Álvaro Vargas Llosa

Álvaro Mario Vargas-Llosa Llosa was born on March 18, 1966, in Lima, Peru. He is the eldest son of author and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa and Patricia Llosa, and holds dual Peruvian and Spanish citizenship. He began his education at schools in Peru and England and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International History from the London School of Economics. He also holds a master's degree in Value Investing and Business Cycle Theory from the OMMA Institute in Spain.

Vargas Llosa turned to journalism as a teenager and has worked in Peru, Latin America, the United States, and Europe. He played an active role in Peru's pro-democracy struggles in the late 1990s and early 2000s and was a spokesman for his father's 1990 electoral campaign. His work focuses on economic development, immigration, freedom, and critiques of populism and authoritarianism in Latin America. Among his most important books are "Liberty for Latin America" (winner of the 2005 Antony Fisher Prize), "Lessons from the Poor" (winner of the Templeton Freedom Award), and "Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization, and America."

He is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, president of the Fundación Internacional para la Libertad, and has been a producer and host of a documentary series for National Geographic. Vargas Llosa is also a former columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group and a regular contributor to outlets such as La Tercera, and he lectures on global politics at international forums. He is based in Washington, D.C., and spends part of the year in Europe.