Publications
fp21 is building a new culture of foreign policy. Explore our publications below.
How AI Could Revolutionize Diplomacy: From ChatGPT to quantum computing, emerging technologies will offer new tools for peacemaking
Andrew Moore: With advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, the internet of things, and distributed ledger technology, today’s emerging technologies will offer new tools and techniques for peacemaking that could impact every step of the process—from the earliest days of negotiations all the way to monitoring and enforcing agreements.
Demystifying The National Security Council: Examining the NSC interagency relationships, structure, and strengths and weaknesses
Alexandra Blum: Born in 1947, the National Security Council has become the central forum for shaping US national security. The NSC presents a vital case study of foreign policy reform given its constant evolution. This report unpacks how the NSC operates, who wields decision-making power, and how fourteen successive presidents have adapted it to respond to the priorities at hand. Understanding the NSC is foundational to recommending calibrated reforms for the rest of the national security apparatus.
From Instinct to Evidence in Foreign Policy Decision-Making
Dan Spokojny: The modernization of the State Department and the return of diplomacy to its rightful place in the U.S. national security infrastructure—on top—will require more than small tweaks at the margins. Blinken’s modernization initiative is commendable, but more is required.
ChinaTalk: Moneyball and US State Department
Wouldn't it be nice to have a world where important policy decisions were decided based on evidence and data rather than narratives and turf battles? Jordan Schneider sat down with Dan Spokojny and Jon Bateman to discuss the current failings of contemporary U.S. foreign policy and how to fix these failings.
Doctrine for Diplomacy: To Remain Relevant, the U.S. State Department Needs a New Statecraft
Dan Spokojny: Many diplomats suggest that policy effectiveness arises from an elusive combination of good judgment and hard-earned experience. But good foreign policy must be more than simply a matter of taste. The military has doctrine. The intelligence community has tradecraft. Diplomacy has not kept pace. It is time to start treating the conduct of diplomacy as a profession with its own standards, methodologies, and skills: statecraft.