John Robert Bolton II (born November 20, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American attorney, diplomat, and longtime neoconservative hawk known for his hawkish foreign policy views. He earned a B.A. in 1970 and a J.D. in 1974 from Yale University and began his legal career at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. Bolton has held multiple senior government positions under Republican administrations, including Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under President George H.W. Bush; Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security (often referred to as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control) from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006 following a controversial recess appointment; and National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019, a role from which he is now former. He is a prominent conservative foreign policy expert aligned with neoconservative and pro-Israel hawks, known for his strong support of Israel and U.S.-Israel relations, vocal opposition to Iran and Islamist groups, and advocacy for regime change in adversarial nations. Bolton favors aggressive U.S. unilateral action over multilateral diplomacy and has influenced policies on North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela. His tenure as National Security Advisor saw clashes with President Trump, particularly over troop withdrawals, leading to his dismissal. After leaving government service, he remained an influential political commentator and author, publishing the 2020 bestseller "The Room Where It Happened," which critically assessed Trump’s foreign policy and led to legal disputes with the administration. Bolton has been criticized for his role in promoting the Iraq War and alleged intelligence manipulation, as well as his advocacy for military action against Iran and North Korea. He has served as Chairman of the Gatestone Institute and sits on the advisory board of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), a pro-Israel organization. Bolton’s career reflects a consistent hawkish ideology, especially regarding Middle East policy and Iran, drawing both praise from conservatives and condemnation from critics for escalating global tensions.