Shadow Government

A front-row seat to the Republicans' debate over foreign policy, including their critique of the Biden administration.

Welcome to Kristen Silverberg and Will Inboden

By Christian Brose I’m happy to say that the era of big Shadow Government is not over. It is only just beginning. So let me welcome two great friends, thinkers, and practioners of foreign policy who are joining our blog. First, Kristen Silverberg. Fresh from a stint as U.S. ambassador to the European Union, where ...

By Christian Brose

By Christian Brose

I’m happy to say that the era of big Shadow Government is not over. It is only just beginning. So let me welcome two great friends, thinkers, and practioners of foreign policy who are joining our blog.

First, Kristen Silverberg. Fresh from a stint as U.S. ambassador to the European Union, where she covered the entirety of our growing global relationship with the real "new Europe," Kristen is simply one of the smartest and most impressive people I know. She was Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, where I believe she made the UN Security Council as effective as it can possibly be while demonstrating that the institution can absolutely advance U.S. interests. Prior to all this, Kristen worked in the White House on an array of issues from domestic policy, to homeland security, to Iraq — a country she also worked in for the better part of a year, during the early phase of the war. In short, she’s the real deal, and we’re happy to have her onboard.

Second, Will Inboden. After finishing his doctorate in history under John Lewis Gaddis at Yale, which became the basis of this excellent book, Will made his way into the State Department. He advised Secretary Rice on democracy and human rights issues as a member of her Policy Planning staff and then moved to the NSC in 2006, where he worked under the benevolent dictatorship of one Peter Feaver. As Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Will shaped policy on everything from multilateral initiatives and international development, to Sudan and Asia, to the formulation of the 2006 National Security Strategy. He is now Senior Vice-President of the Legatum Institute, working first out of Dubai and now out of London. Will is enabling Shadow Government to claim that it now has an international presence, which is obviously a good thing for all mankind.

Will and Kristen are both broadly experienced and thoughtful people, and I’m confident we will all learn a lot from them.

Christian Brose is a senior editor at Foreign Policy. He served as chief speechwriter and policy advisor for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from 2005 to 2008, and as speechwriter for former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2004 to 2005.

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