January 03, 2019
A Question of Statecraft
Any Western policymaker working in the field of national security over the past decade has had to grapple with the same disheartening reality: the structures and processes that governments created decades ago to analyze threats and coordinate policy responses are ill-equipped to cope with today’s fast changing geostrategic landscape. These days governments must play what international relations scholar Joe Nye calls “three-dimensional chess,” requiring policymakers to address military, economic, and transnational challenges simultaneously. Whether it is Chinese anti-access/area-denial strategies and capabilities in the South China Sea or the Russian use of energy and cyber-attacks as instruments of coercion, asymmetric warfare is presenting unique challenges not only to national security professionals but also to government ministries, which were designed for a different era.
National governments have responded to these changes by developing new strategies, policies, and tools. The homepages of Western foreign offices and ministries of defense are awash in white papers and national security strategies that outline how the world of foreign policy is evolving and why a pan-governmental approach that draws from the respective strengths of multiple government agencies is needed. Less has been done, however, in regards to statecraft. National security professionals know full well that even the best, most innovative strategies and policies will fail if they aren’t accompanied by a process that enables them to be realized. Yet statecraft—the machinery that ensures that national governments can efficiently and effectively execute policy—rarely garners as much attention.
Read the full article in Berlin Policy Journal.
More from CNAS
-
Rose Gottemoeller on NATO, Arms Control, and a Career in Civil Service
Podcast
Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO, joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the the state of the Alliance, arms control, and the challe...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Rose Gottemoeller
-
Putin Is Following the Game Plan of Other Autocrats Before Him
Commentary
All of the sudden, the transition of power in Russia has begun. In his annual state of the nation speech on Jan. 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised many by proposi...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
The entire Russian government just resigned
Podcast
Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the recent resignation of Russia’s entire government — yes, you read that right. Guest Andrea Kendall-Taylor helps the team get a hold on...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
Vladimir Milov on Russian Politics
Podcast
Vladimir Milov, Russian politician and former Visiting Scholar with the Carnegie Endowment, joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss Russian opposition politics...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Vladimir Milov
