Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Mike Singh testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs: “The Middle East Peace Process: An Analysis from Former U.S. Negotiators”

"Historically, the strategic foundation for U.S. involvement in the peace process has been twofold. First, the peace process was a way for the United States to manage seemingly contradictory partnerships with Israel and the Arab states, few of which recognized Israel and several of which had waged war repeatedly against the Jewish state. As Egypt and Jordan relinquished their own claims to the West Bank and Gaza beginning in the 1970s, the Arab world largely threw its support behind the Palestinian [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:26:12-05:00February 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith quoted in The New York Times article, “Merkel Succession Crisis in Germany Leaves Europe Leaderless, Too”

"Ms. Merkel will simply not take risks even when they are necessary, said Julianne Smith, a former Obama official now with the German Marshall Fund in Washington. 'It’s the worst of all worlds — we need Merkel to lead and sadly it’s not happening,' she said..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:28:32-05:00February 11, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The New York Times article, “Killing of Terrorist Leader in Yemen Is Latest Blow to Qaeda Affiliate”

“'AQAP [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] remains a significant, lingering concern, in part because the group was so fixated on aviation as a target, and the kind of bomb-making expertise that the group developed was unlikely to have been contained to just a few select individuals,' said Nicholas J. Rasmussen, a former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “'That kind of knowledge and expertise is of course shareable and transferable — not just within AQAP but beyond to other Al [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:27:21-05:00February 10, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

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|

Julie Smith writes with Torrey Taussig in Lawfare: “Europe Needs a China Strategy; Brussels Needs to Shape It”

"Europe’s momentum in developing a clear-eyed approach toward China has stalled. In March 2019, the European Commission issued a white paper naming China a systemic rival and economic competitor. That publication marked a fundamental shift in how far European institutions were willing to go in raising the challenges China poses to Europe’s openness and prosperity. It also reflected shifts that were occurring in capitals across Europe. Just as the European Union was rolling out its white paper on China, German Chancellor [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:24:50-05:00February 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|

About Rebecca Skoryanc