A man accustomed to beating back comments from diplomats will field questions from Ohio University students next month.
John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, will speak in the Walter Hall Rotunda at 7:30 p.m. on April 15.
His appearance is sponsored by the George Washington Forum and the Alexander Hamilton Society.
The event will be free, a fact the forum’s director, Robert Ingram, hopes will attract large numbers of people.
“It’s good to have somebody controversial … One of the things that strikes me about Bolton in reading his stuff is the real degree of continuity on his approach in foreign policy,” said Ingram, an associate professor of history at OU.
The George Washington Forum, active at OU since 2009, has brought notable conservative leaders to campus in the past, including attorney John Yoo, who offered the legal justification for enhanced interrogation techniques, and Roger Ailes, president of Fox News.
Ingram said he believes Bolton will likely speak on foreign policy, with a focus on Iran and the United States’ drone policy.
Bolton will be paid for his appearance, though Ingram declined to say how much. The forum is funded through private foundations and does not receive public or student dollars.
“I think John Bolton is a figure that played great importance on the international stage for many years and I think it will be great to see that viewpoint come to this university,” said Evan Ecos, co-president of the Ohio University chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society, a national organization that focuses on sponsoring diverse political debate. “At the end of the day, we want this conversation to start and we want to peak people’s interests. If people are interested in continuing that conversation, they should join the Alexander Hamilton society.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
