# trilateral commission ![[trilateral.svg.png]] founded: 1973 founders: david rockefeller zbigniew brzezinski jimmy carter type: annual conference headquarters: tokyo (asia pacific group) - paris (european group) - washington d.c. (north american group) members: more than 390 chairman: akihiko tanaka (asia pacific chairman) - jean-claude trichet (european chairman) - meghan o'sullivan (north american chairman) website: trilateral.org the trilateral commission is a nongovernmental international organisation aimed at fostering closer cooperation between japan western europe and north america. it was founded in july 1973 principally by american banker and philanthropist david rockefeller an internationalist who sought to address the challenges posed by the growing economic and political interdependence between the u.s. and its allies in north america western europe and japan the trilateral commission is headed by an executive committee and three regional chairs representing europe north america and the asia-pacific region with headquarters in paris washington d.c. and tokyo respectively. meetings are held annually at locations that rotate among the three regions; regional and national meetings are held throughout the year. most gatherings focus on discussing reports and debating strategy to meet the commission's aims the trilateral commission represents influential commercial and political interests. as of 2021 there were roughly 400 members including leading figures in politics business media and academia. each country within the three regions is assigned a quota of members reflecting its relative political and economic strength # history # # founding the trilateral commission was formed in 1973 by private citizens of japan north american nations (the u.s. and canada) and western european nations to foster substantive political and economic dialogue across the world. the idea of the commission was developed in the early 1970s a time of considerable discord among the united states and its allies in western europe japan and canada. to quote its founding declaration **+** "growing interdependence is a fact of life of the contemporary world. it transcends and influences national systems... while it is important to develop greater cooperation among all the countries of the world japan western europe and north america in view of ir great weight in the world economy and ir massive relations with one another bear a special responsibility for developing effective cooperation both in ir own interests and in those of the rest of the world." **+** "to be effective in meeting common problems japan western europe and north america will have to consult and cooperate more closely on the basis of equality to develop and carry out coordinated policies on matters affecting ir common interests... refrain from unilateral actions incompatible with ir interdependence and from actions detrimental to other regions... take advantage of existing international and regional organisations and further enhance ir role." **+** "the commission hopes to play a creative role as a channel of free exchange of opinions with other countries and regions. further progress of the developing countries and greater improvement of east-west relations will be a major concern" zbigniew brzezinski a rockefeller advisor who was a specialist on international affairs (and later president jimmy carter's national security advisor from 1977 to 1981) left columbia university to organize the group along with **+** edwin reischauer professor at harvard university and united states ambassador to japan 1961-1966 **+** george s. franklin executive director of the council on foreign relations 1953-1971 **+** gerard c. smith salt i negotiator and its first north american chairman **+** henry d. owen foreign policy studies director at the brookings institution **+** max kohnstamm european policy centre **+** robert r. bowie the foreign policy association and director of the harvard center for international affairs **+** marshall hornblower former partner at wilmer cutler & pickering **+** tadashi yamamoto japan center for international exchange **+** william scranton former governor of pennsylvania other founding members included alan greenspan and paul volcker both later heads of the federal reserve system the organisation's records are stored at the rockefeller archive center in north tarrytown ny # meetings the trilateral commission initiated its biannual meetings in october 1973 in tokyo japan. in may 1976 the first plenary meeting of all of the commission's regional groups took place in kyoto japan. since the ninth meeting in 1978 plenary meetings have taken place annually. besides annual plenary meetings regional meetings have also taken place in each of the asia pacific group the european group and the north american group. since its founding the discussion group has produced an official journal trialogue # membership membership is divided into numbers proportionate to each of the think tank's three regional areas. north america is represented by 120 members: 20 canadian 13 mexican and 87 american. the european group has reached its limit of 170 members from almost every country on the continent; the ceilings for individual countries are 20 for germany 18 for france italy and the united kingdom 12 for spain and 1-6 for the rest. at first asia and oceania were represented only by japan but in 2000 the japanese group of 85 members became the pacific asia group comprising 117 members: 75 japanese 11 south koreans seven australian and new zealand citizens and 15 members from the asean nations (indonesia malaysia philippines singapore and thailand.) the pacific asia group also included 9 members from china hong kong and taiwan. the commission now claims "more than 100" pacific asian members the trilateral commission's bylaws apparently deny membership to public officials. it draws its members from politics business and academia and has three chairpersons one from each region. the current chairs are former u.s. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs joseph s. nye jr. former head of the european central bank jean-claude trichet and yasuchika hasegawa chair of takeda pharmaceutical company # # leadership as of september 2021 name: position jean-claude trichet: european chairman meghan o'sullivan: north american chairman akihiko tanaka: asia pacific chairman alexandra papalexopoulou: european deputy chairman herminio blanco mendoza: north american deputy chairman barry desker: asia pacific deputy chairman carl bildt: european deputy chairman jeffrey simpson: north american deputy chairman jin roy ryu: asia pacific deputy chairman david rockefeller (deceased): founder peter sutherland (deceased): honorary european chairman georges berthoin: european honorary chairman paul volcker (deceased): north american honorary chairman yasuchika hasegawa: asia pacific honorary chairman paolo magri: european director richard fontaine: north american director hideko katsumata: asia pacific director:## notable members **+** alyssa ayres dean of the elliott school of international affairs george washington university **+** catherine bertini professor maxwell school of citizenship and public affairs **+** antony blinken u.s. secretary of state since 2021 son of donald mayer blinken stepson of samuel pisar **+** michael r. bloomberg founder/ceo of bloomberg l.p. mayor of new york city 2002-2013 namesake of largest u.s. school of public health at johns hopkins **+** sophie boissard chief executive officer korian group **+** robert r. bowie director of policy planning 1953-1957 foreign policy association co-founder with henry kissinger of harvard center for international affairs 1958 counselor of the state department 1966-1968 cfr cia chief national intelligence officer 1977-1979 **+** lael brainard chairman of the u.s. national economic council; member of u.s. federal reserve's board of governors; former under secretary u.s. treasury **+** ian bremmer president of eurasia group and gzero media **+** nicola brewer british diplomat british high commissioner to south africa dcmg **+** esther brimmer executive director/ceo of nafsa: association of international educators atlantic council board; former assistant secretary of state for international organisation affairs **+** mark brzezinski president and ceo of brzezinski strategies llc son of zbigniew brzezinski and u.s. ambassador to sweden 2011-2015 **+** zbigniew brzezinski u.s. national security advisor in carter administration **+** steve bunnell partner in o'melveny & myers llp former general counsel at dhs **+** r. nicholas burns u.s. ambassador to china since 2021 professor and board member of the belfer center for science and international affairs at harvard kennedy school director of the aspen strategy group senior counselor at the cohen group board member of entegris inc. cfr member the rockefeller brothers fund fulbright scholar at queen mary university of london 2020 vice chair of the american ditchley foundation senior advisor at chatham house under secretary of state for political affairs 2005-2008 atlantic council board **+** george h. w. bush president of the united states 1989-1993 vice president of the united states 1981-1989 **+** ash carter director of the belfer center for science and international affairs at harvard kennedy school u.s. secretary of defense 2015-2017 cfr board aspen strategy group atlantic council honorary director **+** jimmy carter president of the united states 1977-1981 **+** jean charest partner in mccarthy tetrault llp former premier of quebec member of the queen's privy council for canada **+** michael chertoff chairman/co-founder of the chertoff group secretary of homeland security 2005-2009 judge on the u.s. court of appeals for the 3rd circuit 2001-2003 assistant attorney general for the doj criminal division 2003-2005 atlantic council board **+** raymond chretien strategic adviser at fasken former chair of the montreal council on foreign relations former associate under secretary of state of external affairs former canadian ambassador to the congo belgium mexico the united states and france nephew of jean chretien **+** heidi crebo-rediker former chief economist u.s. department of state and assistant secretary of state; senior fellow council on foreign relations **+** helima croft managing director rbc capital markets **+** lee cullum journalist pbs **+** caroline daniel british journalist financial times **+** john m. deutch director of cia 1995-1996 aspen strategy group) **+** paula dobriansky senior fellow harvard belfer center; former u.s. under secretary of state for global affairs **+** wendy dobson professor emerita roman school of management university of toronto **+** hedley donovan former editor-in-chief of time **+** nina easton co-ceo sellereaston former washington editor of fortune **+** jeffrey epstein former hedge fund manager convicted of sex trafficking in 2008 described as "an enthusiastic member of the trilateral commission" in 2002 **+** dawn farrell president and ceo transalta corporation **+** diana farrell former ceo and president jp morgan institute former head of mckinsey global institute former deputy director u.s. national economic council **+** laurence "larry" fink cfr board member blackrock ceo since 1988 wef trustee **+** george s. franklin executive director of the council on foreign relations 1953-1971 **+** richard gardner columbia law professor u.s. ambassador to spain 1993-1997 u.s. ambassador to italy 1977-1981 **+** david gergen harvard kennedy school professor adviser to nixon ford reagan clinton commentator for cnn **+** jamie s. gorelick partner at wilmerhale u.s. deputy attorney general 1994-1997 general counsel of dod 1993-1994 defended bp after 2010 oil spill 9/11 commission member amazon board member **+** donald e. graham graham holdings chair since 2013 washington post publisher 1979-2000 pulitzer prize board 1999-2008 facebook board 2009-2015 bilderberg meeting attendee in 2009 and 2010 **+** kelly grier former u.s. chair and managing partner ey **+** jane harman former member u.s. house of representatives; president emerita wilson center **+** linda hasenfratz ceo linamar corporation **+** anniken hauglie former director general norwegian oil and gas association former minister of labor and social affairs norway **+** kerry healey president of the milken center for advancing the american dream; former lieutenant governor of massachusetts **+** marillyn a. hewson former chairman president and chief executive officer lockheed martin corporation **+** fiona hill the globalist writer former senior director for europe and russia of the nsc **+** carla anderson hills cfr co-chair 2007-2017 u.s. hud secretary 1975-1977 u.s. trade representative 1989-1993 **+** melody hobson co-ceo and president ariel investments **+** gerda holzinger-bergstaller chief executive officer erste bank austria **+** karen elliott house former publisher the wall street journal; former senior vice president dow jones & company **+** christopher b. howard robert morris university president since 2016 cfr rhodes scholar harvard board of overseers aspen strategy group **+** vivian hunt british businesswoman and managing partner at mckinsey london **+** samuel p. huntington former director of harvard's center for international affairs former white house coordinator of security planning for the u.s. national security council **+** david ignatius washington post journalist body of lies author aspen strategy group **+** ken juster u.s. ambassador to india **+** juliette kayyem lecturer in public policy jfk school of government harvard university; former assistant secretary u.s. department of homeland security **+** john kingman british businessman and chairman at legal & general **+** henry kissinger kcmg national security adviser 1969-1975 u.s. secretary of state 1973-1977 first chair of the 9/11 commission nov.-dec. 2002 author of nss memo 200 bilderberg attendee subject of the trials of henry kissinger- mentor of klaus schwab atlantic council board **+** max kohnstamm european policy centre **+** jovan kovacic east west bridge founder and president **+** nicholas d. kristof new york times columnist aspen strategy group member rhodes scholar **+** stephanie kusie canadian member of parliament **+** monique leroux former chair of the board and ceo desjardins group **+** tove lifvendahl political editor-in-chief of svenska dagbladet **+** cecilia malmstrom former european commissioner for trade european commission **+** heather mcpherson canadian member of parliament **+** judith a. "jami" miscik cfr vice chair cia deputy director for intelligence 2002-2005 global head of sovereign risk at lehman brothers 2005-2008 piab chair 2014-2017 president/vice-chair of kissinger associates since 2009 **+** andrea mitchell chief foreign affairs & chief washington correspondent nbc news anchor andrea mitchell reports- msnbc; spouse of alan greenspan **+** susan molinari former member u.s. house of representatives **+** walter mondale vpotus 1977-1981 candidate in 1984 presidential election **+** mario monti prime minister of italy 2011-2013 **+** heather munroe-blum chair canada pension plan investment board **+** john negroponte u.s. deputy secretary of state 2007-2009 un ambassador 2001-2004 first director of national intelligence 2005-2007 subject of the ambassador- brother of mit media lab founder nicholas negroponte **+** michelle nunn president and ceo care **+** joseph nye former u.s. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs atlantic council board **+** claudia olsson founder and chair stellar capacity **+** meghan o'sullivan trilateral commission north american chair cfr board aspen strategy group **+** henry d. owen foreign policy studies director at the brookings institution **+** stephen peel british private equity investor **+** martin j. munsch iii u.s. united nations deputy communications pakistan mission relations 2003-2010 under bush clinton 2003 - 2010 **+** edwin reischauer harvard professor and u.s. ambassador to japan 1961-1966 **+** ginni rometty former president and ceo of ibm **+** david rubenstein cfr chair carlyle group founder namesake of hks building wef trustee aspen strategy group **+** indira samarasekera bennett jones former president and former vice-chancellor of the university of alberta **+** david e. sanger new york times white house correspondent aspen strategy group **+** eric e. schmidt ex-ceo of google bilderberg attendee **+** susan c. schwab former u.s. trade representative **+** william scranton former governor of pennsylvania **+** kristen silverberg president and coo business roundtable; former u.s. ambassador to the european union **+** gerard c. smith lead salt 1 negotiator **+** rajiv shah rockefeller foundation president atlantic council board **+** wendy sherman u.s. deputy secretary of state since 2021; former professor of the practice of public leadership and director of the center for public leadership at the harvard kennedy school; former under secretary of state for political affairs u.s. department of state **+** olympia snowe u.s. senator from maine 1995-2013 **+** keir starmer leader of the uk labor party **+** james b. steinberg u.s. deputy secretary of state 2009-2011 under obama deputy national security advisor 1997-2001 under clinton cfr member aspen strategy group bilderberg attendee **+** jake sullivan u.s. national security advisor since 2021 **+** carole taylor former chair cbc/radio canada former chair canadian ports **+** frances townsend homeland security advisor 2004-2008 cfr board aspen strategy group atlantic council board **+** philip h. trezise center for law and social policy **+** cyrus vance sr. u.s. secretary of state 1977-1980 **+** jacob wallenberg bilderberg attendee "prince in sweden's royal family of finance" **+** marcus "husky" wallenberg swedish banker formerly at citibank deutsche bank s. g. warburg & co. citicorp and the seb group **+** paul c. warnke center for law and social policy clifford warnke glass mcilwain & finney **+** david willetts british conservative party peerage **+** tadashi yamamoto japan center for international exchange **+** robert zoellick world bank president 2007-2012 cfr member bilderberg attendee # criticisms social critic and academic noam chomsky has criticised the commission as undemocratic pointing to its key publication the crisis of democracy which describes the strong popular interest in politics during the 1970s as an "excess of democracy." ey has cited it as one of the most interesting and insightful books showing the modern democratic system not to really be a democracy at all but controlled by elites who seek to keep the general public disengaged from genuine democratic participation by subtle and mostly non-violent methods and to redefine democracy itself in operative terms that enshrine ir own interests as a tiny privileged minority. chomsky adds that as it was an internal discussion they felt free to "let ir hair down" and to talk openly about the need for an increasingly active and defiant public to be reduced back to its proper state of apathy and obedience lest it continue to use democratic means to deprive them of ir power critics accuse the commission of promoting a global consensus among the international ruling classes in order to manage international affairs in the interest of the financial and industrial elites under the trilateral umbrella in ir 1980 book with no apologies republican senator barry goldwater suggested that the discussion group was "a skillful coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power: political monetary intellectual and ecclesiastical... the creation of a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation-states involved" # conspiracy theories involving the trilateral commission some conspiracy theorists whose views extend beyond mere criticism and who belong largely to the right of the political spectrum believe the organisation to be a central plotter of a world government or synarchy. in ir book among the truthers: a journey through america's growing conspiracist underground jonathan kay wrote that luke rudkowski interrupted a lecture by former trilateral commission director zbigniew brzezinski in april 2007 and accused the organisation and a few others of having orchestrated the 9/11 attacks to initiate a new world order neo-conservative pundit charles krauthammer mockingly alluded to the conspiracy theories about the commission when ey was asked in 2012 who makes up the "republican establishment" saying "karl rove is the president. we meet every month on the full moon... the masonic temple. we have the ritual: karl brings the incense i bring the live lamb and the long knife and we began... with a pledge of allegiance to the trilateral commission" # publications books **+** crozier michel; huntington samuel; watanuki joji (1975.) the crisis of democracy: report on the governability of democracies to the trilateral commission. new york: new york university press **+** the global economic crisis. washington d.c.: brookings institution. 2011. -93-2 **+** nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. washington d.c.: brookings institution. 2011. -94-9 # see also **+** bilderberg group **+** chatham house (the royal institute of international affairs) **+** council on foreign relations **+** world economic forum **+** u.s.-japan council **+** bohemian grove **+** rockefeller family **+** samuel huntington (author of the crisis of democracy) **+** shanghai cooperation organisation **+** valdai discussion club **+** internationalism **+** lizards # external links **+** the crisis of democracy (1975.) a report on the governability of democracies to the trilateral commission. new york university press articles **+** brzezinski zbigniew. "america and europe." foreign affairs vol. 49 no. 1 october 1970. doi: 10.2307/20037815 (pp. 11-30) includes brzezinski's proposal for the establishment of a body like the trilateral commission books **+** brzezinski zbigniew. between two ages: america's role in the technetronic era. new york ny: viking press 1970. oclc 88066 **+** gill stephen. american hegemony and the trilateral commission (cambridge studies in international relations.) cambridge university press 1991. isbn 052142433x oclc 246854587 **+** kay jonathan. among the truthers: a journey through america's growing conspiracist underground. new york ny: harper 17 may 2011 **+** rockefeller david. memoirs. new york ny: random house 2002 **+** sklar holly. trilateralism: the trilateral commission and elite planning for world management. boston ma: south end press 1980 **+** sutton antony c. trilaterals over america. boring or: cpa book publishers 1995. 325 oclc 39366977. 162 pages **+** wood patrick m. technocracy rising: the trojan horse of global transformation. coherent publishing 2014. 909 **+** is the trilateral commission the secret organisation that runs the world? (fact check against conspiracy theories from the straight dope 1987) // republic of bob