Participant Biographies

John R. Bolton

John R. Bolton

Former U.S. National Security Advisor; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Keynote Address

Ambassador John R. Bolton, former White House National Security Advisor, is a lawyer and diplomat who has spent his career fighting to protect American national interests. During his recent White House tenure as National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump (2018-2019), Ambassador Bolton championed a strong and resolute U.S. foreign and defense policy, having served in the Reagan administration and under former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. He oversaw President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and served as a crucial force in strategic conversations with North Korea, seeking broad concessions from Kim Jong-un about his weapons of mass destruction (WMD). As the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2005-2006), he was a leading voice on the need for the Security Council to take strong and meaningful action against international proliferation and terrorism. Throughout his distinguished career as Under Secretary of State (1989-1993), Ambassador Bolton repeatedly advocated tough measures against the nuclear weapons programs of both Iran and North Korea, and the proliferation of WMD worldwide. A man of principle and conviction, Ambassador Bolton provided a forward-thinking vision on international economic and political issues vital to the U.S. and its allies. Leaning on his international and diplomatic experience under four presidential administrations, he explores populism, national security, and U.S. foreign policy in uncertain times. Released in June 2020, his book, The Room Where It Happened (Simon & Schuster, 2020) is a White House memoir that is the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration, and one of the few to date by a top-level official. His op-ed articles have also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other notable periodicals.