Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

WestExec Spotlight: Danny Russel

WestExec’s Spotlight Series highlights the issues some of our team members focus on. This week’s Spotlight features Danny Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2013-2017. US-China Relations: Danny has watched the U.S. relationship with China grow increasingly adversarial. He helps a wide variety of WestExec clients navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, and tracks developing events, policies, stakeholders, and trends across China and the Asia-Pacific. Danny also helps develop tailored strategies for WestExec clients, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-07T08:38:30-04:00May 15, 2020|WestExec Spotlight|

Lisa Monaco quoted in PBS Newshour article, “Obama Team Left Pandemic Playbook for Trump Administration, Officials Confirm”

“'We absolutely did leave a plan. It was called a playbook,' said Lisa Monaco, former homeland security adviser to President Obama. The goal, she said, was to share the lessons learned during the Ebola and Zika outbreaks..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-29T12:57:36-04:00May 15, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Danny Russel interviewed on the Asia In-Depth podcast, “North Korea’s Public Health Vulnerability”

"In this episode of Asia In-Depth, Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy Daniel Russel explores these questions with two experts on North Korea — Harvard Medical School scholar Dr. Kee B Park, who leads an effort to assist doctors in North Korea, and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow, Dr. Jung H. Pak, an author, and former deputy national intelligence officer at the National Intelligence Council..." Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-15T10:26:03-04:00May 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith writes with Laura Rosenberger in Newsweek: “While the U.S. Sits Back, China Is Using Covid-19 to Cozy Up to Europe”

"As the world has grappled with COVID-19, China has sought to leverage the crisis for geopolitical advantage. To do so, China isn't relying on the traditional forms of statecraft, such as diplomacy. Instead, it is pairing highly publicized aid with public bullying, bombastic rhetoric and outright coercion. "We have spent the last month closely monitoring Chinese donations to European allies and the messages that have accompanied them. These cases—which involve at least 23 different countries in Europe—tell us a lot about [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-15T10:11:49-04:00May 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Washington Post article, “Netanyahu May Still Head Israel’s Government. But It’s A Big Change Nonetheless.”

"But the scope of annexation, which was envisaged in the Trump peace plan, has yet to be determined. It is unclear whether Gantz, who says he supports annexation if enacted as part of the entire plan that also provides for a Palestinian state, will try to reduce the scale of an action that could spark violence in the territories and roil diplomacy in the region. Diplomats face changes in Jerusalem in any case, said Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-29T12:59:18-04:00May 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross quoted in The New York Times article, “On Annexation, a Green Light Turns Yellow, Pompeo’s Visit to Israel Signals”

"Dennis Ross, who helped negotiate earlier peace plans during the Clinton administration, noted signs of 'a certain pause' in the Trump administration’s approach after a series of diplomatic maneuvers that appeared designed to pressure Palestinian officials into new talks with Israel. "Notably, Mr. Ross said, leaders of neighboring Arab states are urging the Trump administration to withhold its approval of West Bank annexation — arguing that it would upend regional security agreements, create a new influx of Palestinians into Jordan and, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-29T13:05:26-04:00May 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Lisa Monaco interviewed on CNN’s New Day

"Former Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco responds to Sen. Mitch McConnell's claims that former President Obama left the Trump administration unprepared for a pandemic..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-15T10:24:12-04:00May 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro writes in Haaretz: “What Pompeo’s High-speed Mid-pandemic Trip to Israel Is Really About”

"His own State Department remains on lockdown, with most employees working from their homes. The entire world is subject to a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' warning. White House officials who have attended West Wing meetings with him have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days. "Yet with all that, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will touch down in Israel for a brief visit on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Speaker of Knesset Benny [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-15T10:10:43-04:00May 11, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Bridge Colby writes with A. Wess Mitchell in the Wall Street Journal: “Containing China Will Be Complicated”

"The Covid-19 pandemic has convinced many that the U.S. must fundamentally change its policy toward China. Shifting course is necessary, but it won’t be achieved with a few policy tweaks. That’s because the pandemic’s political and economic effects are bringing about a more assertive Chinese grand strategy. "Beijing has steered China’s rise with relative ease since the mid-1990s. Enabled by the West’s open arms, China has grown its economy, armed itself and expanded its influence around the world without significant interference [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-12T10:26:28-04:00May 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith quoted in CNN article, “Covid-19’s Threat to European Unity”

"'The debates over corona bonds remain fierce, with some countries pushing for these grants (instead of loans) and others, like Germany, strongly opposing the idea,' Julie Smith, senior adviser to the president of the German Marshall Fund and director of their Asia program, told me. "Smith spent 2018 in Germany focused on German foreign policy and relations with Asia. "'Either way, if Germany folds and gives in or if it holds steady and refuses, anti-EU sentiment will likely rise. If German [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-05-15T10:22:17-04:00May 7, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc