The Center for the Study of the Presidency is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that actively counsels the White House and the Executive branch on policy areas critical to strengthening Presidential leadership. To better accomplish this objective, the Center reaches out to creativity and innovation in the private sector, public policy centers, and academic and research communities on a variety of programs and projects.
Deeply divided at home by political parties and abroad by war and differences with our allies, the Center believes our nation needs to draw on past successes, from the Continental Congress through the Cold War, recommit to character-based leadership and civility, and conduct strategic net assessments of our vulnerabilities, assets and opportunities. Only then can we regain our unity of purpose and freedom of action.
In 1999, CSP’s inaugural year in Washington, the Center launched a series of studies for a new Administration and Congress. These included a study of all major interventions and nation building since the Korean War; proposals for comprehensive strategic reform of our national security structures away from Cold War rigidity toward agility and anticipatory capabilities; and major conferences on the Congress, the Presidency,the media and enriching science and technology as elements of national power. These reports were made available to the new Administration and Congress.
During the two years leading up to the next Presidential transition, CSP will renew this effort through Agenda 2008. At a time of great domestic and international challenges, CSP will conduct a strategic reappraisal and write updated reports and case studies for candidates, the next President and Congress.
CSP works closely with senior leadership in the Executive and Legislative Branches on a bipartisan basis to further the understanding and functioning of the American Presidency and its related institutions. CSP staff lead a number of projects that represent strategic challenges facing the Presidency today. The Center's projects involve leading minds from government, academia, and industry to develop solutions to these challenges. The Center's initiatives also seek to educate and inspire leaders of tomorrow. Current projects include:
Homeland Security - CSP addresses strategic homeland security challenges that require Presidential leadership. The Center's work on homeland defense began in 1999 with the publication of its panel report on Comprehensive Strategic Reform. Since then, the Center's Homeland Security Projects area has led policy initiatives on combating smuggled nuclear weapons, synergizing the Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security, the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Canada, strengthening the transatlantic relationship in the war on terrorism, and crisis leadership for homeland security. From 2002 to 2004, the Center led a unique roundtable series bridging the Executive Branch, private sector, and think tank community on homeland security challenges.
Geo-Politics and Foreign Policy - CSP has convened top policymakers in several efforts to strengthen U.S. foreign policy. Most recently, in December 2005, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) called CSP President David Abshire to discuss the establishment of a “Fresh Eyes on Iraq” Task Force, which evolved into the Iraq Study Group. CSP's Transatlantic efforts have examined NATO's role in the war on terror, put forward a series of proposals on increased NATO-EU coordination in global and homeland security, and identified better crosswalks and institutional capabilities among NATO, the EU and the G8. In May of 2006, the Center created the Afghan Study Group to examine the forgotten war there.
Science and Technology - CSP examines the scientific and technological challenges of the post-Cold War world through such publications as Advancing Innovation: Improving the S&T Advisory Structure and Policy Process and the Homeland Security Roundtables. As part of Agenda 2008, CSP is organizing working sessions on critical national challenges for the 2008 Presidential candidates, including the role of a Presidential Science Advisor, the science policy process, and key policy and R&D issues such as alternate energy sources, delivery and paying for quality health care, homeland security and the economic benefits of a strong R&D budget.
Geo-economics - Since 2001, CSP has counseled leading members of the Federal government on U.S. global economic leadership. The Center has also held a dialogue on the economics of Middle-Eastern countries and, at the invitation of the Government Accountability Office, is working to increase awareness of the country’s fiscal situation.
Health and Medicine - As part of Agenda 2008, CSP will use historical perspectives to examine the health care challenges and opportunities facing the next President. These frank, off-the-record discussions among a wide range of experts from the health community, Nobel Laureates, public policy organizations, academia and current and former government officials of health care issues will include soaring medical costs, uninsured citizens, the need to protect against and respond to natural disasters, pandemics, and possible bioterrorist threats, to emphasize prevention and preparedness, to strengthen health-related research, and to improve the delivery of quality medical and public health services. The program examines these health issues as well as crisis health leadership and bioethics.
Energy and the Environment - CSP has extensive experience in the fields of U.S. energy and environmental policy. In its 2000 report, Advancing Innovation: Improving the S&T Advisory Structure and Public Policy Process, CSP sounded an alarm to marshal the nation’s best scientific and technical minds to master a changing post-Cold War environment. Following the 9/11 attacks, CSP called for harnessing America’s scientific talent to respond to terrorism and public health and presented their insights in Marshalling Science, Bridging the Gap. Much of CSP’s current work in these fields is part of out Homeland Security roundtables and science-based initiatives.
Foundation for International Understanding
In a world marked by widespread anti-Americanism, growing mistrust between nations and peoples, and increasingly disaffected populations, CSP is leading an initiative to establish a Foundation for International Understanding (FIU). Once operational, this independent grant-making foundation will support media productions that promote respect, understanding, and shared learning across borders and cultures. Along with radio and television programs, the FIU will support innovative new media, such as interactive Internet productions, educational video games, podcasts, and cyber classrooms. The FIU will neither produce nor broadcast media productions. Instead, through its grant awards, the FIU will marshal creative talent from the media and entertainment industries and educational institutions worldwide.
To address the decline in public service and interest the history of the Presidency, CSP invites 85 of the nation’s top college and university students to Washington to participate in the Presidential Fellows Program, a series of leadership conferences in the spring and the fall that feature high-level government officials from the Executive and Legislative branches and the policy community. The centerpiece of the program is the research, writing and defense of original papers on the Presidency and their publication in A Dialogue on Presidential Challenges and Leadership. Recent award-winning paper topics include 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, as well as President Kennedy’s recently uncovered speech, which he did not deliver, on why the U.S. had to invade Cuba.
National Consortium for Character-Based Leadership
Good leadership is based on trust. In response to character failures routinely witnessed in government, business, education, religion, and athletics, CSP established the National Consortium for Character-Based Leadership, an organization of more than 40 high schools, colleges, service academies, business schools, and independent institutions. The Consortium aims to unite the often disconnected fields of ethics and leadership education by providing tools for students to grapple with morally complex leadership situations. We also offer a forum for secondary and post-secondary educators to discuss best practices in leadership, ethics and character education. The Consortium’s inaugural conference was held at Washington and Lee University in September 2006.
