Bridge Colby, Ely Ratner, and Damon Wilson testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 29, 2019, to examine the implementation of the National Defense Strategy, and the threats posed by China and Russia. Download the written testimony or watch the full hearing here: Full Hearing
"For the famously fractious Venezuelan political opposition, these have been weeks marked by uncharacteristic unity and strategic thinking. While achieving their ultimate goal—the ouster of Nicolás Maduro and restoration of democracy—remains uncertain, the opposition has strengthened to a point where transition seems possible, if by no means certain. "For the past several months, Venezuelan opposition figures have focused anyone who would listen on the date of January 10, 2019. That day, they argued, would mark the start of a new presidential [...]
"Senator John McCain liked to remind us that it is always darkest before it goes completely black. That may prove an apt metaphor for President Trump’s foreign policy. The past two years have been plenty dark, with a long list of self-inflicted wounds: tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, pulling out of the Paris climate accord, walking away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, separating children from their parents at the border, insulting allies while embracing autocrats. "But the administration has [...]
Matt Waxman sits with the Council on Foreign Relations' James Lindsay to discuss presidential emergency powers and executive actions. Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast
Michèle Flournoy joined host David Greene on NPR's Morning Edition to discuss how the bombing in Syria this week might affect a planned troop withdrawal. Read the full transcript or listen to the audio here: Full Interview
Washington, DC – WestExec Advisors is pleased to announce that Nicholas “Nick” Rasmussen and Elizabeth “Liz” Rosenberg have joined the firm as Senior Advisors. Nick is the former Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and has served in senior posts across three administrations, serving on the National Security Council (NSC) staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama before being appointed Director of NCTC by President Obama and continuing his tenure at the request of President Trump in 2017. [...]
One of the more troubling yardsticks by which to measure President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria was the gratification it seemed to offer American adversaries. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the decision “correct,” and senior Iranian regime cleric Ayatollah Hassan Ameli asserted that it “hands [Syria] to Iran.” The state-run media of Syria’s Assad regime gloated predictably. Conspicuously quiet on the matter, however, was the country the U.S. increasingly regards as its chief rival—China. Beijing’s silence reveals how [...]
When Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as Brazil’s president on New Year’s Day, he announced that, “One of my priorities is to protect and reinvigorate Brazilian democracy.” The hardline former army captain was known for many things during his 27 years in Brazil’s Congress, but champion of democracy was not one of them. Bolsonaro expressed nostalgia for Brazil’s military dictatorship and dedicated his vote to impeach then-President Dilma Rousseff to the colonel who led a dictatorship-era torture squad... Read the full [...]
Foreign policy was the last thing on voters’ minds in the midterm elections, but as we look toward 2020, one thing is clear: President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy — or its progressive cousin, retrenchment — is broadly popular in both parties. Trump’s recent decision to withdraw all troops from Syria and 7,000 from Afghanistan has been condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike in Washington. But it is not at all clear that Americans beyond the Beltway are equally outraged. The [...]
In this episode of "Intelligence Matters," host Michael Morell speaks with Lisa Monaco, former U.S. Homeland Security Advisor to President Barack Obama. She reviews her career trajectory from federal prosecutor to Hill staffer to running the National Security Division at the Department of Justice to a series of high-profile roles at the White House. Monaco evaluates the existing threat from foreign-directed terror attacks and the importance of continuity in counterterrorism policy... Listen to the full podcast: Full Article