Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Mike Singh writes with Dana Stroul in The Hill: “Withdrawal of Troops Must Not End U.S. Involvement with Syria”

"The hasty withdrawal of most U.S. forces from Syria not only has immediate and grave implications for the safety of America’s erstwhile Kurdish partners and the fight against ISIS, but the United States also has ceded its single greatest source of leverage to broker an end to the conflict: the remaining one-third of Syrian territory not under the control of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia. "With American forces withdrawing under pressure — from a NATO ally, no less — the instinct [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-25T12:13:42-04:00October 24, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco moderates NYU Reiss Center on Law and Security panel, “Role of Congress in National Security”

"Congressional representatives who previously served in the executive branch discussed the role of Congress in national security and foreign affairs. Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) all served in the national security sector before being elected to the House and talked about the transition from working in the executive branch to the legislative branch. The lawmakers also discussed the U.S. foreign policy leadership in the world, the whistleblower complaint against President Trump, and President Trump’s decision [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:23:54-05:00October 21, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Meghan O’Sullivan on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, “Middle East Oil Shock Has Gotten More Likely”

"Harvard energy expert Meghan O'Sullivan tells Fareed why energy markets may be underestimating the risks of instability in the Middle East..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-25T12:14:59-04:00October 20, 2019|Economy & Trade|

Dennis Ross writes in The Hill: “Trump’s Aversion to Alliances Is Making the World A More Dangerous Place”

"Donald Trump does not like alliances. Inevitably, they require obligation and commitments and don’t fit his idea of narrow transactions that serve our interests temporarily. Like Sen. William Borah (R-Idaho) and the 'belligerent isolationists' of the 1920s and 1930s, President Trump sees no need for allies and does not want the burden of having to fulfill commitments. "In his worldview, others should take care of themselves. And that applies even to those like the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who served our [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-25T12:24:00-04:00October 20, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Mike Singh on KCRW’s Left, Right & Center podcast, “Who Wins from the Syria Ceasefire?”

"The situation in Syria changed quickly this week. A five-day cease-fire, which Turkey is calling a 'pause,' negotiated by Vice President Mike Pence, seemed to be barely holding up less than 24 hours after it was announced. President Trump considers the agreement a victory, but some members of the GOP disagree. Mike Singh of the Washington Institute joins the panel to talk about who the winners were from the agreement. Hint: it wasn’t the Kurds..." Read the full article here: Full [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-25T12:25:21-04:00October 18, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Liz Rosenberg quoted in The Atlantic article, “The Trump Administration Has Only One Move”

"If U.S. sanctions turn out to be mostly symbolic, 'that would be a relatively minor economic or diplomatic cost worth bearing for Turkey to advance its military objectives in the region,' Elizabeth Rosenberg, who worked on sanctions policy in the Obama administration and is now at the Center for a New American Security..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-18T14:16:06-04:00October 16, 2019|Economy & Trade|

Liz Rosenberg quoted in Business Day article, “Aggressive U.S. Campaign Against Iran Creates Rift with Europe”

"Elizabeth Rosenberg, a U.S. sanctions specialist, says sanctions are 'a sideshow to a threat of military escalation and all-out conflict.' They fuel a narrative focused on Iran rather than the US — and the fact that Trump blinked when he called off a retaliatory military strike after the Iranians admitted to having downed the U.S. drone..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-18T14:19:59-04:00October 14, 2019|Economy & Trade|

Michael Camilleri writes with Ben Raderstorf in The Washington Post: “How Evo Morales Running Again — And Again — Undermines Bolivia’s Democracy”

"On Oct. 20, Bolivian President Evo Morales will go to the polls in search of a fourth term. Victory would extend his time in office to almost two decades, and — depending on how the election goes — could place democracy itself at risk in the Andean country. "Unlike with Morales’s counterparts in Latin America’s three consolidated autocracies — Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua — his past elections have been democratic and his governance style autocratic but not authoritarian. Members of Bolivia’s [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-18T14:14:52-04:00October 14, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro writes in Haaretz: “Five Ways Trump’s Unnerving Decision on Syria Has Seriously Harmed Israel”

"It was probably inevitable. Even Donald Trump’s most ardent admirers in Israel understood that it was always a package deal. "Strong support for Israel’s position on issues with political resonance in the United States - Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Iran deal - was bestowed by a president with a well-documented history, in his long business and entertainment career and his short political rise, of a Me First-America First ethos and a total disregard for the concerns of others, even those [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-18T14:13:14-04:00October 11, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Washington Post article, “Israelis See Trump’s Syria Pullout as A Betrayal That Could Help Unravel the Region”

“'He ran his campaign as a man in another league who had mastered the delicate diplomacy of this moment,' said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. 'This definitely weakens the argument.' "Israel would have objected to the withdrawal of U.S. troops under any circumstances, Shapiro said. But to have such a major policy shift dropped without notice — catching even Pentagon and State Department officials unaware — [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-10-18T14:18:33-04:00October 11, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc