The Kissinger Program establishes a non-partisan focus in the nation’s capital for the discussion of key issues in foreign affairs. The Program aims to serve as a catalyst for the fresh analysis of foreign affairs in the global era by sustaining in perpetuity two appointments and related programs that ensure that the subject of foreign affairs, taken broadly, receives reflective and considered treatment each year in Washington, D.C. by distinguished, experienced scholars and practitioners.

Kissinger Scholar

The Kissinger Scholar is the first of the two distinguished appointments. The Kissinger Scholar holds the Kissinger Chair and is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee consisting of representatives from the academic community and high-ranking foreign policy experts no longer in office. The Scholar is a distinguished senior research position in residence at the Library’s John W. Kluge Center that engages in research on foreign policy and international affairs that will lead to publication.


Kissinger Lecturer

The Kissinger Lecturer is the second of the appointments. The Lecturer is appointed by the Librarian of Congress to deliver the Kissinger Lecture, a high-profile address delivered on Capitol Hill to Congressional and Federal agency members and staff, diplomats, foreign policy experts, area universities and the foreign policy community at-large. The Lecturer will have achieved distinction in the field of foreign affairs and, like the Scholar, may be of any nationality.