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

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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
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The Future of NATO is Female

Irene Fellin, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis to discuss what’s on her mind as NATO celebrates its 75th year and heads in to the Washington Summit.

Event — July 10, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The Future of NATO is Female

Irene Fellin, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis, Senior Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative, to discuss what’s on her mind as NATO celebrates its 75th year and heads into the Washington Summit.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — July 10, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

The Role of UNICEF USA in the World

Michele Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, at UNICEF USA, joins Smart Women, Smart Power to discuss her role at UNICEF USA.

Event — June 26, 2024

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