It’s the time of the year when we feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. This episode features Erik Sarson and Anna Scott as they examine the strength and importance of allies and partners. Erik is an Army Special Forces officer in the West Virginia National Guard, and he shared insights from his experience with the State Partnership Program. Anna is a British Army officer, and she speaks about the “special relationship” between the UK and the U.S., highlighting the significance of soft power and shared values. They join host Ron Granieri to highlight the positive reception from their audiences, noting a general understanding and curiosity about the future of alliances, even when addressing potential disagreements.
And so disagreement, I think, is really healthy. And I also just think it’s okay to say, “Of course we’re the best of friends, but we can pursue our own national interests in a unilateral way, should we need to, and should we wish to, and should it be in our own strategic benefits to do so”.
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Erik Sarson is an Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel in the West Virginia National Guard. He spent the last five years of his career as a Bilateral Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Qatar and then as the State Partnership Program Director for West Virginia, which is partnered with Peru, Qatar, and Gabon. He is a graduate of the AY25 Resident Course at the U.S. Army War College.
Anna Scott is a British Army colonel who was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 2003. She has held strategy positions in the Army Headquarters and UK Ministry of Defence, and deployed recently in support of NATO missions in Eastern Europe. She is assigned next to the Pentagon as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the U.S Army. She is a graduate of the AY25 Resident Course at the U.S. Army War College.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: Atlantic Charter, August 1941. Informal group on deck of Royal Navy King George V battleship Prince of Wales following church services, during the Atlantic Charter meeting. Standing behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill are General George C. Marshall, Admiral Ernest J. King, Admiral Harold R. Stark and General Sir John Dill. Photograph released August 10, 1941.
Photo Credit: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
