Ambassador Paul Wolfowitz is currently a Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He has spent more than three decades as a public servant and educator, including 24 years in U.S. government service under seven U.S. presidents – including four years as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense (2001-2005) –  and two years as President of the World Bank (2005-2007).

As Deputy Secretary of Defense, Ambassador Wolfowitz’s responsibilities included budget oversight, policy development in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and guiding the conduct of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Under his leadership, the World Bank led the successful implementation of the Gleaneagles debt cancellation for the world’s poorest countries, and provided record levels of support for the poorest countries, particularly in Africa. He also led the effort to develop and gain support for a new World Bank strategy to address governance and anti-corruption, as well as new strategies to address the needs of countries in post-conflict emergency situations.

Ambassador Wolfowitz was named Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department in 1981, where he helped to develop President Reagan’s 1982 Middle East peace initiative. In late 1982, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. As ambassador to Indonesia from 1986-1989, Dr. Wolfowitz became known for his advocacy of reform and political openness and for his interest in development issues, which dates back to his doctoral dissertation on water desalination in the Middle East. Ambassador Wolfowitz then served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (1989-1993), where he played an important role in planning the successful liberation of Kuwait.

Ambassador Wolfowitz studied mathematics and chemistry at Cornell University, and received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago.  He has taught at Yale and Johns Hopkins University and was Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Ambassador Wolfowitz also served as Chairman of the U.S. Taiwan Business Council and on the Advisory Boards of several commercial enterprises and two organizations that assist veterans, the Aleethia Foundation and American Corporate Partners.