Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian writer, historian, and former liberal politician. He served as Member of the Canadian Parliament and then as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and leader of the Official Opposition. He is a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and holds thirteen honorary degrees. Between 2012 and 2015 he served as Centennial Chair at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in international affairs in New York. Between 2014 and 2016, he was Edward R. Murrow Chair of the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Michael Ignatieff was until recently the Rector and President of Central European University in Budapest. He stepped down at the end of July 2021 to remain a professor in the History Department. 

He currently teaches classes such as “Democratic Freedom and its Enemies” as well as “Human Rights in History.” In 2024, Ignatieff received the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences for his defense of human rights and analysis of political conflicts. He is the author of eighteen books covering topics such as human rights, liberalism, and the history of ideas and also writes screenplays, reviews, and essays. His most recent book is on Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times.

Photo: Michael Ignatieff ©Paul Sharp