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Iraq

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is committed to shaping and elevating the debate on the most difficult strategic issues facing America, including the aftermath of the war in Iraq. On this page you will find a collection of reports, articles, media references and online commentaries that highlight the work CNAS analysts are doing on Iraq.

Related Content

  • Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal
    Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal
    Author(s): Emma Sky
    Type of Publication: Commentary
    Date: 12/14/2012

    In Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal, Emma Sky offers a pointed critique of U.S. policy over the last decade, arguing that valuable lessons can be learned from the country's "American era" now that U.S. forces have withdrawn. A senior fellow at the Jackson Institute at Yale and a political advisor in Iraq to General Raymond Odierno from 2007 to 2010, Sky examines these lessons learned and urges U.S. policymakers to set realistic goals for future intervention. 

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  • Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq a Year after Withdrawal
    Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq a Year after Withdrawal
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 12/14/2012

    As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, in Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq A Year After Withdrawal, Senior Fellow Nora Bensahel  and former CNAS Visiting Fellow Melissa Dalton offer a way forward.

     

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  • The Generals, Thomas Ricks, CNAS, military leadership
    The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today
    Author(s): Thomas E. Ricks
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 10/30/2012

    In The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, CNAS Senior Fellow Thomas E. Ricks explores the history of American military leaders and the growing divide between military performance and accountability.

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  • colin kahl, cnas, hfac, iraq, military cooperation
    Halting the Descent: U.S. Policy Toward a Deteriorating Situation in Iraq
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 03/21/2012

    On March 21st, Dr. Colin H. Kahl, CNAS Senior Fellow, testified before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. He discussed the security and political environment in the aftermath of the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq, Iranian influence in Iraq and the prospects for continued U.S.-Iraq security cooperation.

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  • Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity
    Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 10/03/2011

    Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, a report authored by CNAS experts LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp, outlines four budget cut scenarios and evaluates possible trade-offs among force structure, end strength, procurement and overhead.

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  • Counterstrike
    Counterstrike: The Untold Story Of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda
    Author(s):
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 08/03/2011

    In Counterstrike, a Henry Holt and Company book, former CNAS Writers in Residence, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker of The New York Times, tell the story of how a group of analysts within the military, at spy agencies, and in law enforcement has fashioned an innovative and effective new strategy to fight terrorism, unbeknownst to most Americans and in sharp contrast to the cowboy slogans that characterized the U.S. government's public posture.

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  • Fontaine Testimony
    Preserving Progress: Transitioning Authority And Implementing The Strategic Framework Agreement
    Author(s): Richard Fontaine
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 06/23/2011

    Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow Richard Fontaine testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcomittee on the Middle East and South Asia on June 23, 2011.  Fontaine testifed to the importance of the Unites States' strategic interests in Iraq.  The testimony included points on the stability of the future of Iraq and how that will impact U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East.

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  • Upheaval: U.S. Policy Toward Iran in a Changing Middle East
    Upheaval: U.S. Policy Toward Iran in a Changing Middle East
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 05/19/2011

    The wave of uprisings that have rocked the Arab world will have dramatic consequences for America's strategy toward Iran. The foundations of the Obama administration’s Iran strategy are crumbling. This report lays out a U.S. strategy toward Iran that is a policy reset from the regional status quo.

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  • Forging a Libya Strategy: Policy Recommendations for the Obama Administration
    Forging a Libya Strategy: Policy Recommendations for the Obama Administration
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 03/28/2011

    In this policy brief, CNAS experts Andrew Exum and Zachary Hosford offer four policy recommendations for the U.S. strategy in Libya that limit the U.S. expenditure of blood or treasure.

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  • The Sacrifice Ahead: The 2012 Defense Budget
    The Sacrifice Ahead: The 2012 Defense Budget
    Author(s): Travis Sharp
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 02/14/2011

    The fiscal year 2012 defense budget request is a break from the past ten years of budget growth, but it does not go far enough to rebalance defense spending priorities given the fiscal pressures and threats the United States faces, according to this policy brief. The Sacrifice Ahead: The 2012 Defense Budget recommends that the Department of Defense (DOD) pursue additional efficiencies savings and make modest reductions in its base budget to help shore up the U.S. economy, the core of America’s global and military power.

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  • The Washington Post: A Conversation With David Kilcullen
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    March 22, 2009 — March 22, 2009 - The Washington Post interviews CNAS Senior Fellow David Kilcullen about the lessons of Iraq for the war in Afghanistan, the importance of Osama bin Laden, and who should be labeled the father of the "surge."

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  • The Washington Quarterly: Dirty Windows and Burning Houses: Setting the Record Straight on Irregular Warfare
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Quarterly

    March 20, 2009 — April 2009 - CNAS President John Nagl and Researcher Brian Burton write about irregular warfare in The Washington Quarterly, "Our capacity to win the wars we are not fighting far exceeds our ability to win the ones in which we are currently engaged."

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  • NYT Comment: Interpret the Situation
    Type: News Item
    Source: New York Times

    March 20, 2009 — March 20, 2009 - CNAS Fellow Andrew Exum addresses an important question from NYT Editors: "Are there rules of engagement that can minimize civilian casualties?"

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  • The Washington Post: What We Don't Know About Iraq
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    March 17, 2009 — March 17, 2009 - Phil Bennett writes about CNAS Senior Fellow Tom Ricks' book "The Gamble" in his op-ed for The Washington Post on the scarcity of Iraqi views in U.S. reporting on the war.

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  • The Rachel Maddow Show: What's the Real Cost of Victory in Afghanistan?
    Type: News Item

    March 16, 2009 — March 16, 2009 - CNAS President and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl spoke with Rachel Maddow about Afghanistan.  Nagl said, "Quite frankly we haven't had enough forces on the ground in Afghanistan and most importantly we haven't put enough resources into building an Afghan Army so the Afghans can secure their own country." Watch the full interview here.

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  • Abu Muqawama Founder and Irregular Warfare Expert Andrew Exum Joins CNAS as a Fellow
    Type: Press Release

    WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 2009 — WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 2009 - The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that Abu Muqawama founder and irregular warfare expert Andrew Exum has joined CNAS as a Fellow.  At CNAS Exum will focus on the Middle East region, irregular warfare and Afghanistan among other issues. CNAS President John Nagl says, "Andrew Exum is one of the world's brightest thinkers and practitioners on irregular warfare.

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  • Los Angeles Times: In Iraq withdrawal, equipment poses a key logistical challenge
    Type: News Item
    Source: Los Angeles Times

    March 16, 2009 — March 16, 2009 — LA Times journalist Julian Barnes discusses the logistical challenges of withdrawing from Iraq with CNAS fellow Andrew Exum, "The materiel is not that big a deal," said Andrew M. Exum, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "When people in the Middle East think about the American presence, they think about bodies on the ground, not materiel."

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  • The Economist: Reluctant Warriors
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Economist

    March 12, 2009 — March 12, 2009 - The Economist jointly reviews two new books by CNAS senior fellows: Tom Ricks' The Gamble and David Kilcullen's The Accidental Guerrilla. 

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  • CNN: Interview With Tom Ricks
    Type: News Item
    Source: CNN

    March 11, 2009 — March 11, 2009 - CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviews Tom Ricks, a CNAS senior fellow, about Obama's timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. "Obama's going to change the name of the mission," Ricks says. "He's going to say it's a non-combat mission. But that doesn't end the war, anymore than hanging "mission accomplished" ended the war."

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  • USA Today: Suicide blast kills 33 in town of Abu Ghraib
    Type: News Item
    Source: USA Today

    March 10, 2009 — March 10, 2009 -

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  • Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, USA
    National Security Leaders' Forum with General Raymond T. Odiernio, USA
    April 5, 2013 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a discussion featuring current Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno on Friday, April 5, 2013. GEN Odierno discussed how the Army is restructuring itself to meet today's security environment while facing the challenges associated with budget cuts and drawdown from two overseas wars.

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  • colin kahl, center for a new american security, cnas, iran, wmd, israel
    The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?
    February 21, 2012 - 10:45am - 12:00pm
    Rayburn House Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 21, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Iranian American Council on the status of the Iranian nuclear program. Dr. Kahl indicated that there are a number of differences between the current situation in Iran and the lead-up to the war in Iraq, and addressed the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian facilities.

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  • Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    September 20, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 20, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki and a number of his colleagues on critical issues in the U.S.-Iraqi relationship, along with the Kurdistan regional government’s relationship with the wider world.

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  • Counterstrike
    Counterstrike: The Untold Story Of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda
    September 8, 2011 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ball Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) cordially invites you to the inaugural book release party for COUNTERSTRIKE: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda by acclaimed New York Times national security reporters and former CNAS Writers in Residence Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker.

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  • MG Buchanan, CNAS, Iraq, security agreement, Operation New Dawn
    MG Jeffrey Buchanan, USA Discussion on Operation New Dawn: Bridge to an Enduring Partnership
    August 18, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    In light of the impending end of the United States Forces–Iraq mission this December, Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, USA, Director of Strategic Effects for United States Forces-Iraq, visited CNAS to speak about the evolving role of the United States in Iraq and the challenges and opportunities for the future of U.S.-Iraq relations amidst a changed Middle East.

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  • Secretary Panetta
    Challenges for the New U.S. Secretary of Defense
    August 4, 2011 - 7:45am - 9:15am
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On August 4, CNAS President John A. Nagl, Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), and Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Dr. Nora Bensahel led a roundtable discussion over breakfast addressing the challenges faced by the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. 

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  • CNAS Fifth Annual Conference - June 2, 2011
    CNAS Fifth Annual Conference, "Risk and Reward: American Security in an Age of Uncertainty"
    June 2, 2011 - 9:00am - 7:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security's (CNAS) fifth annual conference took place in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 2, 2011. Download the conference program, watch the videos and read the transcripts online.

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  • General Amos
    National Security Leaders Forum with General James F. Amos
    May 24, 2011 - 6:00pm - 8:30pm
    Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On May 24, 2011, CNAS hosted the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps General James F. Amos for a discussion among senior national security experts about the future of the Corps amidst a changing global strategic environment, and offered an assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan and continued challenges in the region.

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  • An Indispensable Force: Investing in America's National Guard and Reserves
    September 23, 2010 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel - Washington, DC
    ,

    On September 23, 2010, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will launch its new report on continuing challenges facing the National Guard and Reserves at an event featuring CNAS President Dr. John Nagl, former Chairman of the Commission on National Guard and Reserves Arnold Punaro, and several outside defense experts. 

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  • The Next Phase in America's Relationship with Iraq
    CNAS Event: The Next Phase in America's Relationship with Iraq
    August 17, 2010 - 1:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel Crystal Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On Tuesday, August 17, 2010, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a pertinent discussion on the future of the U.S. relationship with Iraq with CNAS CEO Nathaniel Fick and two leading Administration officials: Michael Corbin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq, and Colin Kahl, Deputy Secretary of Defense for the Middle East.  The full video is available here as well as a transcript of the opening remarks.

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  • Middle East, CNAS Annual Conference
    Transcript: U.S. Strategy in the Middle East After the Arab Spring
    Date: 06/13/2012
    Media: Transcript

    Read the transcript of the "U.S. Strategy in the Middle East After the Arab Spring" panel at the CNAS 2012 Annual Conference.

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  • Middle East, CNAS Annual Conference
    Video: U.S. Strategy in the Middle East After the Arab Spring
    Date: 06/13/2012
    Media: Video

    Watch the video of the "U.S. Strategy in the Middle East After the Arab Spring" panel at the CNAS 2012 Annual Conference.

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  • iraq, war, colin kahl, center for a new american security, tvo, steve paikin
    The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Colin Kahl: Ending the Iraq War
    Date: 01/13/2012
    Media: Video

    CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl is interviewed by Steve Paikin on TVO's The Agenda over the logistics of ending the war in Iraq. 

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  • Iraq, U.S. military, Iraq War, middle east
    How Iraq, Afghanistan Have Changed The Military
    Date: 12/26/2011
    Media: Audio

    CNAS President John Nagl talks about the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the U.S. military with National Public Radio.

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  • Iraq, U.S. military, Iraq War, middle east
    Five Big Moments In The Iraq War
    Date: 12/17/2011
    Media: Audio

    CNAS Senior Fellow Tom Ricks talks with National Public Radio about the most influential turning points of the Iraq War.

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  • Iraq, U.S. military, Iraq War, middle east
    An Uncertain Future for Iraq As U.S. Leaves
    Date: 12/16/2011
    Media: Video

    CNAS President John Nagl talks with Reuters about the future of Iraq following the withdrawal of all American troops.

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  • Command Post, Iraq
    Command Post: "Is the Change the U.S. Brought to Iraq Likely to Last?"
    Date: 11/22/2011
    Media: Video

    U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by the end of next month, after a nearly nine-year stay. Just how permanent are the changes the U.S. military and diplomatic corps have tried to bring to a post-Saddam Hussein nation? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I discuss the likelihood of a lasting success in Iraq with Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution, and Lawrence Korb, a Reagan-era Pentagon official now at the Center for American Progress.

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  • Command Post, Iraq
    Command Post: "What Will Iraq Be Like in 2012?"
    Date: 11/15/2011
    Media: Video

    Thousands of U.S. troops are now heading home from Iraq every week. By New Year's Eve, the 45,000 who were there on Oct. 21 when President Obama announced their final pullout, will be down to zero. So what does Iraq's near-term future look like once all the U.S. troops have come home? The Obama Administration has said it had no choice but to pull out of Iraq by year's end after the Iraqi parliament made it clear it would not grant U.S. troops immunity from Iraqi law for any alleged wrongdoing. Was that a reason -- or an excuse -- to come home? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I debate the pluses and minuses of the pullout plan with Lawrence Korb, a Reagan-era Pentagon official now at the Center for American Progress, and Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution.

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  • Military Suicides
    Date: 11/11/2011
    Media: Video

    On C-SPAN's Washington Journal, CNAS Senior Fellow and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative Margaret Harrell talks about military suicides and the availability of mental health programs for veterans.

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  • suicide, veterans, military, wellness, joining forces, iraq, cnas
    Transcript - Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide
    Date: 11/03/2011
    Media: Transcript

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held an event, Losing the Battle, on November 1, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., to discuss the issue of suicide in the U.S. military with a distinguished panel of experts, including the author of the CNAS report, Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide, Dr. Margaret Harrell, who is a Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative; General Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; Juliette Kayyem, national security columnist for The Boston Globe and a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University; and Dr. Jan Kemp, National Mental Health Program Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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  • Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow

    Dr. Nora Bensahel is Deputy Director of Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.  She recently co-authored Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, and Sustainable Pre-eminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change. Her other research interests include stability operations, counterinsurgency, civilian capacity for operations abroad, and coalition and alliance operations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A.

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  • Nancy Berglass
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Nancy Berglass is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at CNAS, the Director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, and Principal of Berglass Community Investment Consulting.

    Widely respected as among the nation’s leading strategists for the independent sector, Nancy Berglass has worked for over 25 years to address the needs of families, children, low-income communities, troops and veterans, women and other underserved populations through a variety of leadership positions in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.

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  • Shawn Brimley
    Shawn Brimley
    Vice President and Director of Studies

    Shawn Brimley is Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) where he oversees the center’s research and serves on the executive leadership team. Mr.

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  • Kurt M. Campbell
    The Honorable Kurt M. Campbell
    Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, Center for a New American Security

    Kurt M. Campbell is Co-Chair of the Board of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Founding Partner, Chairman, and CEO of The Asia Group, a strategic advisory and investment group specializing in the dynamic and fast growing Asia Pacific region. Dr. Campbell also writes a regular column for the Financial Times and is writing a book about his experiences in the Obama Administration working on Asia, entitled The Pivot.

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  • Rajiv Chandrasekaran
    Rajiv Chandrasekaran
    Associate Editor, The Washington Post

    Rajiv Chandrasekaran is the Associate Editor of The Washington Post and the author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a best-selling account of the bungled American effort to reconstruct Iraq. The book, which provides a firsthand view of life inside Baghdad's Green Zone, won the Overseas Press Club book award, the Ron Ridenhour Prize and Britain’s Samuel Johnson Prize. It also was a finalist for the National Book Award.

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  • Dr. Patrick M. Cronin
    Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program

    Patrick M. Cronin is a Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).  Previously, he was the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at National Defense University and has a nearly 30-year career inside government and academic research centers, spanning defense affairs, foreign policy, and development assistance.

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  • Robert Leslie Deak
    Robert Leslie Deak
    Board of Directors, National Defense University

    Robert Leslie Deak is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bittachon Holdings, Inc, a firm based out of Rye, New York, that develops and manages companies in the United States and the broader Middle East. Previously, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American National Bank of New York from 1985 to 1991 and before that was President and CEO of Deak-Perera US, Inc., from 1973 to 1985.

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  • Peter deNeufville
    Peter B. deNeufville
    Chairman, Voltaix, LLC

    Peter deNeufville serves as Chairman of Voltaix, L.L.C., a manufacturer of chemical-vapor-deposition materials for the semiconductor and thin-film photovoltaic industries.  He is also a partner in DNAC, a New York-based merchant advisory firm.  He has helped finance and served as a director for a number of early-stage technology companies. 

    Mr. deNeufville is also active in national security and environmental issues.  He is a reserve officer in the U.S.

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  • Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.)
    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
    President and Chief Executive Officer, The Deptula Group, LLC

    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.) is a highly decorated military leader who transitioned from the U.S.

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  • Major General Charles Dunlap, USAF (Ret.)
    Associate Director, Duke University School of Law Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security

    Prior to his retirement on 1 June 2010, Major General Dunlap served as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force.  In that position he assisted in the professional oversight of more than 2,200 judge advocates, 350 civilian attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals and 500 civilians assigned worldwide.  In addition to overseeing an array of military justice, operational, international and civil law functions, General Dunlap provided legal advice to the Air Staff and commanders at all levels.

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