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Johns Hopkins SAIS expert available to discuss the U.S. national security strategy

EXPERT ADVISORY
 
As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to release his first national security strategy, Associate Director and Fellow at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs Alexander Bick says the forthcoming document will be closely scrutinized – both domestically and globally – to understand what “America First” means for the U.S. role in the world.
 
“Trump faces a very similar set of challenges as the Obama Administration before it, stemming from the 2008 financial crisis and the rise of China, among other obstacles,” Dr. Bick said. “Will Trump address these challenges by reaffirming U.S. leadership of a liberal international order, or will he turn towards a narrower, neo-mercantile vision?”   
 
Bick explores this topic in the recently published paper, Trump’s National Security Strategy: A New Brand of Mercantilism?, co-authored with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Senior Fellow Salman Ahmed.
 
Bick is available to offer further insights on:

  • What is the national security strategy and how has it evolved since the administration of former President Ronald Reagan?
  • What should Americans expect from the Trump Administration’s upcoming national security strategy?
  • How might it diverge from the two strategies penned by the Obama Administration?
  • Why has President Trump been labeled a “mercantilist” and what does this term mean today?  
  • How can the current administration reaffirm and strengthen the United States within a liberal international order?
  • How could the administration aid struggling industries and Americans without taking on the risks of increased protectionism?

 
Dr. Bick’s research focuses on the origins of globalization, imperial rivalry, and the history of political economy. He also has extensive experience in international security. From 2014 to 2016, Bick served as Director for Syria at the National Security Council, where he helped develop the Obama Administration’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State and coordinated the broader policy process for Syria. He was a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State from 2012 to 2014. In this role, he advised the Secretary of State on crises in Syria, Mali, and Libya, and led a strategy review to address the growing terrorist threat in the Maghreb-Sahel region. Before joining the U.S. government, Bick served as Director of The Carter Center’s election observation missions to Liberia in 2011 and Libya in 2012, and assisted former President Jimmy Carter in diplomatic efforts with Sudan, Venezuela, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 
 
Read more: Trump’s National Security Strategy: A New Brand of Mercantilism?
 
Media Contact
Stacy A. Anderson
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
202.663.5620 office
202.853.7983 mobile
[email protected]
 
 About Johns Hopkins SAIS
 A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For nearly 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
 
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins
 
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Date: 
Friday, August 18, 2017