IWP Chairman John LovewellIWP’s “Secret Sauce” and Winning Without War
Dear Friends of IWP,
I was born in July 1945, a few days before Victory over Japan and the end of World War II. Since then, we have had the Korean War, the long Cold War with the Soviet Union, Vietnam, the first Iraq War, the long war in Afghanistan, and the second Iraq War. Over the years, the U.S. has directly or indirectly participated in many other wars around the world. Today, the United States supports Israel in its war with Iran and Iran’s proxies, Ukraine in its war with Russia, and Taiwan in its potential war with China.
Every war involves tremendous human suffering. However great the cost and futile many conflicts seem, why does humanity persist in such self-destructive behavior? It seems no matter how horrific the experience of one generation is, the next generation will likely forget the lessons of recent history and become embroiled in the threat of another catastrophic war.
World War II was the most brutal, widespread, and destructive war in human history. Tens of millions lost their lives. It came just 20 years after World War I. Was it inevitable? Or might it have been avoided?
I won’t try to discuss the “why” of all this. But I can say, at The Institute of World Politics (IWP), a graduate school for diplomats, warriors, intelligence professionals, and other national security experts, we believe most wars can be avoided with good foreign policy and consistent national security strategy.
At IWP, we believe most wars can be avoided with good foreign policy and consistent national security strategy.
John Lenczowski, IWP’s Founder, is the author of the IWP mission. He was President Reagan’s National Security Council advisor for Soviet Affairs, and a principal architect of the Cold War strategy which defeated the Soviet Union without firing a shot. In this endeavor, he earned credibility as a statesman and strategic thinker because he was on the inside, helping the U.S. and the West to win without war, to avoid what might have easily been the worst war in history. I don’t think we fully appreciate the magnitude and blessing to humanity of this achievement.
Based on his experience in the White House with President Reagan, John created the curriculum for IWP. This curriculum is IWP’s “Secret Sauce.” It is based on the idea that the Cold War strategies that succeeded are broadly applicable to most potential wars before they become hot.
IWP is educating its graduates to be leaders in the practical pursuit of peace, while at the same time preserving the liberty which has led to such prosperity, innovation, and charity in America.
IWP is not a think tank. We are not trying to change the nature of humanity in all its good and bad potential. IWP is a repository, organizer, and dispenser of time-tested ideas that reduce the probability of war and can lead to a just and enduring peace.
To briefly summarize the IWP “Secret Sauce,” the curriculum educates leaders to be grounded in the reality of the global strategic environment and the real motivations and capabilities of our adversaries. This involves the discipline of overcoming impediments to seeing the world as it really is, including the bias, ideology, and willful blindness encouraged by our culture and education system.
IWP students are also taught to rely on the value of credible deterrence as a fundamental and consistent foreign policy. As Reagan said, “Peace through Strength.”
IWP students learn to appreciate the value and application of all the instruments of power, including military, diplomatic, economic, intelligence, counterintelligence, political influence, psychological warfare, and public diplomacy. These should be coordinated like the instruments of an orchestra in pursuit of national security objectives.
Some of these are non-kinetic instruments of conflict, which, when a conflict is irreconcilable, ought to be tried before we resort to using force. As one example, public diplomacy should play a much greater part in influencing the hearts and minds of the oppressed populations of autocratic regimes. Public diplomacy was a key in winning the Cold War without the massive blood and treasure cost of armed conflict.
IWP graduates are informed patriots who know history and love the nation they are called to defend. They have also studied character development, to ensure they bring integrity, courage, prudence, and humility to their roles in some of the most sensitive positions in government.
Finally, those entrusted to educate our graduate students are almost all practitioners of what they teach. They do not view the world through a theoretical lens.
These elements summarize IWP’s unique “Secret Sauce.” Of course, there is much more depth to the mission, and the education to receive a doctorate or master’s degree is quite rigorous.
Many IWP alumni have proven the value of their education by performing magnificently in developing policy, creating strategy, and advising their agency leaders.
Unfortunately, no other educational institutions are teaching this course of study in any comprehensive way. No other school requires its students to study all five dimensions of the military, economic, diplomatic, political, and moral defense of American liberty. Consequently, IWP cannot meet the demand for its students and their unique capabilities. 96% get jobs in their field of interest within 12 months of graduation.
We are at a moment in history when the need for more sound national security leadership is urgent. War and potential war seem to be everywhere. The tools of destruction – nuclear, cyber, AI, drones, satellite attacks, and other warfare innovations – are proliferating. Many in the national security community recognize these perils, and those graduates who have IWP’s “Secret Sauce” credentials are in great demand.
Imagine the effect on U.S. foreign policy if the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, the Joint Chiefs, the Director of National Intelligence, the Directors of the FBI and CIA were all IWP alumni or were advised by IWP alumni. Placing well-educated leaders in key staff positions in both the legislative and executive branches is central to our mission, and indeed we have succeeded already in numerous cases.
If we had more such talent in the right positions, would the nation be as close to war with Russia, Iran, and China as we are now? I think not.
IWP’s greatest challenge today is also arguably among the nation’s greatest challenges: to get enough able leaders in key national security roles before it is too late. To this end, IWP has set a goal of tripling its enrollment from approximately 165 students to 500 within three years.
This is an invitation to join the students, alumni, faculty, and staff of IWP to meet this goal, and eventually make the IWP “Secret Sauce” the prevailing prescription for U.S. national security, foreign policy, and winning without war.
Help us recruit students, raise funds, and introduce new friends to this mission. It is urgent; it is profoundly important; and it offers you the satisfaction of contributing to the preservation of our great nation and to the security, freedom and opportunity of your children and grandchildren.
John Lovewell
Chairman