Geopolitical Perspectives - WestExec Advisors

Michèle Flournoy quoted in The Jerusalem Post article, “Ex-Biden security advisor: Sitting with Iran isn’t conceding ‘leverage’”

"Michèle Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense during the Obama administration, said that the Trump administration’s approach of maximum pressure 'has [put] a lot of pressure on Iran, but it hasn’t created any path to the negotiating table.' "'There’s no way for them to get back into negotiations,' she continued. 'And so, in desperation they have turned to China. Every US administration since Nixon has had a strategic dialogue with China, except this one. This one has taken a very transactional unilateral [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:18:21-04:00August 19, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Bridge Colby quoted in The New York Times article, “U.S. Tries to Bolster Taiwan’s Status, Short of Recognizing Sovereignty”

"'Taiwan is the most important thing from a military and credibility point of view,' said Elbridge A. Colby, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development. Mr. Colby wrote the Trump administration’s national defense strategy, which emphasizes competition with China and Russia... "'We need to change things on Taiwan to improve the deterrent and make clearer where we stand, especially by ending any remaining ambiguity about how we’d react to the use of force and altering our [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:17:23-04:00August 17, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Puneet Talwar writes in Foreign Policy: “China Is Getting Mired in the Middle East”

"Recent reports of an ambitious 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Iran and China have reverberated across Southwest Asia and beyond. The agreement raises the question of whether we are witnessing a tectonic shift in Asia’s geostrategic landscape or merely a marriage of convenience. The answer is not yet clear, but the agreement will likely face several hurdles, and may have unintended consequences by drawing China into the vortex of Middle Eastern politics..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:29:30-04:00August 17, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro writes in Haaretz: “UAE’s Unique Leverage Over Israel Buried Annexation to Enable Normalization”

“When the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, decided to publish an op-ed in Hebrew in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot in mid-June, his intent was to influence the Israeli debate on West Bank annexation. "The op-ed hit its mark. Al-Otaiba’s unprecedented, unmediated address got Israelis’ attention and dominated political conversations for days. But he did more than that. He also opened the door to a major step forward in breaking down barriers in Israeli-Arab ties, realized [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:02:13-04:00August 16, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Washington Post article, “Inside the secret-not-secret courtship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”

“During the administration of President George W. Bush, Israeli officials visiting Washington would hold secret hotel room meetings with the UAE’s influential ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, according to Dan Shapiro, who would later become a U.S. ambassador to Israel. Shapiro served on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council and said the White House at that time was kept informed of the meetings. "In early 2010, the contacts came to halt when the UAE accused Israel of assassinating Mahmoud [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:19:44-04:00August 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Danny Russel quoted in the Los Angeles Times article, “Why Biden might follow Trump’s hardline policy on China”

"'The China that will face Joe Biden in January of 2021 is vastly more powerful and more formidable as an adversary than the China that he and Obama dealt with up until the end of 2016,' said Daniel Russel, a top Asian affairs official in the Obama administration and now a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:46:21-04:00August 14, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross quoted in The New York Times article, “Netanyahu Drops Troubled Annexation Plan for Diplomatic Gain”

"Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic administrations, said that another lure for the Emiratis was the possibility of obtaining advanced weaponry they have long sought, which the United States sells only to countries at peace with Israel to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region. “'It doesn’t mean the limits are gone, but they’re more favorable,' Mr. Ross said. He said he would expect the U.A.E. to get weapons like advanced drones. "Mr. Ross said [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T21:13:43-04:00August 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dennis Ross writes in The Washington Post: “The Israel-UAE agreement is a key step for peace and sends a crucial message to Palestinians”

"We don’t hear many good news stories out of the Middle East, particularly recently, in the midst of the despair over Beirut, regional conflicts and the ravages of covid-19. But on Thursday there was a hopeful development: President Trump announced a historic peace agreement that will normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. "Now what had been taking place below the table will be put on top of it. Security cooperation can be acknowledged in public and won’t have [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-09-01T17:04:19-04:00August 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Ely Ratner quoted in The Hill article, “Biden, Under Trump Attack, Casts Himself as Firm on China”

"'The fundamental argument that the campaign is putting forward is, under Trump, China’s position is stronger while the United States' has grown weaker,' said Ely Ratner, who served as deputy national security adviser to Biden during the Obama administration from 2015 to 2017. "'This notion of positioning the United States to out-compete China is at the core of the vice president’s agenda,' Ratner added..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T12:43:17-04:00July 30, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Dan Shapiro quoted in the Times of Israel article, “U.S. Democratic Platform Nixes Conditioning Aid to Israel Over Annexation”

"Obama’s US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro acknowledged that concerns about the language were not 'addressed to the full satisfaction of all parties.' Still, he said, the document made 'significant and overdue strides while sustaining the unity of our party.' "'The platform makes clear our opposition to unilateral steps by either side to undermine prospects for peace,' he argued. 'For the first time, we say clearly…. our opposition to Israeli settlement expansion. For the first time, we state clearly and by [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T12:38:33-04:00July 28, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|