Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Danny Russel quoted in Bloomberg Businessweek article, “In Hong Kong, Xi Jinping Takes a Page From Vladimir Putin’s Playbook”

"Daniel Russell, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, sees Xi’s fulfillment of a domestically popular mission to unify the motherland as one of several echoes of Russia’s 2014 move on Crimea. The 'muscular assertion of sovereign power at a moment of weakness at home' is another. Putin had been struggling with low approval ratings since returning to power two years before and could ill afford to appear weak, after losing a struggle to keep [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:55:42-04:00June 2, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy keynotes CSIS Future Strategy Forum

Michèle Flournoy explores how Covid-19 will impact national security in her keynote address to kickoff the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) 2020 Future Strategy Forum, an initiative to connect scholars who research national security with its leading practitioners... Watch the full keynote here: Full Keynote

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:36:07-04:00June 2, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro writes with John Allen in The Hill: “Stopping Israel’s Annexation Is a US National Security Interest”

"Opponents of Israel unilaterally annexing portions of the West Bank frequently couch their concerns in terms of the infringement on Palestinian rights and aspirations for statehood. Those concerns are real. Yet we would add another reason for opposition: the damage that would be done to American security interests. "Each of us has devoted a significant portion of our personal and professional lives to advocating — and acting — in support of Israel’s security. We have worked closely with Israel’s leaders and [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:51:08-04:00June 1, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Ron Clark and Shannon Kula share guidance for community protection and resilience in a piece published by Rutgers’ Miller Center: “Part VI: RESILIENCE: The Need for Universal Personal Protective Equipment”

In February, Dr. Clark and Dr. Kula and started developing guidance for vulnerable communities and faith-based organizations to help them understand evidence based best practices for the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to provide pragmatic guidance that was realistic, accessible and would positively impact their level of safety amidst a storm of misinformation... Read the latest guidance here: Latest Guidance

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:39:44-04:00June 1, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bridge Colby quoted in The New York Times article, “As Virus Toll Preoccupies U.S., Rivals Test Limits of American Power”

"'I think what Beijing is pursuing — and it’s a rational interest — is hegemonic authority over Asia,' said Elbridge Colby, the former Pentagon official who was the main writer of the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy, which focuses on how the American military should reshape itself for great-power competition with Russia and particularly China... "'We need to change things on Taiwan to improve the deterrent and make clearer where we stand,' said Mr. Colby, who added that the United States [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:53:12-04:00June 1, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy writes with Jim Townsend in Der Spiegel: “This Is at the Core of the Transatlantic Idea”

"The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group Rolf Mützenich has called for Germany to withdraw from NATO's nuclear participation . A debate that has long been smoldering among experts has now reached the public. Mützenich bases his position on the fact that the policies of the current US government make the use of nuclear weapons more likely. "We knew from decades of experience working with Germany on defense and security issues that this debate would come. It began when it was [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:41:42-04:00May 31, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Atlantic article, “It’s Time to Listen to the Doomsday Planners”

"Doomsday planners can’t conjure up every possible future calamity. But their warnings can prompt the government to react quickly, to adapt to ambiguity, and to treat uncertainty as a feature of good social science, not an excuse to avoid prudent precautions. Nicholas Rasmussen, who participated in national-security continuity planning as a senior counterterrorism adviser to George W. Bush and Obama, told me that, at the moment, the U.S. government doesn’t 'really have a plan for a scenario where we are down [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T14:02:16-04:00May 29, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Danny Russel quoted in The Washington Post article, “As He Seeks to Punish China, Trump Faces Criticism at Home Over His Own Attacks on Democratic Values”

"Danny Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society, who served in the Obama administration, said the Trump administration had long since 'crossed the Rubicon in terms of undercutting any credibility the United States may have had with the Chinese public about our commitment to values and to our principles.' "Trump tweets and actions this week 'are just gratuitous validation,' said Russel, who added that a theme running through Trump’s domestic and foreign policies 'is the theme of polarization and divisiveness. [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T14:04:22-04:00May 29, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith and Meghan O’Sullivan in conversation on the Post-Pandemic Order podcast

"On this week’s episode of Post Pandemic Order, host Julie Smith discusses the coronavirus and disruptions in the global energy market with Meghan O’Sullivan the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School where she also directs the Geopolitics of Energy Project. "The insight-packed 20 minute conversation dives into the pandemic’s effect on energy trends, the international energy transition, the state of international cooperation on energy issues, and much more..." Listen to the full episode [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-05T13:48:03-04:00May 28, 2020|Economy & Trade|

Danny Russel quoted in Al Jazeera article, “Tension Boiled in Hong Kong Ahead of New Security Bill Discussion”

"'The legislation on Hong Kong was a decisive show of force by Xi Jinping, signalling a willingness to defy international opinion, to challenge the United States and to threaten the people of Hong Kong - and by extension, the people on Taiwan as well,' said Daniel Russel, Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. "'There is little sympathy for Hong Kong protesters on the mainland, and this muscle-flexing by Xi is a timely distraction from the government’s early missteps on [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-29T13:19:21-04:00May 28, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc