By Simone Bak, Columnist Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Before his departure, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson remarked that a shrunken Department of State would produce the largest value-add for the American people.[i] The White House’s FY18 proposed budget, which cut the US International Affairs budget by $58.8 billion and increased military spending by … Continue reading Diplomacy as Investment Strategy: Why Increasing State Department Funding Is a Value-Add to the American Taxpayer
Author: Simone Bak
Reforming Saudi Arabia: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 Plan
By: Simone Bak, Columnist Photo by: Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman (known colloquially as “MBS”) recently made his first trip abroad since he became crowned prince last year, visiting Egypt and the UK. He is currently on a multicity tour of the United States. These trips’ primary purpose is to tout the … Continue reading Reforming Saudi Arabia: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 Plan
Normative Persuasion and the Impact of IMET Programs on U.S. National Security Goals
By: Simone Bak, Columnist Photo by: NDU Audio Visual Every year, U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs are used to train approximately 6,000-7,000 foreign officers from roughly 120 friendly and allied nations in US military schools alongside their US counterparts.[i] The Department of State runs and funds IMET programs, while the Department of … Continue reading Normative Persuasion and the Impact of IMET Programs on U.S. National Security Goals