Smart Women, Smart Power

SWSP is creating space for women in one of the most powerful decision-making spaces in the world: national security and foreign affairs

The Smart Women, Smart Power (SWSP) Initiative has a simple starting point: people are policy. We are committed to creating a platform for respectful and inclusive discussion of the many ways in which women influence and impact the international security, foreign policy and business agendas. The Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative launched in December 2014.

Contact Information

  • Alexis Day
  • Program Manager and Research Associate, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative and Outreach Manager, International Security Program.
  • aday@csis.org

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The Government Clock is Ti(c)kTok-ing

Host Kathleen McInnis spoke with Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) about her whirlwind past couple of weeks. The pair discussed her recent trip to the Munich Security Conference, including the moment she found out about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and her sponsorship of the recently passed House legislation aimed at protecting Americans from Tik-Tok’s national security threats.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — March 22, 2024

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Photo: Paval Hadzinski/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed)

Why Dictators are Afraid of Girls

Gender plays a powerful role in the construction and promulgation of power and identity that is particularly meaningful in authoritarian regimes.

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Photo: Jeremy/Adobe Stock

The Overturn of Roe v. Wade Raises Fundamental Questions

The overturn of Roe v. Wade will likely have significant implications for the composition, organization, and management of the U.S. armed forces—raising a number of practical questions for the U.S. military, many of which do not yet have answers.

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Technology as a Driver of Gender Equality and Peace

As the 67th Commission on the Status of Women meets, the Project on Fragility and Mobility outlines how innovation and technology can be powerful in addressing gender inequalities and should be critical tools within the broader discussion of global fragility.

Commentary by Abigail Edwards, Alexis Day, and Erol Yayboke — March 8, 2023

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

A Mission in Mali: Tanks in the Sky

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Colonel Julie Callacott, Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Assistant Chief of Staff Support, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum. Colonel Callacott described her experience as a Task Force Commander for the Canadian Airfield opening team in Mali, which included her role in landing a C-17 on an untested, newly constructed and expanded runway.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — February 22, 2023

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power
Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Improving Education and Healthcare for Women and Girls in Malawi

Dr. Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi, joins Beverly Kirk to discuss educating and protecting young girls and improving maternal healthcare both in her country and in other developing countries. 

Podcast Episode by Beverly Kirk — May 18, 2018

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power