Jeane Duane Kirkpatrick (1926–2006,) née Jordan, was an American political scientist and diplomat who shaped U.S. foreign policy. A former Democrat turned neoconservative, she advised Ronald Reagan in 1980 and became the first woman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, Kirkpatrick earned degrees from Stephens College, Barnard College, and Columbia University, completing her PhD in political science. She began her career as a research analyst for the U.S. State Department and later taught at Georgetown University.
In the 1970s, she developed the “Kirkpatrick Doctrine,” which argued for U.S. support of authoritarian regimes aligned with American interests. As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1981–85,) she played a pivotal role in shaping Reagan’s foreign policy.
Her notable publications include Dictatorships and Double Standards (1979,) Legitimacy and Force (1988,) The Reagan Phenomenon (1983,) The Withering Away of the Totalitarian State (1992,) and Making War to Keep Peace (2007.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Jeane Kirkpatrick
Democrats can’t get elected unless things get worse, and things won’t get worse unless they get elected.
—Jeane Kirkpatrick
Topics: Politicians, Politics
Power is not an end in itself, but is an instrument that must be used toward an end.
—Jeane Kirkpatrick
Topics: Power
History is a better guide than good intentions.
—Jeane Kirkpatrick
Topics: History, Historians
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