Recent Events

  • U.S. Policy Towards Syria

    On July 15, the Center organized a panel with former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution Paul Pillar to discuss U.S. policy in Syria, Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and the options available to President Obama’s successor. Center President Dimitri K. Simes served as a discussant and shared insight on the Russian

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  • Sanctions and Foreign Policy

    Sanctions can be effective when their objectives are limited, but typically cannot persuade governments to make fundamental policy changes, according to Washington Institute Iran sanctions expert Dr. Patrick Clawson, who spoke during a Center for the National Interest panel discussion of sanctions on July 12. Clawson, Morningstar Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the

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  • Dinner with Ambassador Petr Gandalovic

    On July 11, the Center for the National Interest hosted a small off-the-record dinner seminar with the Czech Ambassador to the United States Petr Gandalovic. The Ambassador offered insight into the distinctly Czech perspective on European affairs including relations with the European Union, Russia and NATO. Participants included the Center’s chairman General Charles Boyd, former

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  • The State of U.S.-China Relations

    On Thursday, June 16, the Center hosted an off-the-record discussion of the state of U.S.-China relations in light of tensions in the South China Sea. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Abraham Denmark, who attended the recent U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, led the meeting. Former Ambassador Richard Solomon, Senior Fellow at the RAND

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  • U.S. Policy and the Geopolitical Dynamics of the Middle East

    On June 9, the Center hosted Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr., former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to discuss the strategies of the Persian Gulf states, especially in light of heightened tensions with Iran, falling oil prices, and the changing roles of Russia and Turkey.

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