John J. McCloy Roundtable Series on Setting the National Security Agenda
Director: Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
December 1, 1996 - Present
Meetings
Roundtable Meeting
Overkill: The Case for Reevaluating U.S. Nuclear Strategy
Speakers:
Christopher Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute, Benjamin M. Friedman, Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Cato InstitutePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
January 29, 2013
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Second Nuclear Age
Speaker:
Paul Bracken, Professor of Management and Political Science, Yale UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
December 11, 2012
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Conflict in Syria: A Diplomatic's Insider's View
Speaker:
Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Arnold Saltzman Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs, SIPA, Columbia UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
October 10, 2012
This meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
Homegrown Terrorism
Speaker:
Risa A. Brooks, Marquette UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
May 31, 2012
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
How Would We Estimate the Odds of Sino-American Conflict? By Focusing on What Is Unique About China or on What Is Typical About its Situation in International Politics?
May 4, 2012
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
What Have We Learned About Counterinsurgency Since the Two Surges?
Speakers:
Max Boot, Council on Foreign Relations, Andrew Exum, Center for a New American Security, Colonel Gian Gentile, USA, U.S. Military AcademyPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
January 23, 2012
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Defense Budget in Decline: How to Do Almost as Much with Not Too Much Less, or What to Stop Doing if It's a Lot Less
Speakers:
Gordan Adams, The Stimson Center, Nora J. Bensahel, Center for a New American Security, Lawrence J. Korb, Center for American Progress, Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Brookings InstitutionPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
December 1, 2011
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Moving Beyond the War on Terror
Speakers:
Max Boot, Council on Foreign Relations, Robert A. Pape, University of ChicagoPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
May 26, 2011
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
U.S. Political-Military Priorities: An Insider's View
Speaker:
Andrew Shapiro, U.S. Department of StatePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
February 22, 2011
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Prospects in Afghanistan and American Strategic Choices
December 9, 2010
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Myths of Nuclear Stability: What Presidents Don't Know About the Limits of their Control of Nuclear Forces
Speaker:
Bruce Blair, World Security InstitutePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
May 4, 2010
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Obama Nuclear Agenda: A Report on the Department of Defense Nuclear Posture Review
Speaker:
Michael Nacht, U.S. Department of DefensePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
April 14, 2010
This meeting is not for attribution.
Speaker:
Colin H. Kahl, U.S. Department of DefensePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, CFR
November 24, 2009
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Myths of Nuclear Stability
Speaker:
Bruce Blair, World Security InstitutePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
November 3, 2009
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
North Korea and the Future of the Six Party Talks
Speaker:
Victor D. Cha, Georgetown School of Foreign ServicePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
May 21, 2009
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Iraq: Revisiting Three Crucial Decisions of the Past Six Years
Speaker:
Meghan L. O'Sullivan, John F. Kennedy School of GovernmentPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
March 13, 2009
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century
Speaker:
Peter W. Singer, Brookings InstitutionPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
February 5, 2009
12:15-12:30 p.m. - Reception and Lunch
12:30-2:00 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Future of Special Operations
Speaker:
David Kilcullen, U.S. Department of StatePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
December 17, 2008
This meeting is not for attribution.
Speaker:
Lincoln A. Mitchell, Assistant Professor, Practice of International Politics, Columbia UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
September 9, 2008
12:15-12:30 p.m. - Lunch and Reception
12:30-2:00 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Sprinting to the Finish
Speaker:
Kori Schake, Principal Deputy Director of Policy Planning, U.S. Department of StatePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
May 6, 2008
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Counterterrorism Under the Next President: Lessons from New York City
Speaker:
Richard A. Falkenrath, Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, New York City Police DepartmentPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
April 22, 2008
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Statecraft in the Middle East
Speaker:
Dennis B. Ross, Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, The Washington InstitutePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
February 4, 2008
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Trends in the U.S.-China Security Relationship
Speaker:
Thomas Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of StatePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
December 7, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Planning for Future Military Conflicts
Speaker:
Thomas G. Mahnken, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning, U.S. Department of DefensePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
October 16, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Next Attack in the Homeland: How to Respond
Speaker:
Henry A. Crumpton, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Counterterrorism Office, U.S. Department of StatePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
October 5, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
An Assessment Intelligence Reform
Speakers:
Mark Lowenthal, President, The Intelligence & Security Academy, LLC, William E. Odom, Adjunct Professor, Yale UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, The Council on Foreign Relations
May 25, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
Speaker:
John J. Mearsheimer, University of ChicagoPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
February 8, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
U.S. Intelligence and 9/11
Speaker:
Amy Zegart, University of California Los AngelesPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
January 25, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
New Nuclear Interactions
Speaker:
Stephen Peter Rosen, Olin Institute for Strategic StudiesPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
November 2, 2006
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
What Kind of Military Transformation?
Speaker:
Frederick W. Kagan, American Enterprise InstitutePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
October 24, 2006
12:30-2:30 p.m.
This meeting is not for attribution.
Speaker:
Deborah Barger, Assistant Deputy Director of National IntelligencePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
April 10, 2006
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Transformational Diplomacy
February 24, 2006
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Challenge of American Primacy
Speakers:
William C. Wohlforth, Dartmouth College, Stephen Brooks, Dartmouth CollegePresider:
Richard K. Betts
February 9, 2006
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Integrated Power Concept and Its Implications in Iraq
Speakers:
Larry Korb, Center for American Progress, Robert Boorstin, Center for American ProgressPresider:
Richard K. Betts
January 17, 2006
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Intelligence and Policy: A Broken Relationship
November 8, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
U.S. First Strike Capability
Speakers:
Keir Lieber, Notre Dame University, Daryl G. Press, University of PennsylvaniaPresider:
Richard K. Betts
October 25, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Dying to Win
Speaker:
Robert A. Pape, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of ChicagoPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
June 6, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War
Speaker:
Andrew Bacevich, Director of the Center for International Relations,, Boston UniversityPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
April 15, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Iraq: Can We Eat Soup with a Knife?
Speaker:
John A. Nagl, U.S. Department of DefensePresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
March 17, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
They Still Don't Get It: The Danger of Ignoring Reality in the War on Terrorism
February 23, 2005
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Lying in International Politics
Speaker:
Eric Alterman, Professor, Brooklyn College, Senior Fellow, Center for American ProgressPresider:
Richard K. Betts, Council on Foreign Relations
December 2, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Road to-and-from 9/11
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Philip D. Zelikow, Executive Director, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
November 23, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Case Against American Empire
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow, Independent Institute
October 8, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Evolving Security Roles of American Forces in Iraq
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Gary Anderson, Science Applications International Corporation, Francis "Bing" West, GAMA Corporation
May 17, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Roundtable on the Navy's Evolving Role in War on Terror
March 17, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
John J. McCloy Roundtable with General James T. Hill
February 24, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
John J. McCloy Roundtable with Lt. General William Odom
February 12, 2004
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Terrorism After Al Qa'ida
November 4, 2003
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
New Bases and Allies for Old? The Pentagon’s Plans for Future Global Military Posture
October 7, 2003
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Preventing Intelligence Failures in Counterterrorism
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Eleanor Hill, Joint 9/11 Investigation Committee
June 27, 2003
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Suicide Terror
March 19, 2003
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
National Security Agenda
October 3, 2002
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Lessons Learned from the War in Afghanistan
September 24, 2002
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
What have we learned about terrorism since September 11?
May 15, 2002
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
America's Response to Terrorism: US Air Defense
Speaker:
William P. Delaney, Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
November 16, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
America's Response to Terrorism: U. S. Air Defense
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Lee Upton, Lincoln Laboratory, MIT, William P. Delaney, Lincoln Laboratory, MIT
November 16, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
America's Response to Terrorism: What Difference Does the RMA Make After September 11?
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Michael E. O'Hanlon, Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Lawrence J. Korb, Vice President, Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, and Director of Studies
October 24, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
America's Response to Terrorism: US-China Security Relations after the September 11 Attacks
October 23, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
America's Response to Terrorism: What Difference Does the RMA Make After September 11?
October 12, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The U.S. Navy: A Vision for the 21st Century
Panelist:
Lawrence J. KorbSpeaker:
Robert J. Natter, Admiral, U.S.N., Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
May 23, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Can the New Administration Preserve the U.S. Military Profession or Will the Military Be Just a Bureaucracy?
May 8, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Space Commission: Recommendations and Projects
Panelist:
Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow, National Security Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsSpeaker:
David E. Jeremiah, Admiral USN (Ret.); President, Technology Strategies & Alliances Corporation; Commissioner, Commission to Access United States National Security Space Management and Organization
April 26, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Transparency in an Environment of Unilateral Arms
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Rose E. Gottemoeller, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment; former Deputy Undersecretary for Nuclear Proliferation, U.S. Department of Energy
March 22, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Critical Issues in Defense Management
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Ashton B. Carter, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; author, Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future
February 15, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
NATO Leaving the Balkans: A Retreat?
Panelist:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Sir Rupert Smith, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe
January 26, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Critical Issues in Managing Defense Policy
Panelist:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Ashton B. Carter, Ford Foundation Professor of Science and International Affairs, Harvard's Kennedy School of Public Policy
January 11, 2001
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Next Quadrennial Defense Review: Can It Get Out of the Box? Should It?
Speakers:
Ted Warner, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction, Andrew R. Hoehn, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Strategy
November 14, 2000
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The National Commission on Terrorism: Recommendations and Prospects
Speaker:
L. Paul Bremer, Managing Director, MMC Enterprise Risk
October 26, 2000
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
How India's Nuclear Force Should Develop: Deterrence Concepts, Force Structure and Command and Control
October 17, 2000
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Transnational Crime Networks
Panelist:
Richard K. Betts, CFRSpeaker:
Phil Williams, Ridgway Center for International Security Studies
April 10, 2000
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Kashmir Problem after the Indian Election
October 18, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or Doesn't Matter?
Presider:
Lawrence J. KorbSpeakers:
Richard Chilcoat, National Defense University, Elizabeth Kier, Harvard University
May 19, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Future of Russian Military Power
April 27, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The War over Kosovo: What to Do? To What End?
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Albert I. Edelman, Mayer, Brown and Platt, Ivo H. Daalder, Brookings Institution
April 27, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Can Saddam Hussein Be Toppled? (N.Y.)
March 4, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Can Saddam Hussein Be Toppled? (D.C.)
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Frank Smyth, Journalist, Kenneth M. Pollack, National Defense University
February 26, 1999
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Russian Military: From Ten Feet Tall to Two Feet Small
November 24, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Non-Lethal Weapons.
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Charles Swett, Center for Strategic and International Studies
November 6, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Non-lethal Weapons
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Charles Swett, Center for Strategic and International Studies
October 27, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Civilian-Military Gap: Problem or Solution?.
October 2, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
The Civilian-Military Gap: Problem or Solution?
October 1, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Security Commerce and Space: Protecting the New SLOCs
May 11, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Dueling Instabilities: What's Going On in Korea?
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Mitchell B. Reiss, Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), Frederick Carrier, Korea Society
April 22, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
How Much Can UNSCOM Do Even if Saddam Lets It?
April 6, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Is the New North Atlantic Treaty Organization Militarily Serious?
March 5, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Bosnia: Is Partition the Lesser Evil?
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Warren Zimmermann, Columbia University, Chaim Kaufmann, Lehigh University
March 4, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Refugees as a Security Issue
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Robert P. DeVecchi, Council on Foreign Relations
February 4, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Is the New NATO Militarily Serious?
January 12, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Bosnia: Is Partition the Lesser Evil?.
January 7, 1998
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Energy Security: Is Access Still a Problem?.
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Michael C. Lynch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Douglas B. McNary, Council on Foreign Relations
October 30, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Energy Security: Is Access Still a Problem?
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
Michael C. Lynch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Douglas B. McNary, Council on Foreign Relations
October 22, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
How Should We Think about the Future of Chinese Power?
September 25, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
How Should We Think about the Future of Chinese Power?.
September 17, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Information Warfare
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeaker:
Martin Libicki, Institute for National Strategic Studies
May 6, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Information Warfare (DC)
May 1, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Biological Weapons: The Worst of WMD?
April 8, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Biological Weapons: The Worst of WMD? (DC)
April 1, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Economic Security and National Security
Presider:
Richard K. BettsSpeakers:
David B. H. Denoon, New York University, Albert Fishlow, Council on Foreign Relations
March 24, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
U.S. Military Strategy in Asia: Is There Any beyond Korea and Japan? Should There Be?
February 11, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
U.S. Military Strategy in Asia: Is There Any beyond Korea and Japan? Should There Be? (DC)
February 4, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Political Intervention to Affect Foreign Regimes (DC)
January 16, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Political Intervention to Affect Foreign Regimes
January 14, 1997
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Strategic Defenses: Getting Beyond Cold War Conceptions (DC)
December 3, 1996
This meeting is not for attribution.
Roundtable Meeting
Strategic Defenses: Getting Beyond Cold War Conceptions
December 2, 1996
This meeting is not for attribution.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda.
Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.