Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, the former chief administrator of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, will speak tonight in Memorial Auditorium on the war and its broader implications for global terrorism.

The event is part of what has become an annual collaboration between Stanford in Government, or SIG, and the ASSU Speakers Bureau to bring a big-name political speaker to campus in the spring. The tradition began two years ago, when Janet Reno, the former U.S. attorney general, spoke on campus. Last year, SIG and the Speakers Bureau enlisted Democratic presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun.

Bremer is a more polarizing figure than Reno or Braun. As the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, or CPA, which oversaw the reconstruction of Iraq’s economy, infrastructure and government, he was the most visible American administration official in Iraq.

Bremer and the provisional authority were frequently criticized by Democratic officials for missteps in the reconstruction efforts, such as the absence of basic utility services and the deterioration of civil order in some regions.

“The war in Iraq, terrorism and homeland security are all issues particularly important to Stanford students, judging by student attendance at other events related to these topics this year,” said May Chiang, chair of SIG. “Bremer has extensive experience in all of these areas.”

Before serving in Iraq, Bremer spent 23 years in the State Department and served as Ambassador to the Netherlands.

Security at the event will be tighter than usual. Two armed Stanford deputies, four special event patrols and a secret service detail will secure the area and protect Bremer, who will arrive in a motorcade.

The largest cost associated with the event, however, is not the security, but the speaker himself. A marquee speaker such as Bill Clinton or Colin Powell can earn more than $100,000 per speech. Contractual obligations prevented the event’s organizers from revealing the amount Bremer received.

“It’s a five-figure number, obviously,” said senior Chris Lin, chair of the ASSU Undergraduate Senate, which oversees student groups’ budgets. “It’s in the tens of thousands, but nowhere near a hundred thousand.” He hinted that the actual figure falls near middle of that range.

The Speakers Bureau and SIG are splitting the cost evenly and received additional help from other campus groups, including the Society for International Affairs at Stanford and the Roosevelt Institution. The Stanford Democrats were asked to co-sponsor the speech, but declined.

“It was too rich for our blood,” said Stanford Democrats President Marie Jonas, a sophomore.

Bremer, who is writing a book about his experiences in Iraq, has asked that his comments this evening be off-the-record. According to senior Josh Meltzer, director of the Speakers Bureau, the request stemmed from an obligation to his publisher to limit his media coverage.

The Daily will be providing full coverage of Bremer’s speech despite his request.

“A public event like this one cannot be off-the-record, because neither Bremer, the Speakers Bureau nor Stanford in Government can control whether or not audience members write about what they hear,” said Daily Editor in Chief Cynthia Cho. “The Daily has a responsibility to its readers to cover the event.”

Bremer took heat last September for criticizing the administration’s reconstruction plans in what he assumed were off-the-record speeches at DePauw University in Indiana and at an insurance conference in West Virginia. Bremer’s assertion that “we never had enough troops on the ground” became campaign fodder when his remarks went public.

Tickets to Bremer’s speech are free for members of the Stanford community and will be available today in White Plaza and at the Graduate Community Center from noon to 1 p.m. and at the door this evening.