Andrew Curtis, Author at WestExec Advisors

Danny Russel quoted in The Washington Post article, “Biden Administration Begins First Faceoff With China Amid Worsening Relations”

"'Among the factors that drive the administration’s messaging is not wanting to expose a flank and invite criticism of being appeasing to Beijing,' said Danny Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former career diplomat. 'They are disabusing people of the expectation that this is going to produce some solutions or even negotiations. But it’s an opportunity to lay our priorities and level-set…'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-18T19:40:57-04:00March 18, 2021|News|

Andrea Kendall-Taylor quoted in The Hill article, “Hostility Rises Between Biden, Putin”

"Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, echoed that sanctions alone aren’t effective, but send an important signal of unacceptable behavior. They are also likely to take on more weight with a comprehensive strategy being developed by the Biden administration and in coordination with allies…" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-18T18:43:23-04:00March 18, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in The Wall Street Journal article, “Hitting Nerve With Kim Jong Un Regime Takes Just a Few Words”

"When nuclear talks with Washington and Pyongyang unfolded in the early 1990s, U.S. negotiators saw the language of reciprocity as a mild concession to a small, yet proud country that sought more equal terms in any deal, said Daniel Russel, the former top State Department official for Asia during the Obama administration, who was involved in those talks…" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-18T12:27:01-04:00March 18, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Vikram Singh writes with Joe Felter in Defense One: “How SecDef Austin Can Make the Most of His India Visit”

"As the last stop on U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's first international trip, India caps a carefully choreographed display of the U.S. administration's focus on working with America’s closest allies and partners to safeguard a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This is a good move, given that India and the United States will be linchpins in keeping the region at peace…" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-18T00:00:13-04:00March 18, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Jim Jeffrey writes in The Hill: “How Joe Biden Can Avoid Mistakes With His Middle East Foreign Policy”

"The administration has properly issued interim national security strategic guidance to shape its foreign policy in the longer term. The guidance for the Middle East is sensible, in general, to back Israel and other American partners, defend the global security system, move broadly with Iran, and combat terrorism. A formal Middle East policy based on this guidance is urgent with new challenges in the region. Otherwise, American reaction for events will appear unpredictable, then episodic responses will define policy. As the [...]

Andrew Curtis2021-03-17T10:00:41-04:00March 17, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy quoted in Nextgov article, “Experts Explore the Need for a National Technology Strategy”

"'The stakes are very, very high,' former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy, who is chair of the [Center for New American Security] board, said during the webinar. 'And I think we've seen that without a clear national-level effort and strategy, we are taking a risk that we won't keep the edge and key areas where we really do need to do that…'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-17T00:00:13-04:00March 17, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Danny Russel quoted in Politico article, “China and U.S. Appear Set for a Frosty Alaska Summit”

"'The Biden team has focused on getting into position and getting the sequence right in their engagement with China,' said Danny Russel, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under former President Barack Obama. 'Obviously, the fact that they’re holding this meeting literally on the heels of alliance consultations in Tokyo and Seoul is no accident…'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-16T19:40:57-04:00March 16, 2021|News|

Meghan O’Sullivan cited in Bloomberg article, “What Countries Will Fight Over When Green Energy Dominates”

"Meghan O’Sullivan, director of Harvard’s geopolitics of energy initiative, has argued that shale also gives the U.S. significant foreign policy freedom. The added supply reduced potential for blowback from oil-price effects when America levied sanctions against Iran, blocking its oil from the global market…" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-16T00:01:07-04:00March 16, 2021|Climate & Environment|

Bob Work quoted in National Defense Magazine article, “Commission: AI Dominance Requires Bold Action”

"The Defense Department and intelligence community must be AI-ready by 2025 to avoid falling behind, the [National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence] commissioners said. Reaching that goal will require the government to create a Technology Competitiveness Council akin to the National Security Council, said former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work. "'The U.S. has no mechanism to organize for a tech competition,' he said. The National Security Council was created at the beginning of the Cold War to manage a long-term competition [...]

Andrew Curtis2021-03-16T00:00:39-04:00March 16, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Danny Russel writes in The Diplomat: “Quad Leaders Have Put Forward a Plan, Not a Promise”

"With the announcement of an ambitious vaccine initiative for Southeast Asia on March 12, the 'Quad' has in a sense come full circle. The 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' among four major democratic nations in the Indo-Pacific – Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – had its inception in tragedy as a 'core group' coordinating relief efforts in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed nearly a quarter million people. So the combined effort by the four countries to again [...]

Andrew Curtis2021-03-16T00:00:19-04:00March 16, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Andrew Curtis