home > the cfr think tank > experts > richard k. betts
Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-854-7325
E-mail: rkb4@columbia.edu
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
One-page bio (PDF, 57K)
Author of Surprise Attack: Lessons for Defense Planning and professor at Columbia University. Commissioner to the National Commission on Terrorism and former staff member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Current work examines the U.S. national security agenda.
Expertise:Intelligence and U.S. defense policy; military strategy; political and military intelligence; international conflict; terrorism.
Experience:Professor of political science and Director of the Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University (current); member, National Commission on Terrorism (1999-2000); Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution (1981-90); staff member, National Security Council (1977); staff member, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (1975-76).
Selected Publications:Military Readiness (Brookings Institution Press, 1995); Conflict After the Cold War (editor, Longman, 1994); Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises, 2nd ed. (Columbia University Press, 1991); Nuclear Blackmail and Nuclear Balance (Brookings Institution Press, 1987); Surprise Attack (Brookings Institution Press, 1982); Cruise Missiles: Technology, Strategy, Politics (editor, Brookings Institution Press, 1981); The Irony of Vietnam(coauthor, Brookings Institution Press, 1979).
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
January 8, 2010
Interview
Failures to stop the recent U.S. airliner bomb plot and the destruction of a CIA base in Afghanistan illustrate inherent problems in intelligence gathering, and al-Qaeda's impenetrability, says CFR's Richard K. Betts.
See more in United States, Air Transportation Security, Intelligence
November/December 2007
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
The United States now spends almost as much on defense in real dollars as it ever has before -- even though it has no plausible rationale for using most of its impressive military forces. Why? Because without political incentives for restraint, policymakers have lost the ability to think clearly about defense policy. Washington's new mantra should be "Half a trillion dollars is more than enough."
See more in Defense Strategy
January 14, 2007
Op-Ed
The Washington Post
See more in Iraq, Wars and Warfare, Congress and Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy History, Presidency
October 6, 2006
Audio
Listen to experts discuss the impact of the Iraq war on coping with rogue states and proliferators.
See more in United States, Iraq, Defense Strategy
October 6, 2006
Video
Watch experts discuss the impact of the Iraq war on coping with rogue states and proliferators.
See more in United States, Iraq, Defense Strategy
October 6, 2006
Transcript
A panel discusses the impact of the Iraq war on coping with rogue states, failing states and proliferators. The nexus between rogue states, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorists is also discussed.
See more in Iraq, U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 8, 2006
Transcript
A panel of terrorism experts discusses the terrorist threat facing New York and considers efforts to prevent future attacks.
See more in United States, Homeland Security
September 8, 2006
Audio
Listen to experts discuss the terrorist threat in New York and the importance of preparing for small-scale attacks.
See more in United States, Homeland Security
September 8, 2006
Video
Watch experts discuss the terrorist threat in New York and the importance of preparing for small-scale
See more in United States, Homeland Security
May 9, 2006
Interview
Richard K. Betts, a CFR expert on the intelligence community, says that he sees no reason that the nomination of General Michael V. Hayden to head the Central Intelligence Agency should be blocked by Congress because of his military background. But he says that "there's a powerful reason to consider opposing the nomination," citing Hayden's role in domestic wiretapping without proper warrants by his National Security Agency.
See more in United States, Intelligence
March 28, 2006
Audio
Listen to Senator Gary Hart explain how security can be achieved through new tactics and players such as special forces and economic integration.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
March 28, 2006
Video
Watch Senator Gary Hart explain how security can be achieved through new tactics and players such as special forces and economic integration.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
April 5, 2005
Interview
See more in Intelligence
May/June 2004
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, National Security and Defense
May/June
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
March 8, 2004
Transcript
See more in Iraq, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Intelligence
January/February 2003
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
See more in Iraq, Middle East
February 7, 2002
Testimony
See more in Terrorism, Organization of Government
January/February 2002
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, National Security and Defense
Explore the international oceans regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
This report explores how international legal rules regarding military force might evolve to better meet the challenges of mass atrocities.
The authors of this CSR explain why the United States needs to place greater emphasis on preventive action and how current organizational arrangements can be changed to meet that need.
This report addresses pan-Asian and trans-Pacific architectures and guidelines for how the United States can revise its approach in order to consolidate and improve the efficacy of these Asian institutions.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Through compelling analysis and rich historical examples that span the globe and range from the thirteenth century through the present, Charles A. Kupchan explores how adversaries can transform enmity into amity, and exposes prevalent myths about the causes of peace.
With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine Israel's adversity-driven culture to offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
Vali Nasr reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org