The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently launched the CSIS Commission on Smart Power blog. the Smart Power blog is part of the bipartisan Commission on Smart Power chaired by former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage and Harvard University's Joseph Nye.
Carola McGiffert, vice president and chief of staff at CSIS, on Smart Power:
Welcome to the CSIS Smart Power blog, a one-stop resource for policy makers and citizens alike to engage in a non-partisan and forward-looking dialogue on the nature of American leadership in the 21st century...
In 2006, CSIS launched a high level, bipartisan Smart Power Commission to address this critical issue of Smart Power, and to develop concrete recommendations to guide the political candidates -- one of whom will be the next president of the United States — as they develop their foreign policy platforms. The Commission has drawn from an ongoing CSIS "Dialogue with America," designed to take the temperature of Americans from around the country, across the political spectrum, and from a diverse range of constituency groups. Based on the recommendations of the Commission, the qualitative data from the "Dialogue with America," and the hard analysis of CSIS experts, we seek to maximize our resources to ensure a Smart Power agenda for the next administration.
We hope you will explore this blog to learn more about the Commission, its work, and the other activities that CSIS is spearheading to ensure that the next president of the United States, regardless of political party, promotes a Smart Power approach to American leadership. We are not alone in this important endeavor; a number of other organizations have undertaken like-minded initiatives and we applaud their work. We look forward to using this blog as a forum to engage with these efforts, share ideas, and advance the Smart Power message. Moreover, we hope you will actively engage in the blog, adding your voice to this critical debate over how to ensure that the United States becomes a safer and stronger nation, but also one that is more engaged and more compassionate in the world.
While the Smart Power Commission will publish its final report on November 6, 2007, this blog will continue to live on through the 2008 presidential election and beyond. It will be updated approximately twice each week. CSIS scholars have lent their expertise to the Commission, and their papers will be posted regularly. The blog will also be used as a forum to monitor and discuss key publications and world events. Regular "newsbriefs" (our recommended reading list) will also be posted regularly. Blog editors will determine which comments will be posted. To encourage open and thoughtful discussion, partisan commentaries will automatically be rejected.