Dr. Eric Patterson

President and CEO

Dr. Eric Patterson is President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to educate all generations about the terrible history, ideology, and legacy of communism, and it accomplishes this through educational programming, policy-relevant research, and the VOC Museum in Washington, DC. Patterson has previously served as a think tank president and university dean. His government experience includes service as a White House Fellow, at the U.S. Department of State, and, for over 20 years, as an Air National Guard commander. He is an active scholar on the moral dimensions of national security and international affairs, as well as author of over 20 books, including Just American Wars: Ethical Dilemmas in U.S. Military History.

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Reagan’s Birthday Gift

Forty years ago, today, Ronald Reagan had a busy birthday, including speeches to large gatherings of federal employees at the Departments of Treasury and Health & Human Services. His schedule for the day suggests an intimate birthday dinner in the residence that…

Gibbon’s “Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire” and Trump’s National Security Strategy

February marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Edward Gibbon’s monumental The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The legacy of Gibbon’s fundamental thesis can be found in President Trump’s new National Security…