Mr. Vargas Llosa is a native of Peru and received his B.Sc. in international history from the London School of Economics and an M.A. in Value Investing and Theory of the Cycle at OMMA in Spain, as well as completing the “Search for Value” seminar directed by Professor George Athanassakos at the University of Western Ontario. He speaks Spanish, English, and French. He has been a member of Board of the Miami Herald Publishing Company and op-ed page editor and columnist at the Miami Herald, and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the BBC World Service, Time Magazine, Granta magazine, El País, the International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, The Hill, Forbes, the Spectator, El Mundo, Politique Internationale, El Comercio, Perú 21, Correo, Perfil, Ámbito Financiero, and other media outlets. In addition, Mr. Vargas Llosa has been a commentator at Univision TV, host of a weekly radio program at Radio Martí, news director at RCN radio, London Correspondent for Spain’s ABC daily newspaper, commentator and host of “Las cosas como son en América” at Radio Nacional de España in Madrid, U.S. Bureau Chief of La Tercera (Chile), host of the weekly TV program “Planeta 3” that aired in twelve Latin American countries for five years, presenter and host of the National Geographic series “Consecuencias” on contemporary Latin American history (2010), anchor and presenter of the TV documentary series “Mario Vargas Llosa: A Life in Words” (2022), commentator at NTN24, and columnist at La Nación (Argentina), El Nacional (Venezuela), Reforma (Mexico), El Tiempo (Colombia), La Tercera (Chile), El País (Uruguay), El Listín Diario (Dominican Republic).
He is the author of the books Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization, and America, Latest News on the New Ibero-American Idiot (with Carlos Alberto Montaner and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza), The Che Guevara Myth, Liberty for Latin America, The Madness of Things Peruvian, Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot (with Carlos Alberto Montaner and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza), El Exilio Indomable, Cuando Hablaba Dormido, El Diablo en Campaña, En el Reino del Espanto, Tiempos de Resistencia, and La Contenta Barbarie, as well as Fabricantes de Miseria (with Carlos Alberto Montaner and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza), El Regreso del Idiota (with Carlos Alberto Montaner and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza), La Mestiza de Pizarro, Príncipes del Valor (published in Latin America as ¿Y Tú, Dónde Pones Tu Dinero?), El Estallido del Populismo, and El Polemista Arriesgado: Catorce Asedios Liberales a Vargas Llosa (2025). He is also a contributing author to How I Learned English (edited by Tom Miller).
Mr. Vargas Llosa was the press spokesman for the presidential campaign of the Democratic Front in 1990 in his native Peru and an independent, non-affiliated Advisor on International Relations for the presidential campaign of Perú Posible in 2001.
Among his other awards, he is the recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award (2021) given by the Texas-based Association of Private Enterprise Education, the Juan Bautista Alberdi Award (2006) for his defense of freedom across the western hemisphere, the A.I.R. Award for Best Current Affairs Radio Show in Florida (1998), Puerto Rican Parliament’s Award for the Defense of Freedom (1997), Peruvian Association of Fishermen’s Award for the Defense of Freedom (2000), and Freedom of Expression Award given by the Association of Ibero-American Journalists (2003).
He has lectured widely on world economic and political issues. Among other venues, he has spoken at The World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Council on Foreign Affairs (U.S.), World Affairs Council (U.S.), Inter-American Dialogue (U.S.), Florida International University (U.S.), University of New York (U.S.), Harvard University (U.S.), Brown University (U.S.), Georgetown University (U.S.), Pepperdine University (U.S.), Cato Institute (U.S.), Manhattan Institute (U.S.), Atlas Economic Research Foundation (U.S.), Mount Pelerin Society (Chile), Naumann Foundation (Germany), FAES Foundation (Spain), Brazilian Institute of Business Studies, Fundación Libertad (Argentina), the CEDICE Foundation (Venezuela), Ecuatorian Chamber of Commerce (Ecuador), University of San Marcos (Peru), Universidad de la Libertad (Mexico), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Peru), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile), Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile), and Instituto Liberdade (Brazil). Since 2016 he has been represented for public speaking engagements worldwide by Speakers Associates, the London-based speakers’ bureau.
He is a member of the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy, a group of high-profile former government officials and academics from around the world based in Switzerland, and a member of the Advisory Council of Cátedra Sebastián Piñera (the Sebastián Piñera Chair, Chile).
