James Rubin

Journalist and political advisor

James Rubin attended Columbia University, where he graduated with a BA in Political Science and a Masters of International Affairs in 1984. From 1997 to 2000, he served under President Clinton as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Chief Spokesman for the State Department, and Senior Policy Adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. After this high-profile career in politics, for which he received the State Department's highest honour, the Distinguished Service Award, Rubin moved into academia: he was Visiting Professor of International Relations at the LSE (2001-2004), where he taught US foreign policy. He has also made a career in journalism and from 2005 through to 2007 he anchored World News Tonight on Sky News UK, and was a World Affairs Commentator and presenter of special programmes on international news for Sky.

More recently, Rubin has again bridged both political and academic life. He acted as an advisor to John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential campaign, and is now an informal advisor to both Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and President Barack Obama. He is also adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.