Dr. Eric Patterson

President and CEO

Dr. Eric Patterson is President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

A foreign policy expert and long-time fighter of totalitarianism, Dr. Patterson previously served as President of the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI), where he led the organization’s efforts to advocate for religious liberty around the world through training and educational programs for students, teachers, public officials, and other audiences. Prior to RFI, Dr. Patterson was a university dean and professor. 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 and the co-edited volume The Reagan Manifesto: ‘A Time for Choosing’ and Its Influence.

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The Importance of International Religious Freedom Day

October 27 is International Religious Freedom Day, a testimony to the inestimable worth of our first freedoms. It is also a reminder of how many people around the world, especially under Marxist regimes, cannot freely live out their fundamental human…

A Bipartisan Commitment to Religious Freedom

Supporters of global religious freedom were relieved to see that Congress overwhelmingly passed and President Joe Biden signed the reauthorization of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., commented that USCIRF “remains a vital tool in defending…