Center for the National Interest Inc

Executive Director of the Center for the National Interest, Paul J. Saunders(http://www.cftni.org/indexac74.html?action=showpage&page=saunders) , directs the U.S. – Russia Relations Program, which focuses on American policy toward Moscow and on U.S. – Russian dialogue. The program is built around a regular series of seminars on key issues in the bilateral relationship, including non-proliferation, the war on terror, energy, and Russia’s domestic evolution as it relates to democracy, the media, and corruption. The program has recently focused on U.S. and Russian interests and interaction in the former Soviet territory.

Geoffrey Kemp(http://www.cftni.org/indexe5dd.html?action=showPage&page=kemp) , Director of Regional Strategic Programs, and Executive Director Paul J. Saunders(http://www.cftni.org/indexac74.html?action=showpage&page=saunders) co-direct the Center's program on energy security and climate change. The effort focuses primarily on three key issues:
The program has included a U.S. - European - Japanese dialogue on energy and climate issues, as well as seminars on other related topics.

Robert S. Leiken(http://www.cftni.org/indexb5e0.html?action=showPage&page=leiken) directs the Mexico Programs at the Center for the National Interest.  The Mexico Program has two purposes: to assess the character and the dynamics of Mexico’s “drug war” and to inform American leaders of this assessment. Dr. Robert S. Leiken, will interview U.S. and Mexican officials, policy analysts, researchers, journalists, military officers, and average Mexicans. This assessment will be conveyed to an ongoing discussion group on Mexico at the Center for the National Interest. The group is composed of current and former policy makers, influential journalists, area experts and generalists as well as congressional staffers. The meetings offer a unique opportunity for an open and systematic discussion of an issue attracting increasing attention from those concerned with U.S. foreign policy, border control and national security. The meetings will also provide a regular and central forum on the issue in a time of divided government.
Is Mexico’s “drug war” a criminal insurgency or a turf war? a low intensity conflict or a high intensity crime scene? Does the conflict present a national security threat or a law enforcement crisis? Should it be addressed primarily by the military or the police? Should the U.S. be sending soldiers or police advisors? Is the current death toll an inevitable by-product of strategic progress or a signal of failure?
 
The program is weighing a wide range of policy options including: relaxation of selected U.S. drug prohibitions; increased U.S. assistance on criminal investigations and convictions; institutional reform; financial monitoring and asset seizure; the application of counter insurgency doctrine; drug treatment and prevention; increased border controls; and a return to a corporatist (PRI) model.