Paul Craig Roberts

Paul Craig Roberts – Life, Career, and Selected Wisdom

A comprehensive biography and analysis of Paul Craig Roberts — American economist, former Reagan Treasury official, critic of neoliberalism, and provocative public intellectual — including his life, ideas, controversies, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Paul Craig Roberts (born April 3, 1939) is an American economist, author, and commentator. He served as Assistant Secretary of the the U.S. Treasury for Economic Policy under President Ronald Reagan and later became an outspoken critic of many facets of U.S. policy, especially in economics, foreign affairs, and media.

Roberts is known for his advocacy of supply-side economics, his critique of globalization, and his strongly skeptical views on U.S. foreign policy, central banking, and media power. Over time, his public profile has become controversial, as some of his positions have attracted accusations of conspiracy-thinking and revisionism.

Below is a detailed look at his life, intellectual trajectory, major works, controversies, and a selection of quotes that encapsulate his outlook.

Early Life, Education & Early Career

• Birth and Family: Roberts was born on April 3, 1939, in Atlanta, Georgia.

• Undergraduate & Early Studies: He earned a B.S. in Industrial Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• After that, he pursued graduate work, including time at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford, before completing a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Virginia, supervised by G. Warren Nutter.

• His doctoral dissertation was titled “An Administrative Analysis of Oskar Lange’s Theory of Socialist Planning”.

• He also held a research fellowship at Oxford University, at Merton College, following his doctorate.

After his formal education, Roberts held academic and policy roles — teaching economics, advising Congressional committees, and working in think tanks before entering public service.

Public Office & the Reagan Era

In 1981, Roberts was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy during the Reagan Administration.

He is credited as a principal drafter of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, a signature supply-side tax reform.

However, his tenure in that role was brief: he resigned in 1982, returning to academia and public commentary.

After leaving government, he held the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and taught at various institutions.

Intellectual Positions & Work

Economic Views & Critiques

Roberts has been a vocal proponent of supply-side economics, arguing for tax cuts, reduced regulation, and market incentives.

Over time, he became a harsh critic of neoliberal globalization, offshoring, the Federal Reserve, and what he describes as financial elite dominance.

He has also critiqued U.S. foreign interventions, the rise of the national security / surveillance state, and the erosion of constitutional constraints.

Writings & Publications

Roberts has authored numerous books and articles. Among his more notable works:

• The Supply-Side Revolution: An Insider’s Account of Policymaking in Washington (1984)

• The Tyranny of Good Intentions: How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice (2000)

• How America Was Lost: From 9/11 to the Police/Warfare State (2014)

• The Failure of Laissez-Free Capitalism and the Economic Erosion of the West (2012)

He also publishes regularly in opinion venues and has a website hosting essays and commentary.

Controversies & Criticism

In later years, Roberts’s public persona and statements have drawn significant controversy:

• Accusations of conspiracy theorizing and historical revisionism: Roberts has questioned mainstream narratives on events like 9/11 and has made statements that critics claim veer into conspiracy territory.

• Accusations of antisemitism and Holocaust revisionism: Some of Roberts’s writings have been interpreted as denying or minimizing aspects of the Holocaust, which has prompted condemnation from organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center.

• Polarizing alignment with certain geopolitical narratives: He has been sympathetic in his commentary to Russian positions, critical of U.S. foreign policy, and accused of promoting pro-Russia narratives.

These positions have affected how Roberts is received in academic, media, and public discourse — some view him as a truth-teller, others as marginalized for extreme views.

Selected Quotes

Here are a few representative quotations attributed to Paul Craig Roberts:

“A ‘conspiracy theory’ no longer means an event explained by a conspiracy. Instead it now means any explanation or even a fact that is out of step with the government’s explanation and that of its media pimps