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

See all podcast episodes by the SWSP Podcast

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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Welcome to the U.S., EU Ambassador Neliupšienė!

Kathleen McInnis sits down with the new Ambassador of the European Union to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė. The pair discusses the war in Ukraine, including Ukraine's membership to the EU, plus her role in Lithuania facing economic coercion from China, and much more.

Event — March 13, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Welcome to the U.S., EU Ambassador Neliupšienė!

Kathleen McInnis sat down with the new Ambassador of the European Union to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — March 13, 2024

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

We’re on a Winter Break!

The Smart Women, Smart Power podcast is taking a winter break to refresh and recharge. We’ll be back in March!

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — February 23, 2024

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

All About Defense Acquisition

 

Melissa A. Johnson, an Acquisition Executive in the U.S. Special Operations Command, joins to discuss the process behind acquisition, technology, and logistics in the Special Operations Forces.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — February 14, 2024

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

Montenegro’s Path to NATO

Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director of the McCain Institute and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia, joins us for a conversation on the process behind Montenegro joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — February 7, 2024

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

Making “Space”

Maria Demaree, Vice President and General Manager of National Security Space at Lockheed Martin, joins for a discussion on the future of the space mission.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — January 31, 2024

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

Behind the Scenes: Obama and Bourdain Share a Meal

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Liz Allen joins to discuss her mission to reimagine the power and purpose of American diplomacy.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — January 24, 2024

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

The Will of Ukrainian Soldiers

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Colonel Sarah Heer, the special advisor to the Commander of the Canadian Army, and a Peace With Women Fellow, at the 2023 Halifax International Security Forum.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — January 17, 2024

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

The Digital Storm

Karen Courington, Vice President of Trust and Safety at Google, and Alexandra Veitch, the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at YouTube, join for a conversation.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — January 10, 2024

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

Pentagon Perspectives: Managing from Within

Beth McGrath, Deloitte’s Global Industry Leader for Government and Public Services (GPS), joins for a conversation at the 2023 Halifax International Security Forum.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — January 3, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power