Michèle Flournoy speaks with Nuno Monteiro about the geopolitical consequences of the crisis, as well as the leadership required domestically and among institutional leaders to mitigate the impact of the pandemic... Watch the full event here: Full Event
"A lack of diversity, on the other hand, made it harder to introduce new ideas into the conversation. Michèle Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy who was the highest-ranking woman at the Department of Defense in its history when she was confirmed, described this struggle as the 'consensual straitjacket.' She told us: 'I think women are socialized to sort of think outside the box to solve problems, and to make connections, and to work horizontally to build networks and [...]
In this episode, Vago Muradian interviews Michèle Flournoy about the lessons we need to bear in mind as we prepare for the next major crisis, great power competition in this environment, and the compelling case for U.S. global leadership... Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode
"Their biggest failure was ignoring the repeated early warnings from the intelligence community and others that the pandemic was coming, and failing to take more decisive action throughout February to mandate quarantines, use the president’s authorities to ramp up the purchasing and production of personal protective equipment, ventilators and testing equipment, and clearly and consistently communicate the seriousness of the pandemic to the American people. Instead, Trump denied the problem, then when that was no longer possible minimized it, and ultimately [...]
"Coming out of this pandemic, the U.S. will be judged by two primary factors: First, how well did we handle the pandemic domestically, both in terms of public health outcomes and the economic impact? Secondly, what role did the U.S. play on the global stage orchestrating the international response to the pandemic? "If you look at the U.S. role historically, you can see that previous administrations stepped up to deal with the AIDS epidemic and led the international community in addressing [...]
"'He has created a leadership climate that stifles the kind of transparency, communication and truth telling that’s required in a crisis like this,' Michèle Flournoy, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, said of President Trump. 'What we have learned about pandemic response is that it’s impossible to over-communicate, even with imperfect information. It’s important to be as truthful as possible and communicate as clearly, consistently and as frequently as possible...'” Read the full article here: Full Article
"I think it’s very clear that it came from one source or another in Wuhan. I think it’s very clear that the Chinese government sought to suppress that information early on, even punishing people like doctors who were trying to make it known. And that mishandling of the early crisis significantly increased the global implications and the price that every other country of the world is going to pay in lives and in livelihood and economic terms..." Listen to the full [...]
"The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the absence of US global leadership. Michèle Flournoy talks with Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri about the impact of COVID-19 on US domestic priorities and foreign policy commitments. "Flournoy discusses current US strategy towards China and the Middle East and how this might change under a Democratic administration..." Watch the full event here: Full Event
"We both spent hundreds of hours in the Situation Room trying to prevent crises or dealing with them when prevention failed. Often, the issues we dealt with involved whole-of-government approaches here in the United States or working with our allies abroad. This experience got us interested in the key differences between countries that have managed the coronavirus outbreak well and those that have not. "Fundamentally, we define success in managing the outbreak as limiting the number of cases and deaths per [...]
"There can only be one person in charge. And that person shouldn’t be the president. Yes, have a task force, but it should only consist of leaders with genuine expertise — in infectious diseases, logistics, manufacturing, communication and so on. The person in change needs to be an expert in managing disasters. 'You could take a senior person in industry or a retired military officer and say, "Here’s a chance to serve your country for a limited period of time,"' said [...]