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

Featured Event

Live in 1 day
Webcast

Smart Women, Smart Power @ 10

Presented by Smart Women, Smart Power
October 15, 2024 • 3:00 – 5:15 pm EDT

Featured Podcasts

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Beating Putin’s Playbook

Marie-Doha Besancenot, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO, joins to discuss the different ways NATO is prioritizing this space.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — July 12, 2024

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Featured Events

Photo: Rafael Henrique via Adobe Stock

Photo: Rafael Henrique via Adobe Stock

The Future of NATO is Female

July 10, 2024 • 10:00 – 10:30 am EDT
Video On Demand
Hosted by Smart Women, Smart Power
Photo: JACK TAYLOR/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: JACK TAYLOR/AFP/Getty Images

Lessons from Myanmar

May 1, 2024 • 10:00 – 10:30 am EDT
Video On Demand
Hosted by Smart Women, Smart Power
See all events by Smart Women, Smart Power

Featured Analysis

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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Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The Role of UNICEF USA in the World

Michele Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, UNICEF USA, joins for a discussion on how she led after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — June 26, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Humanizing Refugee Resettlement

Heather Higginbottom, Head of Research Policy & Insights for Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase, sits down with Dr. Kathleen McInnis to discuss her experience working with different governments to addressing critical humanitarian crises. 

Event — June 13, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Humanizing Refugee Resettlement

On this episode, Heather Higginbottom, Head of Research Policy and Insights for JPMorgan Chase, joined Dr. Kathleen McInnis to discuss how she has anchored her work in humanizing the process behind refugee resettlement.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — June 13, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Left to Shoulder the Worries of AI

This analysis delves into the intersection of technology and gender, emphasizing the urgent necessity for legislative action to protect women from digital exploitation. The piece calls for comprehensive measures to address these emerging threats in the digital age.

Commentary by Jose M. Macias III, Audrey Aldisert, and Benjamin Jensen — June 3, 2024

The Murky World of Deepfakes

In her aptly named scientific study, “As Good as A Coin Toss,” Horizon Fellow Di Cooke joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis to walk through the murky world of deepfakes and the countermeasures that should be prioritized to mitigate the dangers posed by weaponized synthetic media.

Event — May 15, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The Murky World of Deepfakes

In her aptly named scientific study, “As Good as A Coin Toss,” Horizon Fellow Di Cooke joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis to walk through the murky world of deepfakes and the countermeasures that should be prioritized to mitigate the dangers posed by weaponized synthetic media.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Di Cooke — May 15, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Lessons from Myanmar

What does it actually mean when we say, “democracy is on the line?” Nisha Anand, the CEO of Dream.org, would know – she was arrested for passing out pro-democracy leaflets in Myanmar in 1998 - a story she discusses on this episode of Smart Women, Smart Power.

Event — May 1, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Lessons from Myanmar

In 1998, in Myanmar, Nisha Anand was arrested for passing out pro-democracy leaflets. Now, she joins us in unpacking the state of democracy today and what we can learn from Myanmar and other places.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — May 1, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power