Authors

Valerie McMakin

Director, Institutional Giving

Valerie McMakin joined the Council in 2025 as the director for institutional giving. Before joining the Council, McMakin was Chief of Staff for…

Diplomatic Correspondent, POLITICO

Felicia Schwartz is the diplomatic correspondent at POLITICO. In this role, Felicia has a broad mandate to cover US foreign policy in conventional…

Non-Resident Fellow, Democratic Resilience Program, Center for European Policy Analysis

Elina Beketova is a non-resident fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). She currently…

Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Ian Brzezinski is a resident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a member of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic…

Intern

Sam Dong joined the Chicago Council as a public opinion and US foreign policy intern in January 2025. He is a DPhil (PhD) candidate in…

Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Kari A. Bingen is the director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for…

Commander, US Space Command

Stephen N. Whiting is the commander of US Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. As commander, General Whiting is…

European Affairs columnist, Washington Post

Lee Hockstader has been The Post's European Affairs columnist, based in Paris, since 2023. Prior to his current assignment, he was a member of the…

Global Playbook Author, POLITICO

Suzanne Lynch is POLITICO’s Global Playbook Author. She joined POLITICO Europe after more than four years as the Washington Correspondent for the…