José María Aznar was Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. During his two terms he initiated important economic and social reforms, including measures to promote free trade and competition in the private sector, reduce taxes, and curtail government spending. Under his leadership, Spain’s gross national product (GNP) increased by 64 percent and millions of new jobs were created. He has been an outspoken critic of Islamic terrorism, and an astute observer of Middle East developments in the wake of the “Arab Spring”.