Michèle Flournoy quoted in The Economist article, “Why Joe Biden Is Ending America’s Combat Mission in Iraq”

“Mr Biden’s moves represent the start of a larger transformation in America’s posture. ‘There’s a working hypothesis…that we’re probably overinvested in the Middle East,’ says Michèle Flournoy, a former Pentagon official. ‘Despite discussions of prioritising the Asia-Pacific, we haven’t actually shifted all that much of our weight in that direction,’ she adds. The vast Al-Udeid air base in southern Qatar actually expanded in the Trump years. It is thought still to house more than 10,000 American troops, part of a presence [...]

2021-08-02T23:10:46-04:00July 31, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in The New York Times article, “China’s New U.S. Ambassador Is Likely to Reflect Beijing’s Confidence”

“Mr. Qin’s appointment may reflect that ‘the Chinese system seems to be in a phase of favoring unswerving loyalty to the party above diplomatic achievement,’ said Daniel Russel, a former American diplomat who is now a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute…” Read the full article here: Full Article

2021-08-02T23:08:28-04:00July 27, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross writes in Bloomberg: “To Deter Iran, Give Israel a Big Bomb”

“With negotiations paused until a new hardline administration takes office in Tehran, the chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal anytime soon are not bright. Moreover, even successful talks might not stop Iran’s leaders from pursuing nuclear weapons. The Biden administration needs to find a better way to deter them. “It’s still possible, perhaps even likely, that the desire for sanctions relief will prompt the Iranians to rejoin the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, once [...]

2021-08-02T23:03:59-04:00July 23, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross quoted in The Jerusalem Post article, “US President Joe Biden welcomes King Abdullah to the White House”

"Ambassador Dennis Ross, a Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Jerusalem Post that the visit doesn’t signal a higher priority for the Middle East, 'but does signal a recognition that even a management strategy requires not just active diplomacy but also visible involvement of the president and secretary of state from time-to-time...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

2021-08-02T23:01:34-04:00July 19, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel interviewed in Nikkei Asia: “US Must Outcompete China for A Stable Relationship”

"If we took a step back and looked broadly at the historical record, we see that the United States deliberately chose a policy of engaging China and supporting its development, first back in 1972 under President Richard Nixon, where this was part of the strategy for containment of the Soviet Union, but then again in the '90s, when Bill Clinton was president, after the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union. There was a second policy of [...]

2021-08-02T22:26:12-04:00July 10, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Larry Gumbiner interviewed in The Dialogue: “What Does the Future Hold for Peru’s Oil & Gas?”

“Resource nationalism helped catapult Pedro Castillo to the verge of the presidency. He won handily in regions where mining and energy resources predominate. But Castillo is a political blank slate, with no governance experience and scant ideological formation beyond simple platitudes. His union with the Perú Libre Party of committed Marxist Vladimir Cerrón is a marriage of convenience formed for the election. Castillo’s tack toward the center after the first round may reflect his real views or mere expediency to calm [...]

2021-08-02T22:28:49-04:00July 9, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Jim Jeffrey quoted in Bloomberg article, “Biden, Putin Face Post-Summit Test Over Syria Cooperation”

“'The basic strategic question is what Russia will demand from the international community and the U.S. in return for saving these 3.5 million people,' said James Jeffrey, who recently served as the American envoy for Syria and negotiated cross-border aid with Moscow. 'The U.S. is putting a lot of emphasis on this and it’s getting a lot of attention, but Putin won’t do this just to make us happy...'” Read the full article here: Full Article

2021-08-02T22:31:41-04:00July 6, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Jim Jeffrey and Dennis Ross write in The Atlantic: “The Iran Nuclear Deal Isn’t the Problem. Iran Is.”

"Ebrahim Raisi’s election as president of Iran came as no surprise. All those who might have been a threat to him were disqualified. He was the choice of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and small wonder: Few people better embody the ideology of the Islamic Republic. He will not open Iran up to the outside world, and will certainly not look to accommodate the United States in any way. As for Iran’s behavior in the Middle East, he has made clear [...]

2021-08-02T22:16:57-04:00June 29, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Vince Brooks quoted in Time Magazine article, “’This Is a Window of Opportunity.’ Ret. General Vincent K. Brooks on Why Things Might Be Moving Again With North Korea”

"Now a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, General Brooks spoke to TIME about opportunities for a breakthrough with North Korea during the Biden Administration…" Read the full article here: Full Article

2021-08-02T22:07:04-04:00June 24, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in The Wall Street Journal article, “North Korea Gives the U.S. the Cold Shoulder on Nuclear Talks”

"Now it is the Kim regime holding out. It is a well-established tactic for the North Koreans, at times treating even low-level engagement as a reward, said Daniel Russel, the top State Department official for Asia during the Obama administration. "'They make you work for it, sweat for it, and ultimately beg for it, so that when they do at some point sit down, you already owe them big time,' said Mr. Russel, who is now a vice president of the [...]

2021-08-02T22:08:05-04:00June 23, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|
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