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Robert C. O’Brien

Robert C. O’Brien

Robert C. O’Brien is the co-founder and chairman of American Global Strategies LLC. He also serves as the chairman of the Global Taiwan Institute’s Task Force for U.S.-Taiwan Relations, and as co-chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention.

From 2019 to 2021, he was the 27th U.S. national security advisor.

Among many other career highlights, O’Brien was the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, with the personal rank of ambassador. He served as co-chairman of the U.S. Department of State’s Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan under secretaries Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton. In 2005, he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be the U.S. representative to the 60th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the National Security Medal and the Legion d’honneur (chevalier). O’Brien holds a J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in political science from UCLA.