A message from
Dr. Bruce Blair, President, World Security Institute
What should you expect today from an ideal non-governmental organization that seeks to illuminate and help resolve issues of national and global security?
The ideal organization has moved on from the Cold War and broadened its view of the sinews of security. Unlike the Cold War period in which the balance of military power and deterrence dominated the landscape, security today derives as much from ‘soft’ power as it does from military strength. In an era of global terrorism, asymmetrical warfare, nuclear proliferation, failed states, suicide bombers, widespread regional instability, genocide, massive flows of refugees, acute resource shortages, global warming and acute environmental degradation, the ability of military force alone to provide security is steadily declining. ‘Soft’ power of various kinds ranging from economic strength to political and diplomatic influence is increasingly vital to enhancing security for America and the world.
The ideal organization is unbiased in carrying out its research and education of the public and policymakers. This means, first and foremost, that it is not affected by vested interests or influence-peddlers of any kind. It refuses to accept any funding from government, much less the Pentagon and defense corporations. It remains scrupulously independent in financial terms, accepting gifts from charitable foundations and philanthropic-minded individuals, or other sources free of strings.
The ideal organization is politically neutral. It does not support a political party or candidate (s), or a political agenda. It stands above the partisan fray with professional staff committed to serving its educational purposes without regard for the political fall-out of its work.
The ideal organization is non-ideological. Its approach to world affairs is factual and scientific, imbued with values of objectivity and impartial analysis. It subscribes to the highest possible standards of research and journalism, seeking not to express a liberal or conservative answer to a security question, but to discover truth. Its staff is free to express their individual views unencumbered by an ‘institutional position’ on issues. The organization does not have any orthodoxy to promulgate, while its staff accepts the responsibility to thoroughly investigate a subject, figure out the policy implications, and then promote their recommendations in the marketplace of ideas and public debate.
The ideal organization for addressing national and global security is itself a globe-spanning organization that connects with people at home and abroad. It does not concentrate entirely on getting inside the Washington beltway to reach the U.S. policymaking and opinion making elite. While its staff seeks to inject their perspectives and proposals into the policy discourse in Washington, they also look outside the beltway to the rest of the nation and the world. A national and global audience needs to be educated and brought into a constructive dialogue on issues of domestic and international security.
This ideal global organization is cutting edge in information dissemination. It exploits the full spectrum of digital and visual media to disseminate the views of its own staff and other experts in print, audio, television, and electronic forms of all kinds to reach domestic and global audiences on a huge scale and in a multiplicity of languages. It practices mainstream journalism as well as publishes specialty journals. Through innovative media techniques, it creates a veritable global village of discourse among policy experts and intelligent world citizens in a way that helps bridge the gulf of misunderstanding that afflicts the world today.
The World Security Institute (WSI) embraces and embodies the vision, values, and goals of this ideal organization. WSI is part think tank and part journalism. WSI owes its flourishing success to a visionary board of advisors, generous financial donors, and talented driven staff.
