"We put together an exercise for the incoming national security team. I said that we needed to add a pandemic scenario to the exercise because I was so concerned and thought it would be a certainty that the next administration would deal with some type of public health crisis..." Watch the full report here: Full Report
"'The irony is that in punishing Hong Kong, we wind up martyring it rather than saving it,' said Daniel Russel, an assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific in the Obama administration. As for diplomacy between Washington and Beijing, he said: 'The brake pads in the relationship have worn very, very thin. And it’s hard to see this confrontation going anywhere except escalation...'" Read the full article here: Full Article
"Some of the moves have been fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, which has 'clarified' the competition with China in the public sphere, said Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense. 'Covid has made it clear that we are in a situation of competition … to the American people,' he said..." Read the full article here: Full Article
"Japanese Minister of Defense H.E. Kono Taro describes his country's efforts to combat the coronavirus in a conversation with Daniel Russel, vice president for international diplomacy and security at the Asia Society Policy Institute..." Watch the full event here: Full Event
"Cutting off the last line of communication would be 'bad for both sides,' said Dennis Ross, a former US Middle East envoy under President Bill Clinton. Ross is now at the Washington Institute. 'All it does is increase the potential for misunderstandings. And I think misunderstandings already exist,' Ross told Al-Monitor. "What’s next: The Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s political opposition are less enthusiastic about the annexation plan. Any threat to security cooperation may make the plan even less palatable to [...]
"[Tony] Blinken discussed a range of global issues and how they might be handled under a Biden Administration. Moderated by CBS News’ Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Margaret Brennan, the conversation also examined the U.S. COVID-19 response and how it has impacted the U.S. role on the international stage..." Watch the full event here: Full Event
"Who wants to work for the government? Apparently not enough people. One reason might be the federal government’s poor record at workforce planning and development, and its hiring process. A cluster of coalitions has urged leading members of Congress to do something about federal workforce issues. Among them, the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with the commission vice chairman and former deputy Defense secretary, Bob Work..." Listen to the full episode here: [...]
WestExec’s Spotlight Series highlights the issues some of our team members focus on. This week’s Spotlight features Danny Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2013-2017. US-China Relations: Danny has watched the U.S. relationship with China grow increasingly adversarial. He helps a wide variety of WestExec clients navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, and tracks developing events, policies, stakeholders, and trends across China and the Asia-Pacific. Danny also helps develop tailored strategies for WestExec clients, [...]
“'We absolutely did leave a plan. It was called a playbook,' said Lisa Monaco, former homeland security adviser to President Obama. The goal, she said, was to share the lessons learned during the Ebola and Zika outbreaks..." Read the full article here: Full Article
"In this episode of Asia In-Depth, Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy Daniel Russel explores these questions with two experts on North Korea — Harvard Medical School scholar Dr. Kee B Park, who leads an effort to assist doctors in North Korea, and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow, Dr. Jung H. Pak, an author, and former deputy national intelligence officer at the National Intelligence Council..." Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode