Center Releases First Report on Mobilizing NATO in Afghanistan

In anticipation of the January 28 international conference, Afghanistan: The London Conference, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress' new initiative, Mobilizing NATO for Afghanistan and Pakistan: Ensuring the Alliance's Future, is releasing its first report on how the Alliance can maximize its contributions and more effectively and efficiently conduct the Afghan and Pakistan effort. This report identifies areas of immediate reform that would strengthen the international coalition while also examining key capacities NATO allies have yet to deploy to Afghanistan that would turn the tide against the extremist insurgency.
Read the press release.
Executive Summary.
Mobilizing NATO for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Center Senior Fellow Speaks on Historic Elvis/Nixon Meeting

Center Senior Fellow on Leadership, Ethics, and Integrity, Egil "Bud" Krogh, spoke this week on BBC America, Fox News' Fox and Friends, and at the National Archives on "The Day Elvis met Nixon."
Read about the historic meeting.
Watch the Fox and Friends interview.

Can Health Be a Bridge to Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

CSPC Health and Medicine Program Director, Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, spoke at the first meeting of the USIP Health and Peacebuilding Working Group, designed to address the relationship between health programs and conflict prevention, resolution and post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction. Read more.

Center Convenes Hearing with Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committees on Proposed Debt and Deficit Committee

In a hearing on December 17, 2009, Alan Greenspan and David Walker testified for a proposed committee to change America's unsustainable fiscal course.
Read Alan Greenspan's testimony.
Read David Walker's testimony.
Read the media advisory.

Interviews with SAFI Principals

CSPC President David Abshire and SAFI co-Chairs Roy Romer and Norman Augustine recently conducted interviews on the origin and development of the project. They discussed the state of the nation and the opportunities the Strengthening America's Future Initiative holds for America's future. Watch the interviews.

Center Publishes Fall 2009 Newsletter

The Center released its fall 2009 newsletter, which includes articles on a new program on mobilizing NATO in South Asia, updates on the Strengthening America's Future Initiative, and other Center news. Read the newsletter.

CSPC releases report of SAFI Small and Mid-size Business issue team

On October 21st, 2009, the Center's Strenthening America's Future Initiative released the final report of the U.S. Innovation and Growth: Small and Mid-size Business issue team. This group of experts has met, thought, and written together since 2008 to find ways that the Administration and Congress can confront the fiscal crisis by helping small and mid-sized American businesses flourish. Read more about SAFI's Small and Mid-size Business issue team.

Center Partners with Council on Competitiveness to Present National Energy Summit

On September 23 and 24, 2009, the Center joined with the Council on Competitiveness and eight other partners for a two-day National Energy Summit and International Dialogue. The Summit convened Cabinet officials, international ministers, and global business, labor, university and non-governmental organization leaders to address the interconnected challenges of energy security, innovation, and sustainability. The pivotal role of the private sector in transforming our energy system was discussed, and a comprehensive action agenda designed to enhance U.S. energy security, sustainability and competitiveness was presented.

For more information, please contact Thomas M. Kirlin, Ph.D., Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Op-Ed: America’s Looming Suez Crisis

On the anniversary of the Suez Canal Crisis, this article examines the correlations between America’s current geopolitical position and that of the declining British empire of the 1950s. Following World War II, the fiscally feeble and imperialistic Great Britain ignored Eisenhower’s opposition and invaded Egypt to gain control of the Suez Canal. In retaliation, Eisenhower utilized American influence over the weak British economy to force British troops out of Egypt. Today, as author Ryan Browne explains, China’s overextension into the American economy leaves the U.S. similarly vulnerable to the same kind of fiscal leverage, which may prove particularly dangerous to America’s current freedom of action in global affairs.

Dr. David Abshire to speak at University Club in DC

On Tuesday, July 28, 2009, Center President David M. Abshire addressed the U.S. current economic situation in a speech aptly titled, "Heading off the Nations Fiscal Train Wreck." Times are tough. The economic news is not good, and for many families the consequences cannot be overstated: lost jobs, lost homes, lost savings. As President Obama said in his Inaugural Address, we find ourselves "amidst gathering clouds and raging storms."

In his lunchtime speech, Dr. Abshire talked about the methods and solutions to best weather these unprecedented challenges including the looming financial trainwreck currently facing our nation. The event was held at the University Club, 1135 16th Street, NW, with cocktails at 12:00 noon and lunch and the program beginning at 12:30 p.m. The lunch is $40 for University Club members and $45 for non-members.

For questions about the event, please contact John Boyer, Director of Congressional Relations, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Addressing Long-term Fiscal Sustainability in a Bipartisan Way

On July 22nd, Congressmen Jim Cooper and Frank Wolf hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on the Securing America’s Future Economy Act (H.R. 1557). Center President David Abshire and David Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States, will speak about the nation’s looming fiscal crisis and the Center’s proposed Fiscal Futures Commission. Members of Congress and others will be in attendance at this off-the-record session.

For more information, please contact John Boyer, Director of Congressional Relations, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Center Featured on National Journal Panel "How to Strengthen America's Future"

Members of the Strengthening America's Future Initiative Steering Committee recently sat down with correspondents and editors of the National Journal to answer questions about the current challenges facing America’s future. The discussion centered around the recent report, Saving America’s Future: A Challenge to the American People.

Center's Commission of National Health Experts Recommends Seven Strategies for Addressing the U.S. Health Care Crisis

On Monday, April 20, the Commission on U.S. Federal Leadership in Health and Medicine: Charting Future Directions, part of the Center's Strengthening America's Future Initiative (SAFI), released a new report, New Horizons for a Healthy America: Recommendations to the New Administration. The Commission is co-chaired by Susan Blumenthal, M.D., Director of the Center's Health and Medicine Program and Former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, and Denis Cortese, M.D., President and CEO of Mayo Clinic.

New Horizons for a Healthy America recommends seven strategies to mobilize all sectors of American society to help put "health" back into our nation's health care system. The report urges federal leaders and the American public to use all the tools in our national toolkit to help the United States become the healthiest nation in the world. The Commission's recommended strategies include issuing a Presidential Call to Action for a "Healthy U.S.", establishing "Health in All Policies" throughout the U.S. government, and piloting quality-enhancing and cost-saving innovations in the federal health insurance programs.

Read the report
View the press release

For more information, contact Dr. Susan Blumenthal, Director of CSPC's Health and Medicine Program, at 202-872-9800.

European Exchange Program Hosts Second Conference

The spring conference of the European Exchange Program took place from March 31 to April 1. Session topics ranged from the Obama Administration's developing relationships with Capitol Hill and the United Nations to foreign policy toward China and the Middle East. Participants also analyzed the progression of the transition and the first 100 days of the new Administration, the transition process at the civil servant level, and energy and economic policy.

Speakers in the program included Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL) and former Senator and Republican National Committee Chairman William Brock, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, former Democratic National Committee Chairman and Governor of Colorado Roy Romer, and renowned Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein. Participants also met with issue experts from the Office of Personnel Management, the Partnership for Public Service, Cambridge Energy Research Associates and the German Marshall Fund.

Summary of March Meetings

For more information, contact Emily Shaftel, Coordinator for Communications and Special Projects, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Presidential Fellows Reconvene in Washington for Spring Leadership Conference

The Center recently welcomed the 2008-2009 class of Presidential Fellows back to Washington, DC, for the Spring Leadership Conference. This conference, the second of two held annually, began with a career panel of representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the House Armed Services Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and the State Department. Fellows then attended the Center's 42nd Annual Awards Dinner, at which Jeffrey Deitel from the United States Coast Guard Academy and William Lundin from Dartmouth College received the Moffett and Marron Awards, respectively, for their outstanding research on the Presidency. On the second day, the Fellows toured the White House and heard briefings by current White House Fellows. Later, they discussed foreign policy and the new Administration with experts on the subject and heard a presentation on "Entrepreneurship and Regional Development: Is There a Role for Government Policy?" During the final day they talked about the Center's latest publication, Saving America's Future, with Center President David Abshire as well as members of the project's Steering Committee. During the conference the Fellows also presented their original papers on the Presidency and collaborated to strengthen their arguments and conclusions.

For more information, contact Alex Douville, Dean of the Presidential Fellows Program and Director of Education Projects, or Jessica Zapf, Project Coordinator, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Center Awards Dinner Recognizes Senator Dianne Feinstein and the Honorable David Walker

Over 260 guests attend the Center's 42nd Annual Awards Dinner on March 26 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. The event honored Senator Dianne Feinstein and the Honorable David Walker, along with the Center's 85 Presidential Fellows. Trustee and former Presidential Fellow George Stephanopoulos served as Master of Ceremonies.

Senator Feinstein was presented with the Publius Award for her strong public record of reaching across party lines to accomplish significant legislative goals. David Walker, President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former Comptroller General of the U.S., received the Center's Hamilton Award for his work on bringing public attention to the nation's deteriorating financial condition and unsustainable fiscal path. At the dinner, a letter from President Obama was read that congratulated Senator Feinstein and Mr. Walker.

Sponsors of the event included: Chevron, Lockheed Martin, Science Applications International Corporation, Dr. Scholl Foundation, Trustee Paul Neely, Access Industries, Joseph Duffey and Laureate International Universities, Northrop Grumman Corporation, PG&E Corporation and Yahoo! Inc.

For more information, contact Mary O'Connor, Director of Outreach, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Center Leads Science, Health and Higher Education Delegation to Syria

From March 9 to March 12, a group of distinguished American and Syrian leaders in diplomacy, science, health care, and higher education met in Damascus. The Center, along with the British Syrian Society and the University of Damascus, brought these experts together under the sponsorship of Mr. Wafic Saïd, a Syrian-born businessman and philanthropist. CSPC Trustee Pamela Scholl led the U.S. delegation, which included Ted Kattouf, former Ambassador to Syria and current President of AMIDEAST, and David Baltimore, Nobel laureate and immediate past Chair of the Board at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During three days of frank and substantive discussion, participants examined the challenges facing Syria, the state of U.S.-Syria relations, opportunities for rapprochement, and areas of cooperation and exchange that could have an immediate impact. The arrival of this delegation was well-received by the highest levels of the Syrian government, including President Bashar al-Assad, with whom the delegation met for an hour. A full report is being produced, which will include a number of concrete recommendations to improve relations and foster cooperation through science, health and higher education. More>>

Press Release on Delegation

For more information, contact Matt Purushotham, Project Director, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

SAFI Launches Report on Capitol Hill

On Friday, March 27, the Center released Saving America's Future: A Challenge to the American People, the first report from the Strengthening America's Future Initiative (SAFI). Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Frank Wolf hosted the report's release on Capitol Hill. Attendees included project Steering Committee and issue team members, Congressional staff, leading policy experts and members of the media. In addition to Senator Warner and Representative Wolf, other speakers included Center President David Abshire and project Co-chairs Norman Augustine, Roy Romer and David Walker.

Download the report
Watch the press conference
Report overview
Press release

Also visit our blog for an ongoing conversation about the project.

For more information on SAFI, please contact Dana Martin, Project co-Director, at 202-872-9800. Press inquiries should be directed to Thomas M. Kirlin, Ph.D., Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer, at 202-872-9800.

Center Releases New Publications

Peace Through Health: A Mapping of Cooperative Health Programs in Palestine and Israel was produced by the Center's Health and Medicine Program as part of Advancing Trust and Reconciliation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. It provides an analysis of health systems and cooperative health activities in Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as recommendations for improving health in the region.

For more information, please contact Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., Director of CSPC's Health and Medicine Program, via e-mail at 202-872-9800.

“Summary of Major Organizations' Reports and Recommendations on National Science, Technology and Innovation Policies and Investments, 2006-2008”was produced through the Center's Science and Technology Program as part of the Strengthening America's Future Initiative. It reviews studies and policy documents on national science, technology and innovation policy and budget issues issued by major organizations in 2006-2008.

For more information, please contact Anne G. K. Solomon, CSPC Senior Advisor on Science and Technology, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

The new edition of the CSPC newsletter is also available for download.

Center to Honor Dianne Feinstein and David Walker

On Thursday, March 26, 2009, the Center will host its 42nd Annual Awards Dinner. The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator from California, will receive the Center's Publius Award for her role as a bridge-builder and peacemaker in the Senate since her election in 1992, and the Honorable David Walker, President of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former Comptroller General of the United States, will receive the Hamilton Award for his role as an advocate for promoting fiscal responsibility in government. Participants in the Center's Presidential Fellows Program will also be recognized. More>>

Press Release

For more information, please contact Mary O'Connor, Director of Outreach, via e-mail at 202-872-9800.

Center Changes Name to "Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress"

The Center is proud to announce it is in the process of changing its name to the "Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress", which reflects our extensive work both on and with Capitol Hill. The impetus for this change grew out of a remark by Senator John Warner at the Center's 41st Awards Dinner. Having already launched programs on civility and bipartisan government, the Center is increasingly taking on initiatives at the behest of various Members of Congress and briefing them and their staffs on such issues as the situation in Afghanistan, science and technology policy, the Israeli-Palestinian relationship and global finance. Our new name better reflects the full range of our initiatives, our contacts and our results.

Center President Speaks at Washington National Cathedral

On Sunday, November 30th, Center President David Abshire spoke at the Washington National Cathedral's thought-provoking Sunday Forum. His talk focused on "Lessons for the Next President" and, among other things, he drew from the essential lessons of Presidents past.

Watch here.

Center Receives $700,000 Grant to Advise Incoming Presidential Transition

In September 2008, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation awarded the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress a grant totaling $700,000 to fund an ongoing Center project, the Strengthening America's Future Initiative (SAFI), to examine key challenges facing the country, brief the next President, Congress and the American people on those issues, and prepare a series of recommendations for Presidential and Congressional action. Leading the effort for the Center will be David Walker, Peterson Foundation President and CEO and former Comptroller General of the United States; Norman Augustine, former Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Leon Panetta, former White House Chief of Staff. More>>

For more information, please contact Dana Martin, Project co-Director, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Rising European Leaders Meet in Washington, DC, to Discuss Transatlantic Issues

From November 17 to 21, the members of the Center' new initiative on transatlantic relations, Strengthening Multi-Lateral Leadership: A European Exchange Program, gathered in Washington, DC to explore avenues for European and U.S. cooperation in order to prevent communication breakdowns between transatlantic governments during the American Presidential transition. During the week, participants discussed the future of U.S.-European relations, the transition process at the State Department and on Capitol Hill, and the economic and environmental policy concerns facing the Obama Administration. Speakers included former Senator Bill Brock, Ambassador Thomas Pickering, and former White House Chief of Staff Thomas McLarty. Program participants are rising leaders from countries across Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden. The European Exchange Program will reconvene in Washington in March 2009 to discuss the new Administration and Congress and any new developments in the transatlantic relationship. More>>

For more information, contact Emily Shaftel, Coordinator for Communications and Special Projects, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

CSP Hosts Capitol Hill Seminar on Science and Technology Policy Challenges

On November 18, the Center hosted a high-level seminar on Capitol Hill that focused on the opportunities provided by science and technology for facing the numerous domestic and foreign challenges confronting the United States. The event brought together experts from the science and science policy communities including Center President David Abshire, Dr. Richard Meserve, Dr. Homer Neal, Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Dr. Tobin Smith, The Honorable John Porter, William Bonvillian, Bruce Ferguson, and Rodney Nichols. The panelists discussed the role science can play in meeting grand national challenges and what steps the United States government must take to ensure that American technology and innovation retain their competitive edge and remain at the forefront. The panelists also discussed how President-elect Obama can use government action to marshal American science to better take advantage of our national strengths in science and technology and use them to ensure American economic and national security. More>>

For more information, contact John Boyer, Director of Congressional Relations, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Presidential Fellows Return to Washington and Discuss Election

The 2008-2009 Presidential Fellows gathered in Washington, DC, for the Fall Leadership Conference November 6-8, 2008. The first of two annual events, the Fall Conference serves as an opportunity for the Fellows to meet leading policy-makers and experts in the Washington community and to share their original research paper proposals. The highlight of the Fall Conference was a trip to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where Fellows were briefed in the historical Indian Treaty Room by George W. Bush's speechwriter, Mr. John McConnell. Other speakers included Center President David Abshire and former Acting Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin as well as alumni and mentors of the Presidential Fellows Program. The Fellows will return to Washington in March 2009 to discuss the Presidential transition and work on their original research papers on the Presidency. More>>

For more information, contact Alex Douville, Dean of the Presidential Fellows Program and Director of Education Projects, or Jessica Zapf, Project Coordinator, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

Center President Discusses Overcoming Special Interests

On Tuesday, September 9, through Thursday, September 11, Center President David Abshire participated in a NewTalk discussion focusing on the question: "Can the next President break Washington's addiction to short-term goals and special interests?" NewTalk is a nonpartisan, online meeting place that creates focused discussions by experts on the most important domestic topics shaping American society today. Check out what was an insightful and important conversation!

Center Publishes Presidential Fellows' Original Research Papers

The Center is proud to announce the release of A Dialogue on Challenges and Leadership: Papers of the 2007-2008 Center Fellows. This anthology contains the 20 best original research papers produced by the latest Presidential Fellows class. Fellows addressed a variety of important topics relating to the American Presidency, including the United States' relationship with China, recent expansions of Executive power, and the influence of party politics on governance. Copies of the anthology are also available for purchase, and the full text of each of the 85 Presidential Fellows may be found online here.

For more information, contact Alex Douville, Dean of the Presidential Fellows Program and Director of Education Projects, or Jessica Zapf, Project Coordinator, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.

 

CSP Releases Report on Presidential Leadership to Ensure Science and Technology in the Service of National Needs

The role of science and technology assets is often overlooked as an element of national power. Many of the major policy challenges confronting the next President—energy resources, nuclear proliferation, climate change, environment, health-care, food and water, security, and economic prosperity—require scientific advice or guidance for successful strategic resolutions. The Center’s issue group on Presidential science and technology assets has released a new report urging both Presidential candidates to begin pre-election planning to ensure science and technology governance assets for cohesive and informed policies and effective policy implementation.
Read the report here

For more information, contact Anne Solomon, Senior Advisor on Science and Technology Policy, via e-mail or at 202-872-9800.