Walter Russell Mead

Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship

walter_russell_mead

At A Glance:

Walter Russell Mead is the Ravenel B. Curry III distinguished fellow in strategy and statesmanship at Hudson Institute.

Research Associate
Andrew Wilson
Research Associate

Biography

Walter Russell Mead is the Ravenel B. Curry III distinguished fellow in strategy and statesmanship at Hudson Institute, the James Clarke Chace professor of foreign affairs and humanities at Bard College, and the "Global View" columnist  at the Wall Street Journal. From 1997 to 2010, Mr. Mead was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, serving as the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for US foreign policy from 2003 until his departure. He is a member of Aspen Institute Italy.

His book, Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), was widely hailed by reviewers, historians, and diplomats as an important study that will change the way Americans and others think about American foreign policy. Among several honors and prizes, Special Providence received the Lionel Gelber Award for best book in English on international relations in 2002. In 2012, the Foreign Policy Research Institute awarded him its Benjamin Franklin Prize for his work in the field of American foreign policy.

Mr. Mead’s book, God and Gold: Britain, America and the Making of the Modern World (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007), is a major study of 400 years of conflict between Anglophone powers and rivals ranging from absolute monarchies like Spain and France through Communist and Fascist enemies in the twentieth century to al-Qaeda today. The Washington Post and the Economist listed it as one of the best books of the year.

His most recent book, The Arc of A Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People (Alfred A. Knopf, 2022), is a bold history of the US-Israel relationship that examines the origins of American support for Israel and the relationship’s impact on past, present and future US policy. Mr. Mead discusses, among other things, the forgotten history of left-wing support for Zionism, the foundation of the state of Israel, the myth of the “Israel lobby” and the rise of the Sunbelt coalition in US politics.

Mr. Mead writes on a wide variety of subjects ranging from international affairs to religion, politics, culture, education and the media. He has contributed to a wide variety of leading American journals ranging from Mother Jones to GQ and frequently appears on national and international radio and television programs.

Mr. Mead is an honors graduate of Groton and Yale, where he received prizes for history, debate, and his translation of New Testament Greek. He has traveled widely in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, and often speaks at conferences in the United States and abroad. He is a founding board member of New America, and also serves on the board of Aspenia. He is a native of South Carolina and lives in Washington, DC.

Events
16
November 2023
Past Event
On War: Thucydides and Current Strategic Dilemmas | Policy Certificate Program
Featured Speakers:
Aaron MacLean
Walter Russell Mead
Rachel Mackey
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16
November 2023
Past Event
On War: Thucydides and Current Strategic Dilemmas | Policy Certificate Program

The Hudson Institute Political Studies Policy Certificate Program gathers talented early and mid-career professionals for advanced study of public policy and national security led by policy experts and experienced government officials.

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Featured Speakers:
Aaron MacLean
Walter Russell Mead
Rachel Mackey
27
October 2023
Past Event
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
Featured Speakers:
General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.)
Andrew Roberts
Walter Russell Mead
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27
October 2023
Past Event
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
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Featured Speakers:
General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.)
Andrew Roberts
Walter Russell Mead
29
September 2023
Past Event
India’s Role in a New Pacific Order
Featured Speakers:
Walter Russell Mead
Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Stephen E. Biegun
Nadia Schadlow
Jayant Sinha, MP
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Shekhar Sinha
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
US President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi listen to the national anthems during a welcoming ceremony for Modi on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
29
September 2023
Past Event
India’s Role in a New Pacific Order

Join Hudson Institute and the India Foundation for an invitation-only event focused on the role Washington and the American business community can play in strengthening bilateral economic and strategic relationships between the US and India.

US President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi listen to the national anthems during a welcoming ceremony for Modi on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Walter Russell Mead
Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Stephen E. Biegun
Nadia Schadlow
Jayant Sinha, MP
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Shekhar Sinha
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
28
September 2023
Past Event
NATO and the Franco-American Alliance
Featured Speakers:
Muriel Domenach
Walter Russell Mead
.
28
September 2023
Past Event
NATO and the Franco-American Alliance

Join Walter Russell Mead, the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute, and France’s ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Muriel Domenach, for a conversation on the Russia-Ukraine War and its implications for European security, the future of NATO and European defense, the transatlantic relationship, and the European and American responses to China.

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Featured Speakers:
Muriel Domenach
Walter Russell Mead
In this aerial view water vapor and exhaust rise from the steel mill of Salzgitter AG, one of Europe's largest steel producers, as residential buildings stand nearby on November 22, 2023 in Salzgitter, Germany. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Caption
In this aerial view water vapor and exhaust rise from the steel mill of Salzgitter AG, one of Europe's largest steel producers, as residential buildings stand nearby on November 22, 2023, in Salzgitter, Germany. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
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walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Commentary
1 Min Read
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei meets with Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force commanders and Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force officers at the Imam Khomeini Husayniyya in Tehran, Iran on February 05, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)
Caption
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei meets with Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force commanders and Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force officers at the Imam Khomeini Husayniyya in Tehran, Iran, on February 5, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Commentary
1 Min Read