"'There are so many processes that broke down in the Trump years … and those have to be rebuilt,' said Dana Shell Smith, a former U.S. ambassador to Qatar who came from the career ranks. 'So while everyone agrees that we need positions filled, it’s just a reality that it can’t be done overnight…'" Read the full article here: Full Article
"U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken made a plain-language, lucid pitch to the American people on March 3 that explained the Biden administration’s major goals and guiding principles in international affairs. The speech laid the groundwork for the release later in the day of a White House preliminary strategy paper on national security that delves deeply into the issues, challenges and new administration’s priorities…" Read the full article here: Full Article
"Today's [Congressional] hearing comes nearly two weeks after the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released a report saying the U.S. government is unprepared for the battle over AI technology with China. "'This will be expensive and requires significant change in mind-set at the national, and agency, and Cabinet levels,' the [National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence]’s vice chair, Robert Work, said as the report was released. 'America needs White House leadership, Cabinet member action, and bipartisan congressional support to win the [...]
"American foreign policy under President Biden may focus more closely on transatlantic issues than the previous administration, [the report's launch] event participants noted. That shift will likely benefit Ukraine, argued Dr. Celeste Wallander, President and CEO of the US-Russia Foundation. "According to Wallander, 'the US-Ukraine relationship will be part of the reinvigorated transatlantic strategy under the Biden administration.' Key aspects of this strategy, she noted, 'will be the focus on democracy, rule of law, and the fight against corruption. In all those [...]
"Alliances and partnerships in the region have been highlighted in the U.S. Arctic policy documents over the years as the greatest strategic asymmetric advantage over rivals in the region, and therefore the cornerstone of regional strategy. Notably, activity with and through allies and partners can help to partly offset the lack of surface ice-hardened capabilities and infrastructure such as ports, harbors, and other facilities, the lack of which limits the U.S. Navy to operating outside the marginal ice zone … As [...]
"It is now clear to all that the major factor in international politics will be the US-China competition, in Asia more than anywhere else. The new Biden administration has signaled that it will pick up where the Trump administration left off and undertake an 'extreme competition' with China. Beijing, meanwhile, has made increasingly clear its aspirations to hegemony over Asia and its consequent opposition to US influence – the primary roadblock to that goal – in the region. "The question for countries [...]
"The Biden administration is moving quickly to reinforce the strategic importance of the Quad - a security alliance between the US, Australia, India and Japan - starting by distributing vaccines across the Asia-Pacific… "'China’s dramatic rise and assertive behaviour has brought home the realisation for these four countries that they will benefit from a co-ordinated agenda to shape and influence regional trends and global governance,' Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said…" Read the full article here: Full [...]
"As the UK government announces it will lift the cap on its nuclear stockpile and the foreign secretary says he will seek trade deals with countries that violate international standards on human rights in a leaked recording, what image is the UK projecting across the world?" Michèle Flournoy discusses with Foreign Officer minister James Cleverly, former International Development Secretary, Rory Stewart, and Professor of Global History at Oxford University, Peter Frankopan." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview
In conversation with Maj. Gen. Charlie Dunlap, USAF (Ret.) and Executive Director of Duke University's Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security, Michèle Flournoy "offered insights on a range of topics including the recent exchange of air strikes between the U.S. and Iranian-backed militias in Syria, the Obama administration’s counterinsurgency strategy in Pakistan, the urgency of addressing climate change, Russia’s gray zone tactics against democracy, and the preparedness of the United States to compete with China…" Watch the full event here: [...]
"Elbridge Colby, a former defense official in the Trump administration, noted that so far the Biden administration has signaled it has no intention of drawing down limited resources from the Middle East, Afghanistan or Europe. At the same time, it wants to add new missions to the Pentagon’s already full plate, for instance dealing with pandemics and climate change "'The focus on China and modernizing the force is right. But the key to making that happen is hard choices,' Colby said..." [...]