ZOA praises the choice of Dr. Kiron Skinner as Director of the Policy Planning Staff for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. As a leading foreign policy intellectual, she is the founding director for the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University.  She has co-authored two books about Ronald Reagan, and served on the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Policy Board, among other appointments.  After President’ Trump’s election, Dr. Skinner served as an advisor on the President’s transition for State Department and National Security Council affairs.  She received both her masters and doctorate degrees in international relations from Harvard University.

As a longtime observer and analyst of U.S. foreign policy, Dr. Skinner has been a tireless advocate of America’s alliance with Israel as the cornerstone of regional stability in the Middle East.  She is deeply committed to President’s Trump’s vision of an America that stands by those states upon which it can rely, rather than seeking to appease its enemies and false friends.  We are excited to see the appointment of senior officials like Dr. Skinner who believe in this policy, and will implement it, rather than pay homage to the failed national security shibboleths of the past.