The Institute of World Politics

IWP was founded in 1990 by John Lenczowski, the former Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the United States National Security Council during the Reagan administration.[1] Dr. Lenczowski's stated purpose for establishing the Institute was to develop a graduate school and curriculum that integrates “all the instruments of statecraft,” teaching students to apply them across the spectrum of conflict while remaining grounded in American founding principles and the rule of international law.[2][1]

From 1991–2005, IWP maintained an affiliation with Boston University.[1][3] This affiliation ended in 2006 as IWP attained independent accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[4]

In 2008, IWP became one of 17 academic institutions that is qualified by the U.S. Army to host Senior Service Fellows.[5]

The Institute of World Politics is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The institute provides one Doctor of Statecraft and National Security program, five Master of Arts degrees, and 17 graduate certificates. It houses the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies, the Center for Culture and Security, and the Center for Human Rights and International Affairs. IWP also offers Frontiers, a ten-week program in American strategy and statecraft for national security and business professionals.

IWP faculty includes Anne Bradley, Marek Jan Chodakiewicz,[6][7] Matthew Daniels, Paul A. Goble, Ambassador G. Philip Hughes, Joshua Muravchik, Michael Pillsbury, Albert Santoli, Henry D. Sokolski, Charles R. Snyder, and Sara Vakhshouri. [8] Professors emeriti include S. Eugene Poteat and Ambassador Alberto Martinez Piedra.

Former faculty members include Sebastian Gorka, Mackubin Thomas Owens, Juliana Geran Pilon, Richard W. Rahn, and J. Michael Waller.

The 150 member student body is composed of approximately 65% recent graduates planning to pursue careers in national security, foreign policy, or intelligence; and about 35% mid-career professionals in those fields seeking additional knowledge and credentials. Students have come to IWP from across the United States as well as approximately 60 countries, the United States armed forces, and United States Government. Though many IWP students and professors hold security clearances, this is not a prerequisite for studying at IWP, as all coursework, takes place at an unclassified level. A majority of IWP graduates gain employment in national security, foreign affairs, and intelligence agencies.

The Institute of World Politics is located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Its campus consists of two buildings, the Marlatt Mansion and Bently Hall, both of which contain classrooms and administrative offices. Donald E. Bently was a longtime Institute Board member and major financial supporter of The Institute.[9] Bently Hall at the Institute is named for Bently, who purchased the Marlett Mansion and two other buildings that house the Institute campus.[10]

The Institute holds the private library of former CIA Director William Casey[11] and the American Security Council Foundation Library.[12]

Don Bently purchased the Marlatt Mansion and two adjacent townhouses for the Institute. For the first 15 years, he rented the building to the Institute for $1.00 per year. He paid several million dollars to gut and completely renovate the townhouses and later donated them to the Institute. He also endowed the Donald E. Bently Chair of Political Economy.[13]

The institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt educational institution, relying on private charitable donations and tuition. Tuition accounts for approximately 65% of annual operating expenses.[14]

• Brigadier General Brian J. Mennes, Former commander of the 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 1st Ranger Battalion[15]
• Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, social activist, writer, political analyst and former senior media and public diplomacy advisor at NATO
• Eerik Marmei, Former Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S.
• Major General John Thomson, Former Commandant of Cadets and the United States Military Academy at West Point, and current Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division[16]
• Mark Tooley, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy
• Hampton Stephens, Founder and Publisher of World Politics Review[17][18]

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