Richard A. Clarke is a highly respected literary fiction novelist, who is perhaps best known for his distinguished career as a civil servant in the American government, spanning over thirty years. Clarke held various positions in the government, including working for the State Department during the Reagan administration and serving as the National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism during the Clinton administration.
During his tenure in the government, Clarke was a key figure in the country's counter-terrorism efforts. He served as the chair of the Counter-terrorism Security Group and was appointed to a seat on the United States National Security Council by President George H.W. Bush. Clarke continued to serve in the same position during the Clinton administration and was promoted to be the National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism. He was the chief counter-terrorism advisor on the National Security Council, a position that was retained during the early years of the George W. Bush administration.
After leaving the Bush administration in 2003, Clarke came to widespread public attention for his role as a counter-terrorism czar during the Clinton and Bush administrations. He appeared on the 60 Minutes television news magazine, released his memoir about his service in government, "Against All Enemies," and testified before the 9/11 Commission in 2004. Clarke's strong criticisms of the Bush administration's attitude toward counter-terrorism before the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the decision to go to war with Iraq made him a controversial figure.
Following his career in government, Clarke turned to writing, initially focusing on non-fiction works that drew on his extensive experience in national security and counter-terrorism. His first book, "Against All Enemies," became a bestseller, and he has since published several other non-fiction works, including "Cyber War." Despite his background in non-fiction, Clarke has also ventured into literary fiction, demonstrating his versatility as a writer. He has posted excerpts and other information related to his books on his website, richardaclarke.net.