Leon Aron

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Leon Aron, who was born in Moscow and came to the United States as a refugee in 1978, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He studies Russian domestic and foreign policy, U.S.-Russia relations, and the economic, social, and cultural aspects of Russia’s post-Soviet evolution.

From 2014 to 2020, Dr. Aron was a governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the operations of several international broadcasting outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From 1990 to 2004, he was a
panelist on Looking from America (Gliadya iz Ameriki), a weekly Voice of America Russian-language radio and television show. Dr. Aron has taught at Georgetown University and received the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Peace Fellowship. In 2011-2012 he was co-chairman of the Russia Advisory Group of Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential
election campaign.

Dr. Aron is also a prolific writer and editor. His latest book, “Riding the Tiger: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Uses of War” (AEI Press, 2023) chronicles, through the use of hundreds of Russian sources, how Vladimir Putin has used militarized patriotism to transform Russian society and maintain his grip on power. The book has been praised by Russia experts and described as “one of the most important stories of our time” and
“a fantastic read.”