Challenges to America's Security

  • What are the lessons for national security and foreign policy that can be passed from earlier administrations to the incoming Bush administration and new Congress?
  • When and how should the U.S. take the lead in resolving international crises?
  • To what extent should the next administration consider restructuring the executive branch to bring strategic planing and improved policy implementation into the 21st Century?

On January 17, 2001, the United States Institute of Peace webcast the first of a series of special programs designed to examine these and other challenges to America's security in the new century. Entitled "Passing the Baton: Challenges of Statecraft for the New Administration," this program featured a rich array of seasoned senior foreign policy and national security leaders and former officials. Included throughout the day were remarks by Brent Scowcroft, Robert Rubin, William Perry, Anthony Lake, Strobe Talbott, Senator Joe Biden, and others.

Featured at mid-day was a keynote address by National Security Advisor Samuel Berger on "Foreign Policy in an Era of Globalization." In the afternoon National Security Advisor-designate Condoleezza Rice made a special address on "National Security Challenges for the New Administration."

Other national security and foreign policy issues which were examined included:

  • Organizing for National Security Policy;
  • Why Partnership with Russia is So Elusive;
  • America as Peacemaker;
  • Building a Stable Balkans; and
  • Securing Peace in Northeast Asia.

This Internet event was webcast all day on January 17th, beginning with the opening remarks at 9:00 AM, and concluded at approximately 6:30 PM EST.

Latest Publications

Sometimes the Good Guys Win: Guatemala's Kleptocracy Fights Back

Sometimes the Good Guys Win: Guatemala's Kleptocracy Fights Back

Thursday, April 18, 2024

By: Ambassador Stephen G. McFarland

Last year was a pivotal moment for Guatemala’s democracy. Longshot candidate Bernardo Arévalo rode popular anti-corruption fervor into a shocking second place finish in the first-round presidential polls, ultimately winning the presidency in the runoff. Since Guatemala transitioned to a democracy in the mid-1980s, the country has been wracked by increasingly pervasive corruption, perpetrated and perpetuated by venal elites.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceGlobal Elections & Conflict

Four Priorities for Sudan a Year into the Civil War

Four Priorities for Sudan a Year into the Civil War

Thursday, April 18, 2024

By: Susan Stigant

This week marks a year of war in Sudan. A once promising revolution that led to the overthrow in 2019 of the country’s longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, has devolved into a devastating civil war. The fighting started over a dispute on how to incorporate the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the country’s military, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). A year later as the conflict between the RSF and SAF grinds on, Sudan is experiencing the world’s worst displacement crisis and one of the world’s worst hunger crises in recent history.

Type: Analysis

Global PolicyPeace Processes

Huawei’s Expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean: Views from the Region

Huawei’s Expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean: Views from the Region

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By: Parsifal D’Sola Alvarado

Since its founding in Shenzhen, China, in 1987, Huawei has grown into one of the world’s major information and communications technology companies, but its ties to China’s government and military have been regarded by US officials as a potential risk to national security. Latin American and Caribbean countries, however, have embraced the company for the economic and technological benefits it provides. This report explains the stark contrast between Huawei’s standing in the United States and its neighbors to the south.

Type: Special Report

Global Policy

The Indo-Pacific’s Newest Minilateral Emerges

The Indo-Pacific’s Newest Minilateral Emerges

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By: Brian Harding;  Haroro Ingram

Last week, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stepped foot in the Oval Office for the second time in a year. Joining Marcos this time was Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the leader of the United States’ most important ally in Asia and, arguably, the world. The Philippines has long been among a second rung of regional allies, so this first-ever trilateral summit marks Manila’s entrance as a leading U.S. ally working to maintain order and prevent Chinese revisionism in East Asia.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Sweden’s Accession Shows About NATO’s Future

What Sweden’s Accession Shows About NATO’s Future

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By: A. Wess Mitchell, Ph.D.

As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, it has cause to celebrate Sweden’s addition as the 32nd member of the alliance. The Nordic country’s accession came after a grueling, two-year fight with NATO member states Turkey and Hungary, both of which extracted concessions in exchange for allowing the process to move forward. Sweden’s entry will improve NATO’s capabilities and greatly reduce the vulnerability of its northeastern flank. But the difficulties it took to reach this point raise serious questions about the alliance’s ability to cohere around shared political and strategic objectives in a time of crisis.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

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