Washington, DC – Foreign Policy for America is saddened with the news of the passing of Senator Richard Lugar today. A true national security expert who believed in bipartisan collaboration, Senator Lugar was an unwavering nonproliferation champion who worked tirelessly to reduce the world’s stock of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. He was an extraordinary leader who routinely crossed the political aisle to pursue policies that kept America and the world a safer place.
Elisa Massimino, FP4A board member remembers the Senator as “a shining example of a statesman who put country over party. From his leadership in the fight against U.S. support for apartheid in South Africa, to his persistent championing of investment in diplomacy, Senator Lugar did the hard work of operationalizing through politics the core belief that our country is stronger and safer when it lives up to its ideals.”
FP4A board member Lionel Johnson said: “Senator Lugar should have been Secretary of State. He epitomized the idea that partisanship should end at America’s shores. On a more practical policy level, he was critical to the shift in US policy in the Philippines in 1986 when I served there. That is, away from authoritarian rule and toward the path toward transparent and accountable democracy. Finally, in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Lugar‘ partnership with Sam Nunn was pivotal to ensuring that the USSR’s nuclear arsenal did not end up in the wrong hands.”
FP4A sends our condolences and sympathies to the Lugar family, and all those who had the privilege of working with him, during this difficult time.
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