Richard Felix Staar (January 10, 1923 – March 27, 2018) was an American political scientist and historian. He held a position of senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. His areas of specialization included Russia and East-Central Europe (former Soviet Union, post-Soviet states and the Eastern Bloc), military strategy, national security, arms control, and public diplomacy. He was an author of numerous books and articles. He died on March 27, 2018.