The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) was a right-of-center think tank that advocated for military interventionism, particularly in Afghanistan. It closed in 2017 and is defunct as of 2025. ¹

The FPI was founded in 2009 with substantial seed funding from New York-based financier Paul Singer, along with other benefactors. ¹ The organization was created by Dan Senor, William (Bill) Kristol, and Robert Kagan. ²

Background

The Foreign Policy Initiative was a right-of-center think tank that advocated for military interventionism, particularly in Afghanistan. In 2017, donor Paul Singer decided to downsize his contributions, leading board members to decide to shutter the organization. It is defunct as of 2025. ¹

History

The Foreign Policy Initiative was founded in 2009 with substantial seed funding from New York-based financier Paul Singer, along with other benefactors. ¹ The organization was created by neoconservative advocates Dan Senor, Bill Kristol, and Robert Kagan. ²

In 2009, Kristol sent an open letter on behalf of the organization to the Obama White House arguing the war in Afghanistan was a “war we cannot afford to lose” and insisting that then-President Barack Obama “give our commanders on the ground the forces they need to implement a successful counterinsurgency strategy.” It was signed by President George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), and other Republican figures. ³

In 2013, the Weekly Standard reported that Chris Griffin, a former staffer to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), was joining FPI as its executive director. He was replacing Jamie Fly, a former National Security Council staffer during the George W. Bush administration, who left to work for then-U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as a foreign and national security affairs counselor. ⁴

According to an anonymous Republican source contacted by The Atlantic, the organization existed to “keep the Republican Party focused on Iraq and Afghanistan” and “beat back the isolationist strain in the party at the beginning of the Obama era.” In 2017, when it was decided this mission was “no longer relevant,” its leadership decided FPI was no longer useful. Another unnamed source, said to be a senior-level affiliate of the FPI, claimed the organization was intended to be temporary and that they had been planning to close it for two years. ¹

Financials

In 2015, the Foreign Policy Initiative reported a total revenue of $1,551,664, total expenses of $1,500,399, and net assets of $241,285. ⁵

In 2016, the FPI reported a total revenue of $1,515,487, total expenses of $1,430,183, and net assets of $326,589. ⁶

In 2017, its final year of operation, the FPI reported a total revenue of $624,816, total expenses of $829,387, and net assets of $0. ⁷ At that time, its books and records were being handled by the New York litigation services firm Kleinberg Kaplan. ⁸

Leadership

In 2015, the Foreign Policy Initiative reported that its president was Dan Senor. Bill Kristol was as the board’s secretary, Robert Kagan was as the board treasurer, and Eric Edelman was a board director. Its executive director was Christopher Griffin, its director of democracy and human rights was Ellen Bork, and writer James Kirchick was a fellow. ⁹

Dan Senor is an equity partner of Elliott Investment Management. He served in the administration of President George W. Bush as the chief spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and as a senior U.S. Defense Department official at U.S. Central Command in Qatar. He sits on the board of the Paul E. Singer Foundation. He is also a journalist and author, having written for the Weekly Standard and publishing Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle in 2009 and The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World in 2023. ¹⁰

William “Bill” Kristol is a prominent neoconservative writer who is a sharp critic of President Donald Trump and the post-2016 Republican Party. He is the editor-at-large of The Bulwark and the founder of its parent organization, Republic Affairs. He was a co-founder of the Weekly Standard in 1995 and was the magazine’s editor for more than 20 years. ^{11 12}

1. Gray, Rosie. “A Right-Leaning Foreign-Policy Think Tank Shuts Down.” The Atlantic, June 29, 2017. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/a-right-leaning-foreign-policy-shuts-down/532311/.
2. “Senor Decides Against Running for Senate, Citing Family and Business.” The Forward, March 24, 2010. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://forward.com/news/126843/senor-decides-against-running-for-senate-citing-fa/.
3. Dreazen, Yochi J. “Call for an Afghan Surge.” The Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2009. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125302644252312177.
4. Warren, Michael. “Lieberman Aide Heading to Foreign Policy Initiative.” The Weekly Standard, January 22, 2013. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20130125235322/https://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/lieberman-aide-heading-foreign-policy-initiative_697473.html.
5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foreign Policy Initiative. 2015. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foreign Policy Initiative. 2016. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foreign Policy Initiative. 2017. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foreign Policy Initiative. 2017. Part VI, Governance, Management and Disclosure – Section C. Disclosure, line 20.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foreign Policy Initiative. 2015. Part VII – Compensation of Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, Highest Compensated Employees, and Independent Contractors.
10. “Dan Senor.” Elliott Investment Management. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.elliottmgmt.com/who-we-are/dan-senor/.
11. “Bill Kristol.” Harvard Kennedy School. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/bill-kristol.
12. “William Kristol.” The Bulwark – Substack. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://substack.com/@williamkristol.