CTR Headline News
January Update from the Center for Transatlantic Relations
- Simonyi, Bardaji, Boyer, Merkel Join CTR
- CTR Again Ranked #1 University Think Tank in DC
- Redefining the Atlantic
- New Books -- Euro Crisis; Open Ukraine; Preventing Conflict; Transatlantic Energy
Dear Friends,
Thought you might be interested in new developments at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations.
First, we are strengthening our team. I am pleased to welcome András Simonyi, former Ambassador of Hungary to the United States and to NATO, as CTR Managing Director. András is literally a rock star in transatlantic diplomacy -- he is well known to the Washington policy community and brings to the Center a wealth of experience in U.S.-European relations, media and public diplomacy. His own band of policymaking rockers, the Coalition of the Willing, has been known to wow DC audiences. In his new role, András will be responsible for a broad portfolio of CTR activities, including seminars, policy study groups, media commentary and research projects.
Kurt Volker and Michael Haltzel continue their high-octane activities as resident Senior Fellows. They join me in welcoming András and three other non-resident Senior Fellows to CTR -- Rafael Bardaji; Spencer Boyer; and David Merkel.
Rafael Bardaji is Director of International Policy and is Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to former President of the Government of Spain, José María Aznar, at the FAES Foundation. Rafael helped to create the Spanish think tank Real Instituto Elcano, was the senior Executive Advisor to the Spanish Defense Minister, is on the advisory board of the Special Operations command at NATO, and is a member of various private sector boards.
Spencer P. Boyer was most recently Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where his portfolio covered western European affairs, public diplomacy and public affairs. He has served as Director of International Law and Diplomacy at the Center for American Progress; worked in The Hague as a Law Clerk to the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; in Zurich as a Staff Attorney at the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts in Switzerland, and in Paris as Counsel at the International Court of Arbitration. His expertise ranges from public diplomacy and transatlantic relations to European affairs, multilateralism and international security.
David A. Merkel also served as both Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, as well as Director for European and Eurasian Affairs on the U.S. National Security Council staff. He was a staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Policy Committee. He is Director of the Caspian and Black Sea Policy Forum and Managing Director of Summit Advisors. His expertise includes the geopolitics of energy, international financial issues, and transatlantic and Central Asian topics.
Second, I am delighted to report that for the second year in a row the University of Pennsylvania’s annual survey of “Global Go-To Think Tanks” ranked CTR 1st among university-affiliated think tanks in Washington DC and 6th in the world.
Third, we are excited about a new boost to our Atlantic Basin Initiative. Under the rubric “Redefining the Atlantic” CTR is launching a series of workshops and research activities among North and South American, African and European experts and opinion leaders that explore the growing connections among the four continents of the Atlantic in terms of energy and commerce, human mobility and innovation, and human security and development. A series of books and policy reports will literally 'map' the effects of globalization on the Atlantic Basin.
Finally, we have released a number of new books exploring transatlantic themes. We joined with Nobel Prize Laureate Robert Solow and the Cournot Center to provide perspectives on the Euro Crisis; together with the Polish Institute for Eastern Studies we consider possibilities for a more Open Ukraine; we joined with a number of U.S. and European think tanks to explore how we can do better at Preventing Conflict; and a core group of authors offer a solid overview of many current issues related to Transatlantic Energy.
As always, we welcome your participation and your perspectives.
Best wishes
Dan Hamilton
Executive Director
Center for Transatlantic Relations
