Evelyn Farkas
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (June 2020) |
Evelyn Farkas | |
---|---|
Executive Director of the McCain Institute | |
Assumed office 2 May 2022 | |
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia | |
In office 2012–2015 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Celeste A. Wallander |
Succeeded by | Michael R. Carpenter |
Personal details | |
Born | December 6, 1967 |
Political party | ) |
Evelyn Nicolette Farkas (born December 6, 1967)[1] is an American national security advisor, author, and foreign policy analyst. She is the current executive director of the McCain Institute, a nonprofit focused on democracy, human rights, and character-driven leadership.[2]
In 2012, Dr. Farkas was appointed by President Obama to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Farkas is a frequent national security contributor on national television programs on MSNBC, CNN, and BBCNews, and her writing has been published in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among other outlets. She is a member of the board of trustees at her alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College.[6]
Education
Farkas is the child of Charles and Edit Farkas,
Farkas graduated from
Career
Farkas began her career with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. As a Ph.D. student Farkas served in 1996 as a Human Rights Officer with the
In 2001 Farkas began working on Capitol Hill as a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Farkas was responsible for policy and budget oversight of the Department of Defense policy office and military commands including the U.S. Pacific Command, Special Operations Command, Southern Command, Northern Command, and U.S. Forces Korea. Her issue areas included foreign and defense policy worldwide regarding special operations, combating terrorism, foreign military assistance, peace and stability operations, counter-narcotics efforts, homeland defense, and export controls.[10]
In 2008 Farkas was appointed by
In 2009, Farkas joined the American Security Project as an adjunct fellow, where her work focused on counterterrorism, special operations, and nonproliferation policies, among other topics.[13]
From 2010 to 2012 Farkas served as a senior advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Europe, and as Special Advisor to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta for the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago.
In 2012 President Barack Obama appointed Farkas to serve as
After leaving the Department of Defense in 2015, Farkas joined a number of organizations to provide policy thought-leadership and national security analysis, including as a Senior Fellow at both the German Marshall Fund and the Atlantic Council, and as a National Security Analyst for NBC/MSNBC.[6]
Farkas is also the founder and CEO of Farkas Global Strategies, a consultancy providing strategic advisory services to government, corporate, and non-profit entities.[15]
Russian election interference
In 2016 Farkas was one of the first to raise the alarm about Russia's interference in the 2016 election and ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties.[16] In March 2017, conservative news media and White House spokesperson Sean Spicer tried to place Farkas at the center of the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's team and their ties with Russia.[17] In an appearance on MSNBC on March 2, Farkas had commented that given what she knew about Kremlin motives, the quality of US intelligence on Russia, and Obama officials’ warnings, she was certain there was some communication and cooperation between the Russians and Americans.[18]
Republicans in control of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, attempting to undermine investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, invited Farkas to be questioned under oath on June 26, 2017, where they ascertained she was not drawing on intelligence to make her expert assessment.[19]
Congressional campaign
Farkas moved back to her home district in Westchester, New York to succeed Representative Nita Lowey in New York's 17th congressional district.[5] Despite endorsements from major Democratic figures such as former secretary of state John Kerry and former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Farkas finished in third place in the crowded Democratic primary with 15.6% of the vote.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mondaire Jones | 32,794 | 41.91% | |
Democratic | Adam Schleifer | 12,732 | 16.27% | |
Democratic | Evelyn Farkas | 12,210 | 15.60% | |
Democratic | David Carlucci | 8,648 | 11.05% | |
Democratic | David Buchwald | 6,673 | 8.53% | |
Democratic | Asha Castleberry-Hernandez | 2,062 | 2.64% | |
Democratic | Allison Fine | 1,588 | 2.03% | |
Democratic | Catherine Parker | 1,539 | 1.96% | |
Total votes | 78,246 | 100.0% |
Awards and affiliations
Farkas is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her public service work, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and Joint Chiefs of Staff Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Farkas is affiliated with numerous professional and community organizations. She sits on the board of trustees of Franklin and Marshall College and is a founding board member of the Leadership Council – Women in National Security. She is also on the board of the Project 2049 Institute and Support for Civil Society in Russia and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[10][21]
Publications
- Farkas, E. (November 7, 2003). Fractured States and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, Ethiopia, and Bosnia in the 1990s. Springer. ISBN 9781403982438.
References
- ^ "Birthday of the Day: Evelyn Farkas, co-founder of Scarlet Oak Advisors and former deputy assistant secretary of defense". Politico. December 6, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "Dr. Evelyn Farkas". McCain Institute. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ "Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas > Biography". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism :: Evelyn Farkas". April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Gearan, Anne (November 18, 2019). "Obama-era Pentagon official entering crowded Democratic race to succeed retiring Rep. Nita M. Lowey". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Evelyn Farkas". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Vanished by the Danube.
- ^ "Transcript: Evelyn Farkas talks with Michael Morell on "Intelligence Matters"". www.cbsnews.com. February 5, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Chappaqua's Evelyn Farkas, Former Defense Official, Joins Race for Nita Lowey's House Seat | The Fletcher School". fletcher.tufts.edu. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas". www.defense.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas". www.defense.gov. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ "World at risk the report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism /". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Megan (April 27, 2009). "American Security Project Welcomes Dr. Evelyn Farkas as Adjunct Fellow". American Security Project. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Pentagon's top Russia official resigns". POLITICO. September 29, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Farkas Global Strategies". Farkas Global Strategies. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Klein, Ezra (February 16, 2017). "Evelyn Farkas was the Pentagon's top Russia expert. Now she wants Trump independently investigated". Vox. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Democratic senator calls for Trump's tax returns". MSNBC.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "House Intelligence Committee Releases Interviews from Russia Investigation". Lawfare. May 12, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "New York State Unofficial Election Night Results". New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "LCWINS | Steering Committee | Evelyn Farkas". www.lcwins.org. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
External links
- ASP Fellow Evelyn Farkas Discusses North Korea (MSNBC, August 4, 2009)
- Dr. Evelyn Farkas on Gitmo Torture and Memos (MSNBC, April 17, 2009)
- Scientists Counter WMD Panel on Stemming Biothreats (Global Security Newswire, March 13, 2009)
- War Torn: Why Democrats Can't Think Straight about National Security (Washington Monthly, November 2002)
- Harold Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations Archived April 4, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Publications by Evelyn Farkas