"'Hong Kong for Westerners is not obscure and exotic like Xinjiang. It’s not an abstraction like the South China Sea,' said Daniel Russel, a former U.S. diplomat. 'It’s a very familiar place.' "He said the David and Goliath-like storyline of Hong Kong residents protesting publicly to defend democracy struck nerves everywhere..." Read the full article here: Full Article
“The Importance of Transatlantic Cooperation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Full Written Testimony July 14, 2020 Chairman Keating, Ranking Member Kinzinger, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. These are difficult times for our country, but I have no doubt that we are stronger when we work together as a nation and with our Allies and partners. Our European Allies and partners are vital to the United States' economic welfare and national security. [...]
"At a recent hearing at the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Committee, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy told lawmakers she’s concerned that China would be more risk-prone as its Navy continues to grow. "'I think China views the United States in a period of inevitable decline and withdrawal from the world,” Flournoy said. 'I think they risk underestimating the resolve, which can be provoked by the crisis...'" Read the full article here: Full Article
"Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., who was assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs when the ban was enacted in 2002, said the policy was intended to prevent American equipment from being used against American service members, especially during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. "'Terrorist groups were using garage door openers to blow up U.S. troops; you kind of think twice about what you are exporting,' said Mr. Bloomfield, who added that such dangers still exist today. 'Who are you selling these [...]
"The U.S. military is at a high-stakes inflection point: it must take a series of much bigger and bolder steps to keep its military-technological edge over great power competitors such as China, or it could lose that edge within the decade. If the Pentagon’s own reported wargames and analysis are to be believed, the planned force that is enshrined in the current Department of Defense (DoD) program and budget may well be insufficient to deter or defeat Chinese aggression in the [...]
"Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific in the second Obama term, said that the Obama administration had accepted the tribunal’s 2016 ruling as 'final and binding,' and that Mr. Pompeo’s statement was more 'chest-pounding and angry invective about China' than a change in policy..." Read the full article here: Full Article
WestExec’s Spotlight Series highlights the issues on which some of our team members focus. This week’s Spotlight features Meghan O’Sullivan, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan. Geopolitics of Energy: Meghan has spent her career exploring the close relationship between global energy markets and geopolitics and says the COVID-19 pandemic could bring about a geopolitical reset. She helps WestExec clients navigate the complexities of global energy markets and has deep knowledge [...]
Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein have managed national security issues at the highest levels of government. Now, they co-host United Security. "On this inaugural episode of United Security, 'Bounties, Bolton, and COVID-19,' Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein discuss recent reporting that the Russians paid bounties to Taliban linked militias to kill U.S. service members in Afghanistan, make sense of the Bolton saga including a breakdown of the pre-publication review process for former government officials, and provide an update on the resurgence [...]
"Colin Thomas-Jensen, a senior adviser with WestExec Advisors and former Africa policy adviser to one-time U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, said the U.S. handling of the dispute had been 'clumsy' but added it was unfair to blame the Trump administration for how bogged down the issue has become. "'The crisis over the GERD has been building for nearly a decade, and yet there’s been negligible international effort to construct a mediation process with multilateral support from countries with [...]
"'We’re in uncharted territory right now,' said Daniel Russel, former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, who’s now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. 'There’s never been an administration that thought the pursuit of top-level party officials would end well for either side...'" Read the full article here: Full Article