EastWest Institute
Encyclopedia
The EastWest Institute (EWI), originally known as the Institute for East West Security Studies, is an international not-for-profit, non-partisan "think and do" tank focusing on international conflict resolution through a variety of means, including track 2 diplomacy
and track 1.5 diplomacy (conducted with the direct involvement of official actors), hosting international conferences, and authoring publications on international security
issues.
EWI was founded in 1980, when current CEO John Edwin Mroz
and Ira Wallach
set out to address areas of political dispute across the Iron Curtain
. By employing networks in political, military, and business establishments in the United States
, Europe
, and the Soviet Union
, EWI established itself as a leading organizer of track 2 negotiations.
EWI has initiatives focused on a number of different areas including cybersecurity
, preventive diplomacy
, strategic trustbuilding (which encompasses Russia-United States relations and China-United States Relations), Worldwide Security, and Regional Security (focusing on specific areas such as Southwest Asia
).
In addition to its New York City
Headquarters, EWI has offices in Brussels
, Belgium
and Moscow
, Russia
.
countries.These talks, focusing heavily on the establishment of confidence-building measures
(CBMs) between the two parties, ultimately resulted in an agreement requiring each side to alert the other of troop movements.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall
and the eruption of conflicts in Southeastern Europe, EWI worked to foster economic stability in the region, encouraging cross-border cooperation and training leaders for democratic states. In the 2000s, EWI’s operations expanded geographically to China
, Southwest Asia
and the Middle East
, focusing on issues like cybersecurity, economic security, and countering violent extremism.
In May 2009, EWI released a Joint Threat Assessment on Iran, produced by senior U.S. and Russian experts convened by the Institute. The assessment, which concluded that the planned system would not protect against an Iranian nuclear threat, helped inform the Obama administration's decision to scrap the ballistic missile defense plan proposed by the Bush administration and replace it with a plan of its own.
EWI's Strategic Trustbuilding Initiative includes its work with Russia, China, and the United States. Through its work with Russia, EWI has sought to "build a sustainable relationship of trust between Russia, its G-8 partners, and the world’s new rising powers." This program was responsible for establishing the 2009 Joint Threat Assessment on Iran. The China program, which was initiated in 2006, seeks to foster China's integration into the international sphere as a productive partner. An example of EWI's China work is the establishment of annual three-party talks between Republican Party
, Democratic Party
, and Chinese Communist Party
leaders.
Regional Security
This program addresses specific regional problems requiring the attention of the international community. Current issues include: security and stability in Afghanistan
& Southwest Asia, and Euro-Atlantic security. Regional Security is directly involved with the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention—a network, founded by EWI in October 2008, that has since grown to include 150 parliamentarians from more than 50 countries. Members of the network work to translate ideas into policy as well as advocate for a greater allocation of resources for preventive action.
Worldwide Security Initiative
The focus of EWI's Worldwide Security Initiative is the annual Worldwide Security Conference, first held in 2003, which assembles experts from governments, the private sector, NGOs, and academia to explore issues such as countering violent extremism, securing infrastructure, and energy security. The Worldwide Security Initiative also incorporates EWI's work in Weapons of Mass Destruction issues. The WMD program, which began in 2006, aims to reduce political obstacles to the elimination of the threat of nuclear weapons. EWI organized a series of events and meetings in 2007 and 2008 to address stalled arms discussions in the international community. The most prominent of these was Seizing the Moment: Breakthrough Measures to Build a New East-West Consensus on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disarmament, a consultation at the United Nations
on UN Day
, October 24, 2008.
The Worldwide Cybersecurity Initiative is a part of the WSI. It aims to reduce vulnerabilities in governmental and private cybersecurity policies by developing consensus proposals for new agreements and policy reform. The institute's chief method of achieving this goal has been the hosting of the Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit, an annual meeting of governmental and corporate actors in the field, first held in May 2010 at Dallas, Texas
, which established policy recommendations for securing international cyber infrastructure.
Track II diplomacy
Track II diplomacy is a specific kind of informal diplomacy, in which non-officials engage in dialogue, with the aim of conflict resolution, or confidence-building...
and track 1.5 diplomacy (conducted with the direct involvement of official actors), hosting international conferences, and authoring publications on international security
International security
International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security...
issues.
EWI was founded in 1980, when current CEO John Edwin Mroz
John Edwin Mroz
John Edwin Mroz is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the EastWest Institute, an international not-for-profit, non-partisan "think and do" tank established in 1980. Mroz was born on May 1, 1948 in Westfield, Massachusetts...
and Ira Wallach
Ira D. Wallach
Ira David Wallach was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was head of Central National-Gottesman, the largest privately held marketer of paper and pulp products.-Life and career:...
set out to address areas of political dispute across the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
. By employing networks in political, military, and business establishments in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, EWI established itself as a leading organizer of track 2 negotiations.
EWI has initiatives focused on a number of different areas including cybersecurity
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
, preventive diplomacy
Preventive Diplomacy
Preventive diplomacy is action to prevent disputes from arising between parties, to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur..Michael S...
, strategic trustbuilding (which encompasses Russia-United States relations and China-United States Relations), Worldwide Security, and Regional Security (focusing on specific areas such as Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
).
In addition to its New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Headquarters, EWI has offices in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
History
In 1984, EWI hosted the first ever track 2 military-to-military discussions between the NATO and Warsaw PactWarsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
countries.These talks, focusing heavily on the establishment of confidence-building measures
Confidence and security-building measures
Confidence building measures or confidence and security building measures are actions taken to reduce fear of attack by both parties in a situation of tension with or without physical conflict...
(CBMs) between the two parties, ultimately resulted in an agreement requiring each side to alert the other of troop movements.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
and the eruption of conflicts in Southeastern Europe, EWI worked to foster economic stability in the region, encouraging cross-border cooperation and training leaders for democratic states. In the 2000s, EWI’s operations expanded geographically to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, focusing on issues like cybersecurity, economic security, and countering violent extremism.
In May 2009, EWI released a Joint Threat Assessment on Iran, produced by senior U.S. and Russian experts convened by the Institute. The assessment, which concluded that the planned system would not protect against an Iranian nuclear threat, helped inform the Obama administration's decision to scrap the ballistic missile defense plan proposed by the Bush administration and replace it with a plan of its own.
Initiatives
Strategic TrustbuildingEWI's Strategic Trustbuilding Initiative includes its work with Russia, China, and the United States. Through its work with Russia, EWI has sought to "build a sustainable relationship of trust between Russia, its G-8 partners, and the world’s new rising powers." This program was responsible for establishing the 2009 Joint Threat Assessment on Iran. The China program, which was initiated in 2006, seeks to foster China's integration into the international sphere as a productive partner. An example of EWI's China work is the establishment of annual three-party talks between Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and Chinese Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
leaders.
Regional Security
This program addresses specific regional problems requiring the attention of the international community. Current issues include: security and stability in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
& Southwest Asia, and Euro-Atlantic security. Regional Security is directly involved with the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention—a network, founded by EWI in October 2008, that has since grown to include 150 parliamentarians from more than 50 countries. Members of the network work to translate ideas into policy as well as advocate for a greater allocation of resources for preventive action.
Worldwide Security Initiative
The focus of EWI's Worldwide Security Initiative is the annual Worldwide Security Conference, first held in 2003, which assembles experts from governments, the private sector, NGOs, and academia to explore issues such as countering violent extremism, securing infrastructure, and energy security. The Worldwide Security Initiative also incorporates EWI's work in Weapons of Mass Destruction issues. The WMD program, which began in 2006, aims to reduce political obstacles to the elimination of the threat of nuclear weapons. EWI organized a series of events and meetings in 2007 and 2008 to address stalled arms discussions in the international community. The most prominent of these was Seizing the Moment: Breakthrough Measures to Build a New East-West Consensus on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disarmament, a consultation at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
on UN Day
United Nations Day
In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as which "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.In 1971 the...
, October 24, 2008.
The Worldwide Cybersecurity Initiative is a part of the WSI. It aims to reduce vulnerabilities in governmental and private cybersecurity policies by developing consensus proposals for new agreements and policy reform. The institute's chief method of achieving this goal has been the hosting of the Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit, an annual meeting of governmental and corporate actors in the field, first held in May 2010 at Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, which established policy recommendations for securing international cyber infrastructure.