Stephen J. Hadley has long played a leading role in national security issues for Republican administrations. As a Pentagon aide under George H.W. Bush, Hadley worked mainly on issues involving nuclear weapons and NATO. Under George W. Bush, Hadley had a broader mandate first as deputy national security adviser where, among other things, he helped prepare arguments to support the invasion of Iraq. Later, as national security adviser, he helped craft the administration’s engagement policy toward Beijing. The Bush team counted on Beijing to pressure North Korea to halt its development of nuclear weapons and to work with the U.S. to combat the global financial crisis. Since leaving office, Hadley has worked to improve relations with China through so-called Track Two dialogues involving former officials in both countries. Recently, he published Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama, a compilation and analysis of the foreign policy transition memos the Bus