News - WestExec Advisors

Dan Shapiro writes in The Atlantic: “Israel’s Massive Self-Own”

"You don’t expect logic and reason to rule the day when it comes to the Middle East. But every now and then, in a limited way, you get lucky. In July, an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives voted to affirm the traditional tenets of U.S. policy toward Israel: opposing attacks on Israel’s legitimacy, as articulated by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, and supporting a two-state solution to allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security, and [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-26T16:01:38-04:00August 15, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives, News|

Danny Russel quoted in POLITICO article, “Trump Resists Aides’ Pressure to Back Hong Kong Protesters”

“'What I see is kind of a basic arithmetic: a lack of coherence within the administration, plus a lack of real understanding about how China works, equals no good results,' said Daniel Russel, who served as a senior national security aide to President Barack Obama...” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-26T15:56:51-04:00August 14, 2019|News|

Julie Smith writes with Torrey Taussig in Foreign Affairs: “The Old World and the Middle Kingdom”

"Europe is beginning to face up to the challenges posed by a rising China. From the political debates roiling European capitals over the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei’s involvement in building 5G mobile networks to the tense EU-China summit earlier this year, recent events have shown that European leaders are growing uneasy in a relationship that until recently both sides saw as immensely beneficial. They worry about the political influence China has gained, especially over the EU’s smaller members, and its growing [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:39:58-04:00August 12, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives, News|

Danny Russel quoted in Bloomberg article, “Trump Should Court China Reformers, Ex-Obama Official Says”

“The Trump administration has prioritized 'undercutting' the world’s second-biggest economy instead of communicating properly and clouded the chances of China accommodating U.S. interests, Daniel Russel, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute who served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under President Barack Obama, told Bloomberg Television. He emphasized a need for compromise from both sides. "'You can’t communicate with your negotiating partner through telepathy, you have to really talk,' he said from Sydney. "...Russel [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:48:05-04:00August 8, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives, News|

Liz Rosenberg cited in Reuters article, “China Continued Iran Oil Imports in July in Teeth of U.S. Sanctions”

“Elizabeth Rosenberg, an expert on sanctions with Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think-tank, said if oil changes hands and even if it is then put in storage, the buyer would then be violating sanctions...” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:45:16-04:00August 8, 2019|Economy & Trade, Geopolitical Perspectives, News|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Trump Announces Shakeup at Top of U.S. Intelligence”

"'Joe [Maguire] is a terrific leader who cares deeply about the men and women of the intelligence community,' said Nick Rasmussen, who held Maguire’s job at the counterterrorism center under Bush and President Barack Obama. 'He’s someone who has always accepted the call to serve his country in whatever way is required. This is no different...'” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:42:27-04:00August 8, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Meghan O’Sullivan writes in Bloomberg: “What to Look for in Any Deal Between the U.S. and the Taliban”

"For many, like me, who worked on policy toward Afghanistan for years, recent leaks about an impending agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban bring mixed emotions. It is impossible to separate any deal from President Donald Trump’s persistent declarations that he wants to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan now. Such assertions weakened the hand of America’s negotiators and inevitably color any agreement – whatever its merits – with 'America First' and the sense that the U.S. is cutting and running. [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:38:20-04:00August 8, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives, News|

Bob Work and Bridge Colby quoted in The Atlantic article, “The New Concept Everyone in Washington Is Talking About”

"'In the first [term of the] Obama administration, the focus really was on trying to work so that China would be a responsible stakeholder in the international community,' Work told me. 'Competition was a word that... didn’t convey what we were trying to do. But by the end of the administration, the administration just said, "Hey, China is truly a competitor, and we need to hedge against future bad behavior."' "...Colby, who recently left the Center for a New American Security [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:06:41-04:00August 6, 2019|News|

Lisa Monaco and Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Rise of Far-Right Violence Leads Some to Call for Realignment of Post-9/11 National Security Priorities”

"Protecting the public from the most pressing terrorist threat 'has been our governing principle for many years now,' said Lisa Monaco, who served as the top counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama. Given the surge in attacks linked to the far right, she said, 'we need to prioritize our resources and focus on this threat.' "...Nicholas Rasmussen, who served three years as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said that attacks linked to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State — including the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:35:28-04:00August 5, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Dan Shapiro quoted in The Jerusalem Post article, “Bucking Omar, Tlaib, Democrats in Israel Show Support of Jewish State”

"'This is significant,' said former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. 'There is no question that this trip has a certain symbolic importance. And the fact that Hoyer is leading it, is an indicator of where the Democratic leaders are – and that the vast majority of freshman are of a like mind, and are not in any way dissuaded from participating.' "Shapiro, who served as ambassador from 2011 through 2017, said that this trip tells him that the 'mainstream position [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:32:55-04:00August 5, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives, News|