Donald Kagan

Kagan entered the world in 1932 in Lithuania, but his Jewish family emigrated to New York after his father's death. Highly educated, Kagan first graduated from Brooklyn College, went on to receive his Master's from Brown University, and then earned a PhD from Ohio State University. Kagan's speciality is ancient Greece which he teaches at Yale University as a Sterling Professor of Classics and History. He has written extensively about the Peloponnesian War, and in his book On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace he talks about the nature of war and the importance of being vigilant during peacetime.

Though Kagan had been a liberal Democrat, he changed politically to a neoconservative when he saw the need for a stronger U.S. military. As a neoconservative he challenged the government to increase spending for the military because America's role as the world's superpower is imperative to keep global order. He maintains that foreign policy is one of the government's most important responsibilities. In 2000, with his son Frederick, Kagan wrote While American Sleeps. The Kagans support building U.S. defenses and using force when necessary.

A highly awarded scholar and writer, Donald Kagan's work earned him the National Humanities Medal for 2002. He was also the National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecturer in 2005, among other distinguished awards he has received over the years. Kagan continues to teach and write.