Zbigniew Brzezinski

Zbigniew Brzezinski served as national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter from 1977-81. In 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the normalization of U.S.-Chinese relations, and for his contributions to the human rights and national security policies of the United States.

A former member of the Columbia University (1960-89) and Harvard University (1953-60) faculties, he is currently a professor of American foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Additionally, Brzezinski sits on national and international boards and serves as an international adviser to several major U.S./global corporations. He is president of Z.B. Inc., a firm that advises corporations and financial institutions on international issues. He has authored many books, including: "The Grand Failure: The Birth and Death of Communism in the 20th Century," "Game Plan: How to Conduct the U.S. Soviet Contest," "Power and Principle: The Memoirs of the National Security Advisor," "The Soviet Bloc: Unity and Conflict," "Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21st Century," "Between Two Ages: America's Role in the Technetronic Era" and "The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives."

His former public and political positions include serving as director of the Trilateral Commission (1973-76), member of the Policy Planning Council of the Department of State (1966-68) and co-chairman of the Bush National Security Advisory Task Force (1988).

Born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1928, Brzezinski, the son of a diplomat posted to Canada in 1938, earned his B.A. (1949) and M.A. (1950) at McGill University and his Ph.D. at Harvard University (1953). In 1995, he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest civilian decoration, for his contributions to Poland's recovery of its independence. He has also received the Hubert Humphrey Award from the Policy Studies Organization, and Ford and Guggenheim Foundation fellowships.