Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Petraeus Joins British Think Tank RUSI

David Petraeus, the former Central Intelligence (CIA) Director, has just been named as Senior Vice President of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI).  The British think tank says that his new position is an "honorary role."  Here is more from a RUSI press release:
This honorary role was created by RUSI's trustees and advisory council in recognition of General Petraeus' long association with the Institute and his distinguished contribution to the study and development of defence and international security concepts, as well as his implementation of those concepts in operations in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Earlier this year, General Petraeus was conferred RUSI's Chesney Gold Medal for his lifetime service to the field of security studies and operations.
As the press release says, Petraeus was awarded RUSI's Chesney Gold Medal on June 10, 2013.  In late 2012 the think tank had postponed the presentation of the award after he was involved in a sex scandal.

In May 2013, it was announced that Petraeus would head KKR & Co. LP's new global investment think tank - the KKR Global Institute.

Here is a Muckety map of Petraeus and his various connections.

Here is a previous Think Tank Watch post on how Petraeus has been "cozy" with a variety of think tanks.  Petraeus's former lover, Paula Broadwell, also had a connection to think tanks.

Last month, RUSI announced that former MI5 chief Sir Jonathan Evans would be a Senior Associate Fellow at the think tank.

RUSI was founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington.  It is a British institution but has satellite offices in Doha, Tokyo, and Washington, DC.  Her Majesty the Queen is a Patron of RUSI.  His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent is the President of RUSI.

RUSI was recently ranked as the 42nd best think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings.  It was also ranked as the 23rd best non-US think tank.  RUSI was ranked as the 17th best security and international affairs think tank in the world.  The think tank was also ranked as the 4th best government-affiliated think tank in the world (after the World Bank Institute, United States Institute for Peace, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences).