SILL's Speakers in the Media, Year Round!
We are compiling their input for your convenience.

SILL recruits our speakers for their knowledge and expertise. The Media often seeks them out for the same reasons.

As a convenience to our community members, we are compiling links to our speaker's writings and appearances so you may benefit from their insights even when SILL is not in session.
We would welcome your feedback on this initiative.

Note: Links to some newspaper articles may require a subscription to fully view.

Asli Aydintasbas
Washington Post October 7, 2022
Turkey and Armenia Just Gave the World a Welcome Bit of Good News
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Ms. Aydintasbas reports the meeting between the Turkish President and Armenian Prime Minister in Prague. She provides the context for the frozen relations between Turkey and Armenia and the changing security environment in the Caucuses following the 2020 hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Ukraine- Russia war. She expresses the hope the meeting signals a new beginning in relations and stresses both leaders would need to make it a priority.


Brookings October 18, 2022
Turkey's New Media Law is Bad News - But Don't Report It
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Ms. Aydintasbas describes Turkey recent adoption of a controversial social media law. The law makes reporting any "disinformation" criminal and leaves the definition of disinformation to the eye of the beholder (the Government Prosecutor). The law is intended to shut down all manner of independent information in the run up to the 2023 Presidential elections in Turkey. She opines that the law is just a likely to incur anger among much of the Turkish electorate if it succeeds in shutting of communications, including the encrypted global messaging apps it targets.

Charles Kupchan
New York Times November 2, 2022
It's Time to Bring Russia and Ukraine to the Negotiating Table
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Professor Kupchan reviews developments in Ukraine. He gives the Administration a positive evaluation on defining western interests and keeping involvement at an appropriate level. He views the Ukraine's success on the battlefield positively, but questions its objectives and attacks that have moved the war's essence from territorial to threatening Russia's existence. He argues for more U.S. and Allied engagement in controlling Ukraine's objectives and tactics and for an approach to diplomatic negotiations. He worries that continued war threatens to undermine liberal democracy at a critical time.

Manajari Chaterjee Miller
Hindustan Times October 3, 2022
How China and Pakistan Forged Close Ties
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Dr. Miller examines the development of Pakistani - Chinese partnership over the last twenty years. She posits that the relationship has changed from being one sided, where Pakistan depended on support by a China that was at times embarrassed by its partner. With the growing cooperation between India and the U.S. and China's evolving regional and global ambitions, the relationship has become a real two way street. She warns India that its continuing development presents a danger that India could face confrontation on two fronts in any future face off with China.

Dennis Ross
Times of Israel November 2, 2022
A Narrow Government with Ben Gvir and Smotritch Threatens US-Israeli Ties
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Ambassador Ross and his colleague David Makovsky take stock of Israel's political landscape after the November elections. They explain that formation of a Netanyahu government with a narrow base adding only the Religious Zionist Party will make the anti-arab right extremists the face of Netanyahu's Government. The incitement likely to emerge from that extreme will put at risk Israel's relations with its Peace partners and undermine the sense of shared values that underlays US-Israeli relations. They warn that the US Israel special relationship cannot be taken for granted.


The Hill October 17, 2022
When There is Good News About The Middle East, We Should Take Note
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Ambassador Ross highlights the successful US mediation in reaching an agreement on the maritime delineation between Israel and Lebanon. The agreement has security and economic benefits for Israel and was possible because of the economic benefits to Lebanon, inducing agreement also by Hezbollah. He says It reduces the risk of war between Israel and Hezbollah and that while the concessions on both sides may be criticized, the political calendar dictated the timing for conclusion of the agreement.

Kori Schake
The Atlantic October 13, 2022
Biden's Loose Lips Make the Nuclear Threat Worse
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Dr. Schake reviews developments which suggest that there is a real danger that Russia could us tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine as it's conventional forces are beaten. However she takes President Biden task for fretting about the risk rather than being clear to the American people on the U.S. interest at stake and clear to Russia about consequences and to demonstrate that their use would not achieve any Russian objectives.


New York Times September 26, 2022
Biden's Cautious Foreign Policy is Imperiling the United States
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Dr. Schake highlights the failure of the Biden Administration to put and effective strategy in place to guide its security and Foreign Policy efforts. She notes that the Administration often says the right things, for instance on Ukraine, but it fails to define consistent objectives and frequently doesn't align the means to achieve them. The absence of sufficient means, undermines our efforts and places the U.S. in danger of the kind of failure that Russia has experienced with its ambitions in Ukraine.

Lee Schneider
CrowdFund Insider November 1, 2022
Let's Debunk Some Recent Myth-Making About Blockchain
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Blockchain is awfully cool, it solves an important issue for the internet age, and it is creating a huge amount of economic activity by rearchitecting the internet. None of it, however, is magic, or even sleight-of-hand (after all, transparency is a key part of what makes blockchains work). This article uses simple explanations to debunk recent myth-making from both opponents and proponents of blockchain and decentralization

Jeremi Suri
NY Times November 13, 2022
Biden is Wasting Precious Time Fighting for America's "Soul"
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Professor Suri argues that President Biden's state goal of uniting the body politic is unattainable and actually divisive. He draws on history to suggest Presidents can be effective without being overall unifiers when they focus on building coalitions around policy issues that benefit the country. He suggests Biden has the same opportunity if he turns to economic issues that will benefit the supporters of the liberal wing of his party as well as the conservative wing of the Republicans.


CNN October 10, 2022
What Matters to Midterm Voters (with William Inboden)
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Dr. Suri advises that our societies and our leadership face enormous challenges, some already known others likely yet to be revealed in the years ahead. He says that these challenges require a new leadership as the leaders of the 20th century pass from the scene but he notes that our partisan riven society make such leadership difficult. He enumerates four characteristics of leaders we should be seeking from those proposing to lead our society: The ability to grow and change in office to pursue a better future; the ability to inspire divers audiences; an ability to connect with ordinary people; and courage.