Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Dan Shapiro writes in Haaretz: “UAE’s Unique Leverage Over Israel Buried Annexation to Enable Normalization”

“When the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, decided to publish an op-ed in Hebrew in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot in mid-June, his intent was to influence the Israeli debate on West Bank annexation. "The op-ed hit its mark. Al-Otaiba’s unprecedented, unmediated address got Israelis’ attention and dominated political conversations for days. But he did more than that. He also opened the door to a major step forward in breaking down barriers in Israeli-Arab ties, realized [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:02:13-04:00August 16, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Chris Inglis writes with Tatyana Bolton in Lawfare: “Improving Cyber-Oriented Education, One Cyber Clinic at a Time”

"Cybersecurity talent gaps continue to exist across the United States, yet private sector leaders and the federal government have not been able to make the meaningful investments necessary to fill the more than half a million current vacancies nationwide, including more than 33,000 vacancies in the public sector workforce alone. Cybersecurity clinics offer a high-potential path to sharply increase the number of experienced cybersecurity professionals coming out of U.S. universities at minimal cost and with low barriers to expansion. Located in [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T20:59:57-04:00August 15, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Washington Post article, “Inside the secret-not-secret courtship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”

“During the administration of President George W. Bush, Israeli officials visiting Washington would hold secret hotel room meetings with the UAE’s influential ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, according to Dan Shapiro, who would later become a U.S. ambassador to Israel. Shapiro served on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council and said the White House at that time was kept informed of the meetings. "In early 2010, the contacts came to halt when the UAE accused Israel of assassinating Mahmoud [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:19:44-04:00August 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in the Los Angeles Times article, “Why Biden might follow Trump’s hardline policy on China”

"'The China that will face Joe Biden in January of 2021 is vastly more powerful and more formidable as an adversary than the China that he and Obama dealt with up until the end of 2016,' said Daniel Russel, a top Asian affairs official in the Obama administration and now a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:46:21-04:00August 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross quoted in The New York Times article, “Netanyahu Drops Troubled Annexation Plan for Diplomatic Gain”

"Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic administrations, said that another lure for the Emiratis was the possibility of obtaining advanced weaponry they have long sought, which the United States sells only to countries at peace with Israel to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region. “'It doesn’t mean the limits are gone, but they’re more favorable,' Mr. Ross said. He said he would expect the U.A.E. to get weapons like advanced drones. "Mr. Ross said [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:13:43-04:00August 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross writes in The Washington Post: “The Israel-UAE agreement is a key step for peace and sends a crucial message to Palestinians”

"We don’t hear many good news stories out of the Middle East, particularly recently, in the midst of the despair over Beirut, regional conflicts and the ravages of covid-19. But on Thursday there was a hopeful development: President Trump announced a historic peace agreement that will normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. "Now what had been taking place below the table will be put on top of it. Security cooperation can be acknowledged in public and won’t have [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T17:04:19-04:00August 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

WestExec Spotlight: Michael Camilleri

WestExec’s Spotlight Series highlights the issues some of our team members focus on. This week’s Spotlight features Michael Camilleri, former Western Hemisphere advisor on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and Director for Andean Affairs at the National Security Council from 2012-2017. Latin America: The United States has strong economic ties to its Western Hemisphere neighbors, but corruption and institutional fragility in the region, at times exacerbated by mixed messages from Washington, can make navigating business interests difficult. Michael helps [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-07T08:15:24-04:00August 6, 2020|WestExec Spotlight|

Bob Work quoted in Defense Systems article, “Could A New Academy Solve the AI Talent Problem?”

"'We think we have a lot of talent inside the military that we just aren't aware of,' Work said. "To remedy that, Work said the commission recommends a grading, via a programming proficiency test, to identify government and military workers that have software development experience. The recommendations also include a computational thinking component to the armed services' vocational aptitude battery to better identify incoming talent..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-07T08:26:47-04:00August 5, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Social Impact|

Bridge Colby quoted in Foreign Policy article, “Trump Looks to Arms Sales to Deepen Ties With India”

"'If there is still anybody in India who thought that a nice peaceful relationship with Beijing was a possibility, that’s gone,' said Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense during the Trump administration. "'It’s going to put a lot of those traditional hindrances farther and farther behind us. This old trope that the U.S. and India is the partnership of the future and always will be—that’s no longer the case...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-07T08:22:01-04:00August 4, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Matt Waxman quoted in Inside Security article, “FCC Seeks Input on Regulatory Review Of ‘Section 230’ Liability Protection; Issues Touch on Countering Disinformation”

"Columbia’s Waxman told Inside Cybersecurity that 'foreign disinformation campaigns remain a huge threat and the United States is still working to develop the tools to combat them.' "Waxman said, 'One reason why it's hard to combat disinformation through regulation is because while we need to protect our democracy from foreign interference, in our democratic system we don't generally believe the government should be policing speech and expression...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-07T08:31:52-04:00August 4, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

About Rebecca Skoryanc