The Institute of World Politics

Type	Privategraduate school
Established	1990 (1990)
Founder	John Lenczowski
President	Aldona Wos
Location	Washington , DC , United States 38°54′38″N77°02′10″W / 38.9105°N 77.0362°W /38.9105; -77.0362
Campus	Urban
Language	English
Website	www.iwp.edu

The Institute of World Politics (IWP) is aprivategraduate school ofsecurity,intelligence, andinternational affairs inWashington, D.C., andReston, Virginia. Founded in 1990, the school offers courses related to intelligence, national security, anddiplomatic communities.^[1]

The Institute of World Politics (IWP) was founded in 1990 byJohn Lenczowski, the former director ofEuropean andSoviet Affairs at theUnited States National Security Council during theReagan administration.^[2] His stated purpose for establishing the Institute was to develop a graduate school and curriculum that teaches students to apply "all the instruments of statecraft" across the spectrum of conflict but to remain grounded in Americanfounding principles and the rule ofinternational law.^[3][2]

From 1991 to 2005, it maintained an affiliation withBoston University.^[2][4] This affiliation ended in 2006, as IWP attained independent accreditation by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education.^[5] IWP is licensed to operate in Washington, DC by the DC Higher Education Licensure Commission^[6] and in Virginia by theState Council of Higher Education for Virginia.^[7]

In 2008, IWP became one of 17 academic institutions qualified by theUS Army to host Senior Service Fellows.^[8]

IWP has awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws to then-U.S. Secretary of DefenseJames Mattis,^[9] Dr.Hadley Arkes,^[10] GeneralMichael Hayden,^[11][12]Victor Davis Hansen,^[13] GeneralRaymond Odierno,^[14]Robert McFarlane,^[15]Robert P. George,^[16] LadyBlanka Rosenstiel,^[17]Chen Guangcheng,^[18] and LTGMichael Flynn.^[19]

The Institute of World Politics isaccredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education.^[20] The institute provides a Ph.D. program in Statecraft and Strategy, a professional Doctor of Statecraft and Strategy program, a professional Doctor of Statecraft and National Security program, nine master's degrees, and 18 graduate certificates.^[21] It houses the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies, the Center for Culture and Security, and the Center for Energy Security and Diplomacy.^[22]

The Doctor of Statecraft and National Security (Professional) (DSNS) is a degree targeted toward those who wish to pursue national security careers, as opposed to teaching. In contrast to most Ph.D. programs, it avoids specialization in favor of broad understanding.^[23]

The 150-member student body is approximately 65% recent graduates planning to pursue careers in national security, foreign policy, or intelligence and about 35% mid-career professionals in those fields seeking additional credentials.^[24] Holding a security clearance is not a prerequisite for studying at IWP,^[25] as all coursework takes place at an unclassified level.

The Institute of World Politics is located in theDupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Its campus consists of two buildings, the Marlatt Mansion and Bently Hall, both of which contain classrooms and administrative offices. Both building are designatedcontributing properties to theSixteenth Street Historic District. Bently Hall at the Institute is named forDonald E. Bently, a longtime Institute Board member and major financial supporter of the Institute.^[26][27][28]

The Institute holds the private library of formerCIA DirectorWilliam Casey^[29] and theAmerican Security Council Foundation Library.^[30]

In 2020, IWP opened a campus in Reston, Virginia.^[31]

Donald E. Bently purchased the Marlatt Mansion and two adjacent townhouses for the Institute. For the first 15 years, he rented the building to the Institute for $1.00 per year. He paid several million dollars to renovate the townhouses and later donated them to the Institute. He also endowed the Donald E. Bently Chair of Political Economy.^[32]

The institute is a501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt educational institution, relying on private charitable donations and tuition. Tuition accounts for approximately 65% of annual operating expenses.^[33]

• Brian Mennes,United States Armygeneral officer^[34]
• Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam,^[35] social activist, writer, political analyst and former senior media and public diplomacy advisor atNATO
• Eerik Marmei, former ambassador of Estonia to the U.S.
• Mark Tooley, president of theInstitute on Religion and Democracy
• Zak Allal, a medical doctor for the United Nations in Algeria and non-resident scholar at IWP^[36]
• Peter Debbins, a convicted spy for Russia, also taught not-for-credit cyber classes at IWP^[37]

• Marek Jan Chodakiewicz,^[38][39] Director of the Center for Intermarium Studies^[40]
• Christopher C. Harmon^[41]
• John Lenczowski, former director of European and Soviet Affairs, National Security Council^[42]
• Matthew Daniels, founder of Good of All^[43]
• Paul A. Goble, former special advisor to the Secretary of State^[44]
• G. Philip Hughes, former official with the White House and Departments of State, Commerce and Defense^[45]
• Joshua Muravchik, writer and specialist on U.S. foreign policy^[46]
• Michael Pillsbury, senior fellow and director for Chinese strategy at Hudson Institute^[47]
• Albert Santoli, Founder and Director of Asia America Initiative^[48]
• Henry D. Sokolski, executive director of theNonproliferation Policy Education Center^[49]

• Sebastian Gorka
• Kenneth deGraffenreid,^[50]
• John J. Tierney, Jr.,^[51]
• Mackubin Thomas Owens
• Alberto Martinez Piedra^[52]
• Juliana Geran Pilon
• S. Eugene Poteat,^[53]
• Richard W. Rahn
• Herbert Romerstein^[54]
• J. Michael Waller^[55]

• List of diplomatic training institutions

• Official website
• "Institute of World Politics". Internal Revenue Service filings.ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

• The Institute of World Politics
• Universities and colleges established in 1990
• 1990 establishments in Washington, D.C.
• Intelligence education
• Intelligence assessment
• International relations education
• Schools of international relations

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list
• CS1 maint: archived copy as title
• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from September 2025
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Pages using infobox mapframe without shape links in Wikidata
• Articles using infobox university
• Pages using the Kartographer extension