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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Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Breaking the “Brass” Ceiling

Heidi Grant, Vice President of Global Growth and Engagement for Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, joins SWSP.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — December 14, 2023

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

Understanding the Woman Voter

Ashley O’Connor, Managing Partner at Strategic Partners & Media, joins for a conversation on the evolution of political campaigning and advertising.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 29, 2023

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

Climate Change: A Threat Multiplier

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Sherri Goodman, a former senior defense official, for a discussion on her early work in climate security, and how climate change is impacting the national security landscape.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 15, 2023

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

A Moldovan Minute

Natalia Gavrilița, former Prime Minister of Moldova (2021-2023), joins for a conversation on her leadership of Moldova during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and more. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 7, 2023

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

Your Reputation Precedes You

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Mackenzie Eaglen, Senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a thoughtful conversation on the power of your reputation and credibility in Washington, DC.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 1, 2023

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

Let's Talk About Gender

Susan Markham, Director of the Peace With Women Fellowship program joins Kathleen at the Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) for a conversation about the role of gender in foreign policy, including her experience implementing gender policy at USAID.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 25, 2023

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

Purpose and Care within the U.S. Army Reserve

Kathleen McInnis sat down with Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 18, 2023

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

The Fight Continues for Iranian Women

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad for a conversation on the current state of Iran and women’s rights.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 11, 2023

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

A Court Date for Humanity

Kathleen McInnis visited Washington University in St. Louis, where she sat down with Leila Sadat, former special adviser on crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor from 2012-2023. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 4, 2023

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

Semiconductors: Here, There, and Everywhere

Girl Security scholar Jordan Tachibana interviews Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for IBM Research Kathleen (Taffy) Kingscott for a discussion on the world of semiconductors and the role of the CHIPS Act.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Alexis Day — September 28, 2023

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power