Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Bridge Colby writes in The Wall Street Journal: “America Can Defend Taiwan”

"Defeating a PLA attack would be far from easy or cheap, and being ready to do so will involve wrenching changes in the U.S. and Taiwanese defense establishments. But it is doable. "To put it simply, defeating a Chinese invasion would require the U.S., Taiwan and any other engaged parties to cripple or destroy enough Chinese amphibious ships and transport aircraft to prevent the PLA from holding the island. For a country spending more than $700 billion a year on defense, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-02-25T17:02:22-05:00January 26, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dennis Ross interviewed on Fresh Air program, “New Documentary Offers an Inside Look at ‘90s Middle East Peace Negotiations”

"One of the most interesting things about Yitzhak Rabin is that he evolves as a person. He evolves as someone who sees what Israel needs. And one of the things that always characterized him was his complete commitment and devotion to the IDF. He built it, the Israeli Defense Forces. He built it as an institution. He kind of took an oath to himself after the war of independence in 1948 that he would never again let the army be as [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T00:58:54-04:00January 26, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Robert Work quoted in Reuters article, “U.S. Commission Cites ‘Moral Imperative’ to Explore AI Weapons”

"The United States should not agree to ban the use or development of autonomous weapons powered by artificial intelligence (AI) software, a government-appointed panel said in a draft report for Congress. "The panel, led by former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, on Tuesday concluded two days of public discussion about how the world’s biggest military power should consider AI for national security and technological advancement. "Its Vice Chairman Robert Work, a former deputy secretary of defense, said autonomous weapons are expected [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T00:52:16-04:00January 26, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy quoted in Military.com article, “Taiwan Now the ‘Flashpoint’ for Biden Administration’s China Policy, Flournoy Says”

"When the Navy carrier Roosevelt entered the South China Sea on the same day Chinese bombers and fighters flew into Taiwan's airspace, it signaled how difficult it will be for the Biden administration to craft a new China policy, former Pentagon policy chief Michèle Flournoy said Monday. "'Taiwan has really become the flashpoint’ of U.S. China relations following efforts in the waning days of the Trump administration to bolster military ties to Taiwan, said Flournoy..." Read the full article here: Full [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T00:54:24-04:00January 25, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Meghan O’Sullivan quoted in CNBC article, “Renewables Chief Hails ‘Crucial’ Biden Climate Agenda as Administration Plans Massive Energy Overhaul”

"'The Biden administration and Secretary Kerry are talking about infusing climate into every foreign-policy interaction,' Meghan O’Sullivan, Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Geopolitics of Energy project, told an Atlantic Council panel session. "'It means asking the different agencies that conduct foreign policy and national security, like the Pentagon, USAID, and the State Department, to make climate really central in their overall objective,' she said..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T01:02:52-04:00January 25, 2021|Economy & Trade|

Charlie Bolden quoted in Aviation Week article, “Removing Blindfolds is Key to Building More Diverse Workforce”

"Born in 1946 and raised in segregated South Carolina, Bolden, an African American, set his sights on the U.S. Naval Academy, despite legislators from his district withholding their recommendations. "Bolden finally made it to the Naval Academy—and hated it. 'I thought it was tough. I thought it was unfair. I faced discrimination,' Bolden recalls. 'I cried to my mom and dad every weekend during my [freshman] year, saying I wanted to come home. My dad told me to just hang in there [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T00:59:32-04:00January 22, 2021|Social Impact|

Meghan O’Sullivan quoted in the New Atlanticist article, “The Many New Ways Energy and National Security Are Intersecting”

"Meghan O’Sullivan, director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Geopolitics of Energy project, said that although the world is embracing renewable energy sources, 'even the most climate-friendly energy scenarios in the future all involve a reasonably substantial amount of oil and gas usage over time.' "A few 'petrostates' will continue to wield influence—in some cases even more influence because there will be a smaller number of them, said O’Sullivan, a former US deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan..." Read the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-01-22T13:26:19-05:00January 21, 2021|Economy & Trade|

Jamie Fly quoted in The New York Times article, “Russia Pushes U.S.-Funded News Outlet Toward Exit”

"'The Kremlin appears to be exploiting the chaos at U.S. international broadcasting,' said Jamie Fly, a former head of RFE/RL, who was fired by the Trump administration last summer. 'It may just be a tactical move to create issues to barter with a new administration, but this is going to be an administration much more skeptical of cooperation with the Kremlin than the previous one...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-03-29T00:56:52-04:00January 21, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Bridge Colby interviewed with Ian Brzezinski in FPRI’s Orbis, “How NATO Manages the ‘Bear’ and the ‘Dragon'”

"In March 2020, the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, convened a “reflection group” to examine how the trans-Atlantic alliance can adapt to the new security challenges of the 2020s and beyond. As we await the final report and recommendation of this group of experts, Orbis Editor Nikolas Gvosdev asked Elbridge A. Colby and Ian Brzezinski to offer their own reflections and to discuss their perspectives on the future of the alliance and the next steps that [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-01-22T13:21:07-05:00January 19, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dennis Ross writes in The Washington Post: “Biden Doesn’t Need to Rush Back into the Iran Nuclear Deal to Defuse Tensions”

"Iran has resumed enriching uranium to 20 percent in its secretive Fordow facility, which is literally built inside a mountain. Enrichment to this level puts Iran in a position where getting to weapons grade fissile material is not a big leap. It is certainly the most problematic of all the Iranian breaches of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal. "Why is this happening now? Iran has clearly decided to build pressure on the incoming Biden administration, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-01-22T13:18:54-05:00January 19, 2021|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc