Hon. Mani Shankar Aiyar

Political Leader

India

The Honorable Mani Shankar Aiyar is a former member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He is a former three-time elected representative to the Lok Sabha, lower house, where he received the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian Award’ for 2006. Aiyar spent more than twenty years as a diplomat after joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1963. Before retiring from the service in 1989, he held posts as consul-general in Karachi and joint secretary of the ministry of external affairs to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Mr. Ryosei Akazawa

Political Leader

Japan

Mr. Ryosei Akazawa is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, currently serving as member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet. Prior to being elected in 2005, Akazawa worked in the Ministry of Transport.

Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander

Political Leader

United Kingdom

The Right Honorable Douglas Alexander was a member of the British Parliament from 1997 to 2015. He has held numerous cabinet positions, including minister of state for Europe, and secretaries of state for Scotland, transport, and international development. He has also headed several election campaigns. Currently, he is a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a visiting professor at King’s College London’s Policy Institute. He is also senior advisor to U2 frontman Bono on development initiatives, and strategic advisor at Pinsent Masons LLP — an international law firm.

Rt. Hon. James Arbuthnot

Political Leader

United Kingdom

The Right Honorable James Arbuthnot is a member of the House of Lords on the Conservative side and chair of the advisory board of Thales UK, a French defense company. In his previous capacity as a member of Parliament, he served as chair of the House of Commons Defense Select Committee where helped hold the Ministry of Defense accountable for its actions and issued reports on current defense-related policies and practices from 2005 to 2015. During his 23 years as an MP, Arbuthnot held a number of other eminent posts including government whip from 1992 to 1994, minister of state for defence procurement from 1995 to 1997 and member of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Arbuthnot attended Eton before graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge with an honors law degree. Prior to becoming an MP in 1987, Arbuthnot practiced as a barrister.

Hon. Keiichiro Asao

Political Leader

Japan

The Honorable Keiichiro Asao is a former member of both houses of the Japanese Diet. Asao worked for The Industrial Bank of Japan before being elected to the House of Councilors in 1998. He was elected member of the House of Representatives in 2009, and within his party serves as chairman of the Policy Research Council. Asao is also a chartered member of the Security Analysts Association of Japan (SAAJ) and has published scholarly articles on Japanese and international affairs.

Prime Min. José María Aznar López

Political Leader

Spain

Prime Minister José María Aznar López is the executive president of the Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis and a distinguished scholar at Georgetown University, where he has taught several seminars on contemporary European politics. As prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004, Aznar led his country through significant economic and social reform. One of his greatest areas of focus is international terrorism and the promotion of international cooperation in the pursuit of global security and stability.

Aznar received his law degree from Complutense University of Madrid and worked initially as government tax inspector. He served as a member of Parliament through four legislatures before becoming prime minister in 1996.

Rt. Hon. Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP

Political Leader

United Kingdom

The Right Honorable Dame Margaret Beckett DBE is a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. She has held a number of high positions in the government, including foreign secretary (2006-2007) and president of the Board of Trade. Beckett was leader of the House of Commons from 1998 to 2001.

As foreign secretary, Beckett gave a celebrated speech at the Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference in 2007 that pledged the United Kingdom’s commitment to the vision of a “world free of nuclear weapons.”

Rt. Hon. Lord Des Browne

Political Leader

United Kingdom

The Right Honorable the Lord Browne of Ladyton (Des Browne) is a member of the House of Lords. Browne served as a member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun until 2010. He also served as secretary of state for defence and secretary of state for Scotland until 2008, and was appointed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the government’s special envoy to Sri Lanka in 2009. Previously, he was chief secretary to the Treasury, minister of state for immigration, minister of state at the Department of Work and Pensions, and under-secretary of state at the Northern Ireland Office. During his concurrent tenures as secretary of state for defence and for Scotland, Browne was also a member of the Privy Council. From 2009 to 2014 he was convenor of the Top Level Group of Parliamentarians for Multi-Lateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation. He currently serves as vice chair of Nuclear Threat Initiative.