Geopolitical Perspectives - WestExec Advisors

Colin Thomas-Jensen quoted in Bloomberg article, “Trump Demands a Plan to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Somalia”

"'If the U.S. significantly withdraws its military footprint in Somalia, the government’s already tenuous hold on security in the country will be significantly weakened,' said Colin Thomas Jensen, a senior adviser with WestExec Advisors and former Africa policy adviser to ex-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. 'Al Shabaab will look to take advantage...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:22:47-04:00October 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in Foreign Policy article, “How a Maritime Deal with Israel Could Ease Lebanon’s Woes”

"Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said the United States has been promoting maritime border talks between the sides as far back as 2012, viewing it as low-hanging diplomatic fruit. "'This is a win-win, if you can get the deal. Both sides can do the exploration. Both sides can get the revenue that it would produce. How you split the baby is a technical matter and not really that difficult. The political hurdle was Hezbollah not being prepared to [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:13:36-04:00October 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in The Washington Post article, “Trump Promised to Bring China to Heel. He Didn’t and the Result Is A Pitched Conflict Between the World’s Two Major Powers.”

"'We treated China like an enemy, we named them an enemy and we’re getting what we asked for,' said Daniel Russel, an Asia Society expert who was a high-ranking foreign policy aide in the Obama administration. Xi is facing his own domestic pressures, Russel added, 'but what I don’t see is the kind of empirical evidence that he is reining in his ambitions or global strategy as a result...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:19:25-04:00October 11, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in Times of India article, “What Could Happen If China Invaded Taiwan”

"'Beijing’s strategy isn’t just based on undermining Taiwan’s resistance, it’s also a gamble on how the US will approach the cross-strait issue,' Daniel Russel, a former top State Department official under President Barack Obama, said in Taipei on Sept. 8. 'The strongest driver of increased Chinese assertiveness is the conviction that the Western system, and the US in particular, is in decay...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:24:13-04:00October 8, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in South China Morning Post article, “Does China’s One-Party System Blind It to Why It’s a US Election Issue?”

"'The Chinese have told themselves a story about why American attitudes have soured towards China,' said Daniel Russel, a former assistant secretary of state who advised the then President Barack Obama on East Asia issues. 'And in the story they tell themselves, it’s a function of things that have nothing to do with China...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:52:15-04:00October 6, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel writes in Barron’s: “For China, Trump’s Illness Is the Perfect Sign of an America in Decline”

"Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a loyalist of President Donald Trump, was quick last week to add the presidential Covid-19 diagnosis to the long list of American grievances against China. Another Trump ally charged that the Chinese Communist Party 'has biologically attacked our president' and must be held accountable. Apparently, it is the Chinese Communist Party, not a disdain for masks or social distancing, that is to blame for the growing number of people in the White House who have contracted the virus..." [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T15:49:30-04:00October 5, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Hill article, “Trump COVID-19 Result Raises Pressure on Pompeo”

"'We were already in a period, because of the election, that the country’s attention was so focused inward,' said Dan Shapiro, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Obama administration. 'Now you compound that with a president being less than fully healthy, even in some scenarios incapacitated, and you realize that the health of the president’s safety is a national security issue...'” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:52:49-04:00October 4, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross interviewed by France 24, “Annexation of the West Bank ‘Is Off the table'”

"In an interview with FRANCE 24, Dennis Ross, a former top US adviser on the Middle East, reacted to the recent agreements signed between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain. Ross said he believes the two Gulf states did not betray the Palestinian cause but merely decided to pursue their own national interests. He stressed, however, that the UAE had obtained in return an Israeli decision not to annex the West Bank. He added that West Bank annexation was now 'off the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T15:54:30-04:00October 2, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michael Camilleri quoted in Univision article, “Report Urges Creation of Mechanism to Repatriate Venezuela’s Stolen Assets to Alleviate Humanitarian Crisis”

"'People have floated this idea in very general terms but we looked around and nobody has done the deep thinking on this to delineate what some of the concrete options might be for making this happen,' said Michael Camilleri, an international lawyer and former diplomat, who served in the Obama administration. 'There are workable ways to take this money which is in the process of being recovered and employ it for the benefit of the Venezuelan people,' he added...'" Read the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-10-20T16:42:48-04:00September 30, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The New York Times article, “Trump Seeks to Turn Israeli-Arab Accords into Campaign Gains”

"Daniel Shapiro, who served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, said that had been true from the start of Mr. Trump’s presidency. 'He’s been trying every day for four years to turn Israel into a wedge issue with American Jewish voters, and he can’t even move it out of the margin of error,' Mr. Shapiro said. 'The votes are set...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-30T22:30:30-04:00September 20, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|