Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Nick Rasmussen quoted in Bloomberg Government article, “Iran Threat Response Seen as Weakened by Trump Migrant Focus”

“'The focus on immigration to me has meant the senior leadership could not possibly have as much of an in-depth feel for the terrorism and counterterrorism set of issues,' Nicholas Rasmussen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who worked on the issue under the last three administrations, said in an interview. 'When you get into crisis mode, you can’t just acquire that experience.' "Rasmussen and some former DHS officials and security specialists applauded aspects of the department’s response, however, pointing [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:17:36-05:00January 8, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Meghan O’Sullivan writes in Foreign Affairs, “The U.S.-Iraqi Relationship Can Still Be Salvaged”

"One of the most dramatic consequences of killing Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is unfolding at a rapid pace: the severing of ties between the United States and Iraq. There is still time to salvage this most critical relationship, but doing so will depend on the willingness and ability of the Trump administration to change the tone of the conversation in very short order. The current U.S. approach—calling for sanctions against Iraq if it demands the exit of American forces—risks [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:01:59-05:00January 7, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Tony Blinken on CNN’s “Amanpour”

"Former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Antony Blinken says he suspects Iranians will look for other ways to exact a cost on the US for the killing of Soleimani..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:06:52-05:00January 7, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy quoted in the Financial Times article, “Iran Fallout Exposes Rifts Between Trump and Pentagon”

“‘The whole question of are we leaving Iraq or not speaks to absence of a normal, rigorous [National Security Council] co-ordination process [and] lack of any consideration of the second or third order effects,’ said Michèle Flournoy, a former senior Pentagon official under Barack Obama, now at WestExec, an advisory firm in Washington...” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:09:00-05:00January 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy quoted in The New York Times article, “A Strategy for the Mideast That Has Even Trump’s Allies Scratching Their Heads”

"Michèle A. Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense under President Barack Obama who turned down a chance to serve as deputy defense secretary for Mr. Trump, said the chaotic nature of the current foreign policy stemmed from an 'impulsive, inconsistent' president without a functional national security process that would ensure that 'second- and third-order consequences' were fully considered. "There is 'no real strategy or shared framework,' she said, 'so tactical decisions are made in a vacuum or untethered from broader [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:12:56-05:00January 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy interviewed on PRI’s “The World”

"Marco Werman spoke with Michèle Flournoy, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, to understand the details of the decision-making process that lead to Soleimani's death..." Read the full transcript here: Full Transcript

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:14:34-05:00January 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy on CNN’s New Day with Alisyn Camerota

“'I think the threat to Americans in the region, the threat to our national security, is substantially higher today than it was before the attack,' former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy says about the Soleimani killing..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:24:46-05:00January 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Liz Rosenberg quoted in The Wall Street Journal article, “Additional Iran-Related Sanctions by U.S. May Have Little Impact, Sanctions Experts Say”

"The EU’s decision would be important particularly amid diverging policies between Europe and the U.S., said Elizabeth Rosenberg, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. The U.S. and EU previously coordinated sanctions lists and worked together to reach the 2015 nuclear deal. However, their sanctions strategies are no longer in alignment since President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear pact in 2018. “'It’s different this time,' said Ms. Rosenberg, who previously advised on Iran sanctions [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:05:16-05:00January 6, 2020|Economy & Trade|

Lisa Monaco writes in The Washington Post: “We Are in Uncharted Territory Now. Are We Prepared for That?”

"Qasem Soleimani was pure evil. He had the blood of innocents the world over on his hands, including hundreds of our troops due to a murderous campaign of improvised explosive devices that he masterminded during the Iraq War. A terrorist mastermind is dead, and for that we should be grateful. "But whether we are safer is just one of the many questions unleashed in the wake of Friday’s drone strike at the Baghdad airport, along with profound implications for the security [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:22:12-05:00January 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dennis Ross writes in The Hill: “Fears Of ‘What’s Next?’ Will Influence Iran’s — And the World’s — Reactions”

"The killing of Qassem Soleimani is surely a game-changer. He was the mastermind of Iran’s policies in the region, and perhaps the second most powerful figure in the Iranian hierarchy. "He developed and shaped Shia militias as tools of Iranian coercion, leverage and intimidation in the Middle East. He trained, financed, armed and helped guide their operations — and they, in turn, enabled Iran to extend its influence at minimal cost. His successes permitted Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, to refer [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:23:19-05:00January 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

About Rebecca Skoryanc