviser during the 2000 presidential primaries. He was also a senior economic adviser to the McCain 2008 presidential campaign. Mr. Hassett writes a weekly column for Bloomberg.

Frederick W. Kagan is a resident scholar and the director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI. He is the author of four influential reports titled Choosing Victory, which recommended and then monitored the U.S. military surge in Iraq. He was an adviser to General Stanley A. McChrystal in 2009, and his most recent reports, based on multiple trips to Afghanistan, focus on force requirements and analyze how various stakeholders in Afghanistan and Pakistan would respond to different U.S. policies. His most recent book, edited with Thomas Donnelly, is Lessons for a Long War: How America Can Win on New Battlefields (AEI Press, 2010). Previously an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he is also the author of Finding the Target: The Transformation of American Military Policy (Encounter Books, 2006) and The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801–1805 (Da Capo Press, 2006) and coauthor of While America Sleeps: Self-Delusion, Military Weakness, and the Threat to Peace Today (St. Martin's Press, 2000). A contributing editor at the Weekly Standard, Mr. Kagan has also written numerous articles on defense and foreign policy issues for Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Policy Review, Commentary, Parameters, and other periodicals.

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