A cautious strategist at the Cold War's end
He worried that the Malta Summit was premature, yet ultimately helped make it happen.
Brent Scowcroft was a former U.S. Air Force officer and national-security official whose realist approach emphasized disciplined policy coordination between presidents, diplomats, and military leaders. As national security adviser to Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, he helped manage arms policy and European diplomacy during the final years of the Cold War. He initially regarded the 1989 Malta Summit as premature because it might raise expectations without producing results, but then helped the administration navigate the meeting and the rapid transformation of U.S.-Soviet relations. In later years he continued to favor alliances and international institutions, criticizing the Iraq invasion and unilateralism.
Career Timeline
- 1947Graduated from West Point and commissioned as a U.S. Air Force second lieutenant
- 1953Earned an M.A. in international relations from Columbia University
- 1967Earned a Ph.D. in international relations from Columbia University
- 1972–1973Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon
- 1973–1975Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
- 1975–1977National Security Adviser to President Gerald Ford
- 1989–1993National Security Adviser to President George H. W. Bush
- 2001–2005Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board