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.

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Featured Event

Featured Analysis

Photo: K. Kassens/U.S. Army via DVIDS

Photo: K. Kassens/U.S. Army via DVIDS

Women: Mission Essential Personnel

Women in the joint force are a decisive U.S. advantage. In a strategic environment wherein China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are learning from each other, the joint force needs every advantage it can get if the Trump administration intends to defend U.S. interests.

Commentary by Kathleen McInnis — November 18, 2024

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Countering China and Russia: The Hidden Advantages of Women, Peace, and Security

Gender perspectives can be better utilized to identify means to more effectively collaborate with partner nations and strengthen U.S. deterrence. This brief argues that the Women, Peace, and Security tool kit should be utilized as a strategic enabler for DoD activities.

Brief by Kathleen McInnis, Benjamin Jensen, Audrey Aldisert, and Alexis Day — November 14, 2024

Photo: CSIS

Photo: CSIS

What Difference Does It Make?

What does having women sitting at international affairs decisionmaking tables actually get us? This Smart Women, Smart Power report sheds light on the powerful contributions that women make in some of the most influential spaces in the world.

Report by Kathleen McInnis and Alexis Day — October 15, 2024

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

Why Dictators are Afraid of Girls

Rethinking Gender and National Security

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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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
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Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The State of Election Security in 2024

Suzanne Spaulding joins to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis, H. Andrew Schwartz, and Suzanne Spaulding — October 21, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Smart Women, Smart Power @ 10

Smart Women, Smart Power is celebrating its ten-year anniversary with a keynote kick-ff featuring HON Kathleen H. Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, following by a panel that explores women’s leadership during Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.

Event — October 15, 2024

What Difference Does It Make?

What does having women sitting at international affairs decisionmaking tables actually get us? This Smart Women, Smart Power report sheds light on the powerful contributions that women make in some of the most influential spaces in the world.

Report by Kathleen McInnis and Alexis Day — October 15, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

A Conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Dr. Kathleen McInnis sat down with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new memoir, where she reflects on her time in Congress. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — September 23, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

A Conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi: The Art of Power

CSIS welcomed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new book, The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House, moderated by CSIS’s Dr. Kathleen McInnis, director of the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative.

Transcript — September 18, 2024

Take a Chance on Mentorship

Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering), at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.

Event — September 4, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Take a Chance on Mentorship

Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering) at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — September 4, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power