Peter van Buren

Peter van Buren is an American military veteran and author. He is former United States Foreign Service employee, and the author of two novels and two non-fiction books about military affairs.

Early life
Peter van Buren was born in New York City.

Career
Van Buren served in the U.S. Department of State for 24 years. He spent a year in Iraq. Following his book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, the Department of State began proceedings against him. Through the efforts of the Government Accountability Project and the ACLU, Buren instead retired from the State Department with his full benefits of service.

After 23 years of service at the State Department, Van Buren experienced a series of escalating, adverse actions. The State Department claimed Van Buren had not properly cleared his book for publication under Department rules and that it contained unauthorized disclosures of classified material. The Washington Post noted that "Van Buren has tested the First Amendment almost daily." After several months of legal battles, the State Department withdrew its intent to fire Van Buren and he instead retired with his standard pension and benefits.

Van Buren was associate producer for the film SILENCED, (2014) by James Spione.