WASHINGTON – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is pleased to announce the addition of new scholars, the establishment of new programs on technology and international affairs, and geoeconomics and strategy, and the expansion of its work in existing regional programs, including Russia and Eurasia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Denis McDonough will join Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program as senior fellow. McDonough served as White House chief of staff from 2013 to 2017, and before that as U.S. deputy national security adviser as well as senior foreign policy adviser to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle.

Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program will help public and private actors maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of innovation by identifying and bridging the gaps between the pace of innovation and the rules, norms, and strategies in the most consequential domains of technology for international peace and prosperity. Led by Vice President for Studies George Perkovich, the program will build on Carnegie’s innovative Cyber Policy Initiative to cover a range of technology issues relevant to international affairs, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology.

Delivering on Andrew Carnegie’s commitment to peace requires addressing the economic challenges that often lie at the core of insecurity and instability. Carnegie’s new Geoeconomics and Strategy Program will draw on foreign policy and economic experts from across Carnegie’s global network along with leaders in the public and private sectors to focus on the intersection of international economic, political, and strategic issues.  

Jake Sullivan will join Carnegie’s Geoeconomics and Strategy Program as a senior fellow. Sullivan is the former national security advisor to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. He also served as director of policy planning at the U.S. Department of State and as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

Salman Ahmed and Jarrett Blanc are also joining Sullivan as senior fellows in the program. 

Ahmed served at the White House as senior director for strategic planning and counselor to the national security adviser. He was previously chief of staff of the United States Mission to the United Nations, and a senior official in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. 

Blanc was the deputy lead coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State, where he was responsible for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Previously, he served as principal deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

With increased focus and attention on Russia’s international role and domestic evolution, Julia S. Gurganus will join Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program as a visiting senior fellow.  She has served in the U.S. government for two decades, most recently as the national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia, the most senior subject matter expert on Russia for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  

Sarah Yerkes will join the Middle East Program as a fellow to contribute to the program’s work on Tunisia. Yerkes previously served in the U.S. Department of State as a member of its policy planning staff and Near East Affairs Bureau, as well as in the United States’ military’s Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate.   

Growing strains within Europe and the transatlantic alliance demand a reexamination of Europe’s political future and its global role. Carnegie will deepen its work in both areas with the addition of new directors for Carnegie Europe in Brussels and Carnegie’s D.C.-based Europe program. 

Ambassador Tomáš Valášek joins Carnegie Europe as its new director. Valášek is currently the permanent representative of the Slovak Republic to NATO, and previously served as president of the Central European Policy Institute and as director of foreign policy and defense at the London-based Center for European Reform.
 
Erik Brattberg will direct Carnegie’s Europe Program in Washington. Brattberg has been a senior fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership and has also held research positions with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the Atlantic Council, and the European Policy Center in Brussels. 

“In the aftermath of the hugely disruptive political and geopolitical events of the past few years, Carnegie is pressing forward with new initiatives that respond to emerging challenges to international security and prosperity,” said Carnegie President William J. Burns. “This is a critical moment for the world and for Carnegie, and I am delighted to welcome these remarkable thinkers and doers who will bring extraordinary expertise and experience to Carnegie’s global network.”

Press Contact: Meshal DeSantis | +1 202 939 2233 | mdesantis@ceip.org