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Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity (RPI)

Website:

ronpaulinstitute.org/
Project of:

Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
Formation:

2013

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The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity (RPI) is a project of the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE), a nonprofit that was founded by former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). 1

The Ron Paul Institute advocates peaceful foreign policy and protecting civil liberties at home. The group contends a prosperous American economy is connected to a peaceful foreign policy and free trade.  1

Background

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity is right-of-center, libertarian-leaning project of the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, a nonprofit that was founded by former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). 1

The Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, based in Lake Jackson, Texas, was founded in the 1970s.  1 FREE, a charitable organization, gained tax-exempt status in 1980. 2

The institute launched in April 2013 at an event in Washington, D.C. Speaking at the launch event were then-U.S. Reps. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC) and John Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), all named to the institute’s board of advisors. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), also spoke at the launch event, though he did not join the board of advisors until 2016. 3  4

At the launch, executive director Daniel McAdams said the institute would not be a traditional think tank, noting “the era of long detailed policy papers is over.” 3

The organization said it would promote policies of non-interventionism and civil libertarianism. 3

The group focuses on educating young people on the merits of avoiding international conflicts and protecting civil liberties domestically.  5

Upon its launch, the left-of-center Southern Poverty Law Center, known for labeling many mainstream center-right organizations as “hate groups,” ran a post on its website warning that the new group was “stacked with extremists.” 6

Critique of Republican Policies

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity is right-wing on economic matters. All but one of the current or former members of the U.S. Congress on the institute’s board of advisors is a Republican. However, the libertarian leanings of the organization have frequently put it at odds with Republican Party policy.  5 1 7

At the launch of his institute, former Rep. Paul called for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center for terrorism suspects, saying it was “outside the law.” He made the comment the same day that his son, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), voiced opposition to closing the prison. 5

The institute argues the U.S. wars that began under the George W. Bush administration against Iraq and Afghanistan were mistakes.  1

The Ron Paul Institute has criticized the Trump administration’s hawkish foreign policy stance, as well as its domestic spending.  7

Former Rep. Paul was highly critical of President Trump’s signature legislation of the first year of his second term. He said the One Big Beautiful Bill spent too much domestically and was a giveaway to the military-industrial complex. 8

On the institute’s podcast in 2025, Paul said when speaking of the Gaza conflict: “The people in this country surely ought to be at least thoughtful enough to look at both sides of this. To look at pictures like that and what’s going on — the truth is, what happens in these countries, and a lot of bad things happen, it happens with U.S. support, and that means morally we are responsible.” 9

The group also expressed opposition to the Trump administration for deporting certain immigrants in the United States and revoking student visas allegedly for expressing views opposed to U.S. policy on the Middle East and other issues. 10

Leadership

Former U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) is the chairman and founder of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.  1 An obstetric physician by profession, Paul served three separate stints in the U.S. Congress, (1976 to 1977, 1979 to 1985, and 1997 to 2013). 7 He was the 1988 Libertarian Party presidential nominee and unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012. 11

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He was previously the foreign affairs, civil liberties, and defense policy advisor to then-U.S. Rep. Paul from 2001 until Paul’s retirement from Congress following the 2012 elections. From 1993 to 1999, McAdams was a journalist based in Budapest, Hungary. He traveled through the former communist bloc as a human rights monitor and election observer. 1

Adam Dick is a senior fellow at the Ron Paul Institute. He was previously a legislative aide to Paul in the U.S. Congress from 2003 through 2013. Before that, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Board of Elections. Dick was a co-manager of Ed Thompson’s 2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign. He worked as a lawyer in New York and Connecticut. 1

The advisory board includes former U.S. Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (R-TN); Gary Heavin, a Texas businessman; former Rep. and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Dennis Kucinich (D-OH); Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY); Andrew Napolitano, a former New York judge and TV legal analyst; Llewellyn Rockwell, Jr., the founder of the Ludwig von Mises Institute; and former Rep. David Stockman (R-MI), also former director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan. 1

Programs and Activities

The ninth annual Ron Paul Peace and Prosperity Institute conference was held in August 2025 in Washington. The theme of the conference was “Blueprint for Peace,” and RPI executive director Daniel McAdams argued it was being held in the home of the military-industrial complex. Speakers included Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, who affirmed a number of conspiracy theories to the audience, arguing that the CIA killed President John F. Kennedy because he wanted peace and alleging that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, “spies on and blackmails presidents.” He further claimed that presidents are either afraid of Mossad or don’t know the true power controlling the presidency. 12

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity sponsors the “Ron Paul Liberty Report,” a daily broadcast on current affairs with host Ron Paul and co-hosts Daniel McAdams and Chris Rossini. 13

The Ron Paul Scholars Seminar is a week-long seminar for university students in political science, international relations, journalism, and other relevant areas of study. The curriculum is designed by the institute academic board. 13

The Young Communicators Program provides publishing and mentoring opportunities for university student journalists. It features college newspaper writing submitted by students and will award a scholarship to the best submissions. The program’s goal is to help nurture the next generation of foreign affairs and current affairs writers. 13

The Institute established features on its website such as “Congress Alert” and “Neo-Con Watch.” 14

The institute has a “Peace and Prosperity Index” grading members of the U.S. Congress based on votes casts on bills that affect foreign policy and civil liberties.  3

References

  1. “About the Institute.” Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/about-us/ 
  2. “Foundation for Rational Economics and Education.” ProPublica. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/742066841 
  3. Feeney, Matthew. “Ron Paul Launches Foreign Policy Institute.” Reason. April 17, 2013. Accessed November 13, 2025.https://reason.com/2013/04/17/ron-paul-institute-for-peace-and-prosper/ 
  4. Press Release. “Ron Paul Institute Names Rep. Thomas Massie to Board of Advisors.” Rep. Thomas Massie. September 12, 2016. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://massie.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395223 
  5. Hohmann, James. “Ron Paul Institute opens amid split.” Politico. April 17, 2013. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/ron-paul-institute-opens-amid-split-with-rand-090236 
  6. Lenz, Ryan. “Ron Paul’s New Organization Reportedly Stacked with Extremists.” Southern Poverty Law Center. April 26, 2013. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/ron-pauls-new-organization-reportedly-stacked-extremists/ 
  7. McCarthy, Daniel. “A Living Echo: Ron Paul at 90.” National Interest. August 20, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://nationalinterest.org/feature/a-living-echo-ron-paul-at-90 
  8. Paul, Ron. “A Big Beautiful Bill for the military-industrial complex.” Orange County Register. June 30, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.ocregister.com/2025/06/30/ron-paul-a-big-beautiful-bill-for-the-military-industrial-complex/
  9. Soave, Robby. “Ron Paul slams cruel response to Gaza famine; libertarians oppose starvation!” July 30, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://thehill.com/opinion/robbys-radar/5427685-moral-responsibility-gaza-suffering/
  10. McAdams, Daniel. “New Poll: Americans Reject Deporting Foreigners for ‘Wrongthink’ on Middle East.” Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. April 17, 2025. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/new-poll-americans-reject-deporting-foreigners-for-wrongthink-on-middle-east/
  11. “Ron Paul.” Ballotpedia. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Ron_Paul 
  12. Garner, Ginny. “The Ron Paul Institute’s ‘Blueprint for Peace’ Conference. LewRockewell. August 22, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/08/ginny-garner/the-ron-paul-institutes-blueprint-for-peace-conference/. Republished Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/the-ron-paul-institutes-blueprint-for-peace-conference/ 
  13. “Peace and Prosperity Programs.” Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/programs/ 
  14. “Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.” RocketReach. Accessed November 13, 2025.https://rocketreach.co/the-ron-paul-institute-for-peace-and-prosperity-profile_b7238a07c46c2341 
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