FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2007

- NEWS RELEASE -

WASHINGTON—The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace today announced its transformation into the first multinational - and ultimately global - think tank, adding operations in Beijing, Beirut and Brussels to its existing offices in Moscow and Washington, D.C.  The Endowment also announced contributions of more than $20 million in support of its NEW VISION. 

“There are two fundamental reasons why we are re-defining our mission.  One is globalization, thus our operations overseas will ensure that we remain effective in a global marketplace of ideas where a single national outlook is inadequate.  The second is the urgent need for the United States – as the sole superpower – to understand the interests of others if it is to successfully pursue its own,” said Jessica T. Mathews, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The NEW VISION is based on the extraordinary success of our Moscow office over the last fourteen years.  That model taught us that there can be no substitute for a sustained physical presence in other countries that produces more informed work through regular communication and collaboration with colleagues overseas.” added James C. Gaither, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Endowment’s NEW VISION already has received significant financial support, notably leadership grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which was the first to support the NEW VISION with $5 million, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which recently contributed $10 million, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.  Further donations have met more than half of the Endowment’s fundraising goal.

“We are immensely grateful to these foundations for their leadership, generous support and landmark investment in the NEW VISION,” said Jessica T. Mathews.  “Their financial support is a tremendous endorsement of the mission we are pursuing.”

MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton praised the Endowment’s NEW VISION. “The NEW VISION is about how people think, understand each other, and find fresh ways forward to achieving humankind’s highest aspirations,” he said during the NEW VISION launch announcement. 

“Whether opening operations in China, fighting for a reasonable NGO law in Russia, seeking new life for nonproliferation through universal compliance, or using technology and translation to communicate in the Islamic world, MacArthur relies on Carnegie to bring forth actionable policy prescriptions that promote global security.”

Added Paul Brest, President of the Hewlett Foundation: “We applaud the Carnegie Endowment’s bold initiative to transform itself into the first truly multinational, global think tank.  Integrating indigenous analysis into regional research is vital to forming actionable and practical policy prescriptions that seek to provide the basis for domestic and global security.”

Notes:

1.  Building on the successful establishment of the Carnegie Moscow Center fourteen years ago, and following its century-long practice of adapting to radically-changed global circumstances, the Endowment is undertaking a fundamental re-definition of its role and mission.  In a two-day series of events to publicly launch the NEW VISION, Carnegie announced that it has added operations in Beijing, Beirut, and Brussels to its existing offices in Washington and Moscow, pioneering the idea that a think tank whose mission is to contribute to global security, stability and prosperity requires a permanent international presence and a multinational outlook at the core of its operations. 

2. Each of the Carnegie Endowment’s programs demonstrated their application of NEW VISION principles with events. 

• The Middle East Program considered, “Is there still a political reform agenda in the Middle East?” featuring scholars and officials from the region.
• The China Program hosted a Capitol Hill debate examining, “Is China’s military modernization program a growing threat to the U.S. and Asia?”
• The Nonproliferation Program featured a conversation with Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Javad Zarif.
• The Eurasia Program examined the evolving relationship between the U.S., China and Russia and its impact on geopolitics.

3.  For more information about the Carnegie Endowment, please visit www.carnegieendowment.org

4.  Press contact: Trent Perrotto, (tel) 202/939-2372, tperrotto@ceip.org

5.  The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. Founded in 1910, its work is nonpartisan and dedicated to achieving practical results.

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