February 02, 2017
Bannon’s ‘Strategic Initiatives’ Cabal Inside the NSC Is Dangerous Hypocrisy
It has been a tough few days for the National Security Council. The news that Trump’s political guru Stephen Bannon secured a place on the NSC’s Principals Committee was troubling enough, but the creation of a Bannon-led “Strategic Initiatives Group” within the NSC further erodes its stature, independence, and influence.
We would be the first to say that the NSC is imperfect. As two people who worked in President Barack Obama’s White House, and who were designated to lead Hillary Clinton’s NSC “landing team” had she won the presidency, we’ve thought a lot about how to make the NSC and interagency process work better — something we’ll have a lot more to say about at Shadow Government. For now, suffice to say that in almost every way, Trump’s team has done the opposite of what we would suggest. This kind of “disruption” may feel good right now and may send Washington’s Twitterverse into apoplectic frenzy — but Trump will soon learn that it will only bring dysfunction, and likely worse. Dust off your histories of Iran-Contra to get a sense of what may come.
Read the full article at Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Ilan Goldenberg Recaps the Iran Crisis
Podcast
Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS, joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the fallout from Qassem Soleim...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Ilan Goldenberg
-
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
