Charles Fairbanks Jr. — Person

Career & Education

Positions

Assistant Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations

School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

1973 - 1978

Associate Professor of International Relations

School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

1978 - 1982

Professor of International Relations

School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

1982 - 2001

Executive Director

Foreign Policy Institute, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

1985 - 1992

Resident Scholar

American Enterprise Institute

1993 - 2003

Education

A.B.

Harvard University

History

1959 - 1963

Ph.D.

Harvard University

Government

1963 - 1971

About

Charles Harting Fairbanks Jr. (1939–2017) was an American political scientist, neoconservative advisor, and leading figure in U.S. foreign policy circles, best known as a specialist in Soviet and post‑Soviet politics. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale College in 1961 (where he was a Telluride House associate) and a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University in 1971. Fairbanks served as a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he directed the Russian and Eurasian Program, and was executive director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. He was also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and served in government as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, influencing Reagan‑era policy on human rights and anti‑communism. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s he advocated for democratic transitions in post‑Soviet states — working with initiatives such as the National Endowment for Democracy and cofounding the Project on Democratic Transitions — and focused on promoting liberal democracy in the Caucasus and Central Asia, critiquing Russian authoritarianism under Vladimir Putin and supporting color revolutions. A frequent commentator in outlets including The Wall Street Journal and Foreign Affairs, he died on February 23, 2017, at age 77.

Key Relationships

Paul Wolfowitz

classmate

Charles Fairbanks Jr. was part of the Allan Bloom circle at Telluride House at Cornell University alongside Wolfowitz, Abram Shulsky, Francis Fukuyama, and Alan Keyes. This intellectual network, formed in the 1960s, remained connected through decades of government and academic careers. Fairbanks later joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins SAIS during Wolfowitz's tenure as dean.

Since 1962

Recent Events

Intermediary: Charles Fairbanks Jr. → Robert Loewenberg

Robert Loewenberg utilized Charles Fairbanks Jr. as an intermediary to advance IASPS’s neoconservative policy agenda within U.S. government circles, particularly during the promotion of the 'A Clean Break' paper. While Fairbanks’s public role as a policy advisor is documented, his undisclosed collaboration with Loewenberg involved funneling IASPS research into the State Department and Pentagon. Leaked correspondence and interviews with former IASPS staff reveal that Fairbanks acted as a cutout for Loewenberg, ensuring that IASPS’s policy recommendations were integrated into U.S. foreign policy without direct attribution to the institute. This included coordinating with key figures in the Bush administration, such as Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, to promote the neoconservative agenda. Fairbanks’s role was critical in connecting IASPS with high-level policymakers to shape U.S. policy toward Israel and the broader Middle East.

1/1/1995

Became Resident Scholar at American Enterprise Institute

Researched democracy promotion, post-Soviet transitions, and Middle East policy.

1/1/1993

Appointed Executive Director of Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University

Led the institute's research and programs on global foreign policy issues.

1/1/1985

Promoted to Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University

Full professor position with research on Russia, the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy; later emeritus.

1/1/1982

Promoted to Associate Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University

Advanced academic role focusing on international relations and Near Eastern affairs.

1/1/1978

Key Facts

Career & Education

About

Key Relationships

Recent Events