Brett D. Schaefer is the Jay Kingham Senior Research Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs at Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.

Schaefer analyzes a range of foreign policy issues, focusing primarily on the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations and other international organizations. He frequently speaks and publishes on issues related to the world body and its activities.

From 2019 to 2021, Schaefer was appointed by the U.N. General Assembly to serve on the Committee on Contributions, which advises the General Assembly on the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations among member states.

Schaefer is editor of and contributor to the 2009 book, ConUNdrum: The Limits of the United Nations and the Search for Alternatives (Rowman & Littlefield). It features chapters written by experts on an array of international activities and responsibilities conducted by the U.N. and related international organizations, among them diplomacy, international law, peacekeeping, the environment, disarmament, health, human rights, trade and development.

Schaefer has written extensively on economic development and peace and security issues there and how those issues affect America's national interests. Schaefer's writing and analysis have also included contributions to rankings of individual nations in the annual Index of Economic Freedom, published by The Heritage Foundation.

He speaks frequently to audiences of business leaders, congressional staff and academics, and has testified before Congress on the United Nations and foreign assistance and development. Schaefer's appearances on a variety of radio and television programs include CNN, Fox, MSNBC, BBC and C-SPAN.

He joined Heritage in 1995 and was named Kingham Fellow in September 1996. He worked at the Pentagon as an assistant for International Criminal Court policy from March 2003 to March 2004. In 2012, he received the Drs. W. Glenn and Rita Ricardo Campbell Award presented annually to the Heritage Foundation employee making an outstanding contribution to the analysis and promotion of a free society.

Schaefer received his master's degree in International Development from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Florida State University.