University News | October 14, 2011

Fareed Zakaria named 2012 Harvard Commencement speaker

The international affairs expert, writer, and television host holds a Harvard Ph.D. in government.

International affairs expert Fareed Zakaria will be the principal speaker at Harvard's 361st Commencement, the University announced today.

Zakaria earned a Ph.D. in government from Harvard in 1993. A prolific writer, he has been an editor at Time magazine, Newsweek's international edition, and Foreign Affairs. His books include The Post-American World, The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, and From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America's World Role. He is the host of the CNN international-affairs program GPS. Esquire magazine has called him "the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation."

In the official announcement, President Drew Faust called him "an unusually creative and incisive thinker in the realm of international affairs."

Zakaria will speak at the Afternoon Exercises—the annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association—which in 2012 take place on May 24.

You might also like

A group of protesters holding signs marches past a gated entrance on a sunny day.

Graduate Student Union Schedules Strike

The work stoppage will begin October 27, unless a final bargaining session next week yields an agreement.

Crowd protesting near a statue, holding signs with various messages; flags above.

Harvard Graduate Student Union Authorizes Another Strike

The University warns this walkout may not be protected by labor law, an assertion the union disputes.

Historic building surrounded by trees, with people gathering in a park setting.

FAS Readies for Administrative Transition

Faculty leaders say layoffs will yield $20 million in annual savings.

Most popular

Bronze statue of a seated figure holding a book, with a campus setting in the background.

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

Tall modern skyscraper against a clear blue sky, viewed from below.

Harvard Stabilizes Finances With Strong Endowment Returns, Philanthropy

Small operating surplus is dwarfed by reduced federal research support and endowment tax liabilities.

Explore More From Current Issue

Black and white portrait of a woman with medium-length hair, smiling softly.

Alumni

The outgoing executive director and Harvard Business School graduate went from dancing The Nutcracker to growing a ballet company.

A woman jogs on a path beside a boy riding a bicycle, surrounded by trees.

Health & Medicine

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches

St. Peter's Basilica at sunset, illuminated by purple and orange sky reflections in the river.

Alumni

For advocacy and benevolence, three late alumni are reportedly in line for the Catholic Church’s highest honor.