Since 2001, the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Passing the Baton conference has commemorated the peaceful transition of power from one administration to the next by gathering top foreign policy and national security leaders for candid, bipartisan discussions about the national security challenges facing the United States. Convening senior members from outgoing and incoming administrations, along with outside scholars and experts, Passing the Baton offers a platform to discuss the most pressing peace and security challenges that will define the next four years and reaffirms the importance of bipartisan problem-solving in foreign policy.

Why USIP?

USIP is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. During U.S. presidential transitions, USIP’s nonpartisan platform and convening power promotes discussion and information-sharing among policymakers and other experts. For the past 20 years, the Institute has convened Passing the Baton to bring together national security leaders from both sides of the aisle to improve U.S. policymaking and honor the American tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

Passing the Baton 2021: Securing America’s Future Together

Held in the wake of the violent January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, 2021’s Passing the Baton affirmed the peaceful transfer of power, the bipartisan character of American foreign policy, and the indelible role that democratic principles play in sustainable peace. USIP welcomed President Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and President Trump’s former National Security Advisor Ambassador Robert O’Brien for a discussion moderated by Secretary Condoleezza Rice, 66th Secretary of State and former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush.

Read the event coverage

Passing the Baton 2017: America's Role in the World

USIP convened Passing the Baton with outgoing national security leaders in President Barack Obama’s administration and incoming national security leaders of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, along with officials of former administrations and other experts. The conference reviewed America’s role in an increasingly complex world and sought vital common ground on how to address threats to U.S. national interests and international peace.

Stephen J. Hadley welcoming remarks at the 2017 conference

A Conversation with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) at the 2017 conference

Passing the Baton 2009: Foreign Policy Challenges and the Opportunities Facing the New Administration

USIP hosted current and former U.S. foreign policy leaders, and nearly 1,900 others, for its second Passing the Baton at the transition from the administration of President George W. Bush to that of President Barack Obama. The conference examined U.S. policy challenges in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and nuclear proliferation, among others.

David Petraeus, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

General David Petraeus of the U.S. Central Command speaks on Afghanistan at the 2009 Passing the Baton conference

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright addresses the 2009 conference on policies to prevent genocide.

Passing the Baton 2001: Challenges of Statecraft for the New Administration

USIP launched its first Passing the Baton in 2001, when President Clinton’s national security advisor Sandy Berger passed the baton to President Bush’s national security advisor Condoleezza Rice. The inaugural Passing the Baton began a USIP practice of hosting current, former, and incoming national security leaders to commemorate the peaceful transition of power between administrations. The 2001 conference considered the challenges of establishing a partnership with Russia, continued instability in the Balkans, and how to provide a more secure peace on the Korean Peninsula.

General Brent Scowcroft, United States National Security Advisor under U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush

Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, speaks at the 2001 Passing the Baton.

Samuel Richard "Sandy" Berger, United States National Security Advisor for President Bill Clinton passing the baton to then-incumbent Condoleezza "Condi" Rice who served United States Secretary of State under of President George W. Bush

National Security Advisor Sandy Berger passes the baton to his successor, ​Condoleezza Rice, at the 2001 conference.

Latest Publications

Keith Mines on the Collapse of Haiti’s Governance

Keith Mines on the Collapse of Haiti’s Governance

Monday, March 18, 2024

By: Keith Mines

With the governing structure now collapsing, Haitian gangs “have the country in a stranglehold,” says USIP’s Keith Mines, and that the best path to re-establish stability is “to form a new transitional government that would be more inclusive, that would have better connections to the Haitian people.”

Type: Podcast

Global Policy

Building Trust through Health Cooperation with North Korea

Building Trust through Health Cooperation with North Korea

Monday, March 18, 2024

By: Kee B. Park

The United States needs to address the existing trust deficit with North Korea if it wants to coexist peacefully with that country. Trust building through health cooperation may be the least contentious way politically and the most likely to succeed. However, engagement on health and humanitarian assistance with North Korea, like security negotiations, has been undermined by geopolitics.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

War and the Church in Ukraine

War and the Church in Ukraine

Thursday, March 14, 2024

By: Peter Mandaville, Ph.D.

Vladimir Putin’s war to reverse Ukraine’s independence includes religion. For centuries, the Russian Orthodox Church bolstered Moscow’s rule by wielding ecclesiastical authority over Ukrainian churches. Since early 2019, Ukraine has had a self-governing Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Russia’s invasion has sharpened tensions between it and the rival branch historically linked to Moscow. Any conciliation between them could shrink areas for conflict — and the Kremlin’s ability to stir chaos — in a postwar Ukraine. It would bolster Ukraine’s future stability and reinforce a decline in Russia’s historically massive influence across the Orthodox Christian world. But can Ukrainians make that happen?

Type: Analysis

Religion

Lauren Baillie on the ICC’s Latest Warrants for Russian War Crimes

Lauren Baillie on the ICC’s Latest Warrants for Russian War Crimes

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

By: Lauren Baillie

For the first time, the International Criminal Court has charged high-level Russian commanders with crimes against humanity — showing that Russia’s assault on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine is “not sporadic, it’s systematic, it’s purposeful, it’s part of a policy,” says USIP’s Lauren Baillie.

Type: Podcast

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