Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Julie Smith quoted in Newsweek article, “Support for NATO Falling Among Americans, New Survey Shows”

"Julianne Smith, a former national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, told Newsweek, 'It shouldn't be shocking, given what the president has said about the NATO alliance for the better part of the last three years,' that American support for the bloc has dropped. "NATO has enjoyed bipartisan support in the U.S. for 70 years, but Trump's presidency has exposed rifts within the organization. 'I worry that in a second Trump term, maybe we would see some additional damage to [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:29:48-05:00February 9, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy interviewed on the Transition Lab podcast, “The Art of National Security Transitions”

"Former Undersecretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy shares insights from her experience putting together defense transition teams for President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Flournoy also discusses the challenges associated with transitioning during an ongoing conflict, and the underrepresentation of women in national security..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:16:42-05:00February 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco writes in Lawfare: “The Coronavirus Shows Why the U.S. Must Make Pandemic Disease a National Security Priority”

"In 2018, I published an article with public health expert Vin Gupta sounding the alarm about the failure to prepare adequately for emerging infectious diseases. We were hardly the only ones. Our article, 'The Next Pandemic Will Be Arriving Shortly,' joined many national security and public health experts in using the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed 50 million people, to focus attention on the national security imperative that is pandemic disease. From my perspective as the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-04-08T16:07:53-04:00February 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Avril Haines quoted in WGBH article, “Senate Report Faults ‘Paralysis’ By Obama Team On 2016 Russian Election Scheme”

"'The missing details of these interactions are critically important because of what happened next,' [Sen. Ron] Wyden wrote. 'I believe that warning the public about a foreign influence campaign should not depend on the support of both parties, particularly when one of the parties stands to gain politically from that campaign.' Obama's administration did, however, and Wyden quotes then-deputy national security adviser Avril Haines as saying that the absence of a bipartisan condemnation from Congress 'tempered our response options...'" Read the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:30:59-05:00February 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco quoted in POLITICO article, “Senate Report Faults Obama Administration’s Paralysis on Russian Election Interference”

"Former homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco recalled a conversation with McConnell where he stated, 'You security people should be careful that you're not getting used,' which she interpreted as the GOP leader doubting the intelligence concluding Russia was attempting to interfere..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:23:12-05:00February 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Ely Ratner quoted in The Diplomat article, “The Coming U.S.-China Competition in Central Asia”

"Testifying before a U.S. Congressional Commission, Ely Ratner, executive director of the Center for a New American Security, warned, 'The United States is losing this competition in ways that increase the likelihood not just of the crumbling of the U.S.-led order in Asia, but also the rise of a China-dominated region.' In such a scenario, he cautioned, 'the region will be less free, less open, and less inclusive than it is today,' and it would take 'generations (at least) to revive [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:22:01-05:00February 6, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Lisa Monaco interviewed on Stay Tuned with Preet podcast

"In this Stay Tuned special bonus, national security experts Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein discuss the latest news stories that aren't about impeachment: Coronavirus, encryption, and the controversy over Carter Page FISA warrants..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:18:18-05:00February 4, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bridge Colby quoted in The New York Times article, “Americans Demand a Rethinking of the ‘Forever War’”

“'One of the very odd pathologies of Washington and the defense establishment is this enthrallment with the Middle East, which just isn’t that important,' said Elbridge Colby, a former senior Pentagon official in the Trump administration. 'America has become energy independent. And we’re not very good at achieving our preferred outcomes in the Middle East.' "Mr. Colby was the main author of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which recommended turning America’s war-fighting focus to the 'revisionist powers' of China and Russia..." [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:20:53-05:00February 2, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Hill article, “Palestinians Face Shrinking Options with Trump Peace Plan”

"'The plan is largely a dead letter but the facilitation of the unilateral steps that it will bring about is really what could change the situation quite dramatically,' said Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel under President Obama and visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-31T16:12:43-05:00January 31, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro writes in NPR: “Trump’s Fundamentally Flawed ‘Vision’ For Mideast Peace”

"When President Trump issued his 'Vision for Peace, Prosperity, and a Brighter Future for Israel and the Palestinian People' at the White House on Tuesday, I was reminded that no one should be more humble about critiquing new Middle East peace initiatives than those who have taken part in previous ones. I am in the club of U.S. government officials who poured thousands of hours into that effort — and failed. "So I appreciate President Trump, Jared Kushner and their colleagues' [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-31T16:11:21-05:00January 30, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc