Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Ely Ratner quoted in The South China Morning Post article, “Hong Kong People Could Feel ‘Most of the Pain’ from U.S. Human Rights Act, American Experts Warn”

“‘I think it's a really hard policy problem for the United States in part because there needs to be some sort of rule here of "Do no harm,"’ Ely Ratner, deputy director of national security for former vice-president Joe Biden, said during a discussion hosted by the National Committee on US-China Relations in Washington on Monday. “‘There are parts of that bill that are important in terms of some of the reporting requirements, but this lever of the autonomy status of [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-02T07:53:30-05:00November 19, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Liz Rosenberg quoted in The Wall Street Journal article, “U.S. Sanctions Compliance Weighs on Nonfinancial Companies”

“‘In financial services, people are very accustomed to these sanctions,’ Ms. Rosenberg said. ‘There’s a lot of existing knowledge about what it means to have sovereign debt restrictions, correspondent banking restrictions.’ “‘But when there are new measures that go at nonfinancials—which is an expressed goal of this administration, for example, in the shipping industry, other manufacturing areas—that is a new compliance challenge for many industries, who haven’t seen this kind of measure being handed out before, and who may not have, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-02T08:01:32-05:00November 19, 2019|Economy & Trade|

Dennis Ross quoted in The Washington Post article, “Trump Administration Says Israel’s West Bank Settlements Do Not Violate International Law”

“‘I’m mystified by the timing,' said Dennis Ross, who played a lead role in shaping Middle East policy under several administrations from Reagan to Obama. ‘If you were still interested in presenting the Trump peace plan, you wouldn’t want to do something that puts key Arab leaders... in a position where they would be much more moved to oppose it...'” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-02T08:04:19-05:00November 18, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michael Camilleri quoted in Fox News article, “Bolivia Change of Power Polarizes Western Hemisphere Along ‘Tired, Ideological Lines'”

“‘President Morales, his vice president, and the leaders of the House and Senate all resigned. This created a vacuum of power, as the constitutional line of succession does not contemplate a case in which these four positions are vacant,’ Michael Camilleri, director of the Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, told Fox News. "...‘Morales’ removal from power has polarized the hemisphere along tired, ideological lines,’ Camilleri said. “‘The United States and some governments in Latin America recognize Añez as [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-02T08:06:58-05:00November 16, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Mike Singh writes in Foreign Affairs: “A Better Iran Deal Is Within Reach”

"When the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up its 'maximum pressure' campaign last May, with the professed aim of driving Iran’s oil exports to zero, it didn’t take long for Tehran to respond with escalation of its own. In the months since, Iran has reportedly attacked pipelines, tankers, and one of the world’s largest oil processing facilities in Saudi Arabia—prompting a spike not just in oil prices but also in worries about a new war in the Middle East. [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-02T07:55:54-05:00November 15, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michael Camilleri spoke with France 24, “Evo Morales Steps Down: ‘The People of Bolivia Took to the Streets to Defend Their Democracy, But the Military Gave Morales the Final Push'”

“I think it is too early to call it a coup. Evo Morales clearly created this predicament for himself by violating the constitution and then orchestrating what appears to be a fraudulent election. The people of Bolivia reacted to that. They took to the streets for weeks to try to defend their democracy, but at the end of the day it was the military that gave Morales the final push. We are still waiting for all the facts to come out [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-15T14:06:44-05:00November 13, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Jerusalem Post article, “Military Assistance to Israel Also Serves U.S. Interests”

"'There is an enormous amount of sharing of intelligence,' said the former ambassador. 'Israeli intelligence has high-quality technology; Israeli technology is high quality; joint training – our forces training with Israel and learning from them as they learned from us. Benefits and this relationship flow both ways. And so, in that regard, the US assistance program to Israel is not an act of altruism. While it is certainly generous on the part of the American taxpayers, and we should feel good [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-15T14:14:19-05:00November 10, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Times of Israel article, “Iran Shaves Weeks Off Breakout Time, But Isn’t Tearing Up Nuclear Pact Yet”

“‘It doesn’t significantly affect the breakout timeline, but Fordo has always been one of the most sensitive aspects of the nuclear program because of its hardened, underground nature and the difficulty of destroying it,' said Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and current fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “‘The danger is that this is one important, symbolic step that will be followed by more,' Shapiro told The Times of Israel on Tuesday [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:38:58-05:00November 6, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Bob Work on Eye on A.I.’s podcast

"Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work, co-chairs of the U.S. National Security Commission on AI, talk about the challenges the government faces in winning support from a skeptical private sector and in maintaining engagement with China while ensuring that that engagement doesn’t work to America’s detriment..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:35:49-05:00November 6, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Mike Singh writes in The Washington Post: “Why the Talk Of ‘Endless Wars’ Misses the Mark”

"In a town where polarization and partisanship seem to be the rule, there is one proposition to which politicians both right and left seem able to agree: it is time to end the 'endless wars.' "It’s a notion that is difficult to resist — who exactly is for 'endless war,' after all? — and rooted in deep public frustration with the costly but seemingly fruitless interventions of the post-9/11 era. But as a guide to policymaking, opposition to 'forever wars' is [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:29:50-05:00November 6, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

About Rebecca Skoryanc