George Soros and Charles Koch are teaming up to change U.S. foreign policy
You know when some movie franchises run out of ideas by the fourth or fifth installment, so they have the protagonist and antagonist team up to battle some new villain? Well, that's kind of what's happening in the world of Washington think tanks.
Billionaires George Soros, whom The Boston Globe calls "an old-fashioned New Deal liberal," and Charles Koch, one half of the conservative, small-government-touting Koch brothers, are joining forces to finance a new think tank called the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an homage to former President John Quincy Adams. The organization's goal is to end the United States' "forever war" and adopt an entirely new approach to foreign policy, one defined not by threat of force, but diplomacy and restraint.
The moniker makes sense considering Adams once said that the U.S. "goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Globe called the pairing between Koch and Soros one of the "most remarkable partnerships in modern American political history." The think tank will reportedly invite progressives and anti-interventionist conservatives to help draw up new foreign policy plans. Trita Parsi, a co-founder and the former president of the National Iranian American Council said the the organization will challenge American foreign policy "in a way that has not been done in at least the last quarter-century." So far, the think tank has garnered some positive responses.
The Quincy Institute plans to open in September. Read more at The Boston Globe.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Why is Labour struggling to grow the economy
Today's Big Question Britain's economy neared stagnation in the third quarter of the year
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Best of frenemies: the famous faces back-pedalling and grovelling to win round Donald Trump
The Explainer Politicians who previously criticised the president-elect are in an awkward position
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 9 - 15 November
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Senate GOP selects Thune, House GOP keeps Johnson
Speed Read John Thune will replace Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader, and Mike Johnson will remain House speaker in Congress
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tests GOP loyalty with Gaetz, Gabbard picks
Speed Read He named Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Both have little experience in their proposed jurisdictions.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pentagon Discord leaker gets 15 years in prison
Speed Read Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, leaked classified military documents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza
Speed Read Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump fills key slots, tapping Congress, MAGA loyalists
Speed Read The president-elect continues to fill his administration with new foreign policy, environment and immigration roles assigned
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Haiti council fires prime minister, boosting chaos
Speed Read Prime Minister Garry Conille was replaced with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump tells next Senate GOP leader to skip confirmations
Speed Read The president-elect said the next Senate majority leader must allow him to make recess appointments
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Fed cuts rates, chair says he won't quit if Trump asks
Speed Read Jerome Powell was noncommittal on future rate cuts that were expected before Trump won the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published