About QI

The practical and moral failures of U.S. efforts to unilaterally shape the destiny of other nations by force requires a fundamental rethinking of U.S. foreign policy assumptions. So does the emergence of a multi-polar world in the 21st century where economic power is more evenly shared across nations. Yet the influence of the “military industrial complex” that President Eisenhower warned of has led to a situation where the foreign policy debate within Washington is intentionally constrained and fails to incorporate the diversity of views needed for that rethinking.

The Quincy Institute aims to lead this reconceptualization, and to do so in a way that serves both vital American interests and the broader shared interest in creating a more just and peaceful world. We believe that a foreign policy that emphasizes military restraint and diplomatic engagement and cooperation with other nations will serve American interests and values better than policies that prioritize the maintenance of U.S. global dominance through force.

How We Work

As a research institution, we expose the dangerous consequences of an overly militarized American foreign policy and present an alternative approach that promotes local ownership and resolution of local issues.  We connect and mobilize a network of policy experts and academics who are dedicated to a vision of American foreign policy based on military restraint rather than domination. We help increase and amplify their output, and give them a voice in Washington, including through our publishing platform Responsible Statecraft.

As an action-oriented think tank we serve as a resource for members of Congress, grassroots organizations, and emerging leaders in Washington on both sides of the political aisle and across the country who are open to our vision and values. We participate in national security debates taking place in Washington and around the country, both by developing compelling messaging and communications strategies and offering alternative policy and legislative ideas that implement our principles of a less militarized and more cooperative foreign policy.

Our Mission

The Quincy Institute promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace.

Our Vision

A world where peace is the norm and war the exception.

Support the Quincy Institute with a 100% tax-deductible donation.

Help us achieve a world where peace is the norm and war the exception.

Our Principles

The Quincy Institute stands for responsible statecraft, defined as follows:

Responsible statecraft serves the public interest.

The foreign policy of the United States exists to secure the safety and well-being of the American people while respecting the rights and dignity of all.

Foreign policy should therefore derive from serious consideration of the public interest, accounting for the diversity of American society. It should not be driven by the preferences of a narrow elite in Washington. American foreign policy should change as American society and the world change.

Responsible statecraft engages the world.

The United States should engage with the world, and the essence of engagement is peaceful cooperation among peoples.

For this reason, the United States must cherish peace and pursue it through the vigorous practice of diplomacy. Building on a great achievement of the twentieth century — the liberation of most of humanity from colonial empires — the United States should welcome productive initiatives by other nations in the twenty-first century. It should not inhibit others from acting to solve common problems, reduce conflict, and provide for their own security.

Responsible statecraft builds a peaceful world.

The United States retains a strong interest in being a responsible and constructive member of the international community.

It should act so that others can model their conduct on its own. Therefore the United States should respect established international laws and norms, discourage irresponsible and destabilizing actions by others, and seek to coexist with competitors. The United States need not seek military supremacy in all places, at all costs, for all time.

Responsible statecraft abhors war.

The use of armed force, while sometimes necessary, does not constitute engagement in the world.

Force ends human life, displaces people, devastates communities, and damages the environment. In these ways, it prevents genuine engagement. Any resort to force should occur only as a last resort. The U.S. military exists to defend the people and territory of the United States, not to act as a global police force. The United States should reject preventive wars and military intervention to overthrow regimes that do not threaten the United States. Wars of these kinds not only are counterproductive; they are wrong in principle.

Responsible statecraft is democratic.

The American people have the right and responsibility to participate in the making of U.S. foreign policy.

They should engage in a robust and inclusive debate about America’s role in the world. Further, Congress must fulfill its duties in foreign policy, neither tolerating the usurpation of its Constitutional role by the executive nor abdicating its authority to declare war.

Leadership

Andrew
Bacevich

Chairman of the Board

Andrew J. Bacevich is the Chairman of the Board of the Quincy Institute. He graduated from West Point and Princeton, served in the army, became an academic, and is now a writer. He is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books. Full bio

Sally
Donnelly

Secretary-Treasurer

Sally Donnelly served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis from January 2017 until February 2018. In previous government roles, she headed the Washington office of the U.S. Central Command, working for then-General Mattis until 2012. Full bio

Stephen
Heintz

Board Member

Stephen B. Heintz is the president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a family foundation with an endowment of approximately $1.2 billion that advances social change for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Full bio

Leah
Hunt-Hendrix 

Board Member

Leah Hunt-Hendrix is an activist, political theorist, and movement builder who has co-founded three organizations, including Way to Win, where she currently directs the project on governance. Full bio

Amed
Khan

Board Member

Amed Khan has had an active career in both the public and private sectors, including a wealth of experience from political campaigns, government service and international relief work. Full bio

Lora
Lumpe

CEO

Lora Lumpe is CEO of the Quincy Institute. She has 30 years of experience in philanthropy, policy development, lobbying and campaigning on various aspects of US militarization. Full bio

Catherine
Lutz

Board Member

Catherine Lutz is the Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Family Professor of Anthropology and International Studies at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. She recently received a Guggenheim Foundation grant to write a book on how Americans across diverse communities understand war and its consequences. Full bio

Michael
McBride

Board Member

Pastor Michael McBride, or “Pastor Mike” — as he is known — is a native of San Francisco and has been active in ministry for over 20 years. Regarded as a national faith leader since the uprising in Ferguson, MO, he helps bridge, train and support millennials and religious institutions working on racial justice. Full bio

Francis
Najafi

Board Member

Mr. Najafi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pivotal Group, a forty-year-old firm that actively invests in private equity and real estate. In 2005, Mr. Najafi established the Pivotal Foundation, as a charitable vehicle to give back to society and provide patronage for international awareness initiatives, global and local education. Full bio

Tom
Pickering

Board Member

Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering served as the U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the United Nations in New York under President George H.W. Bush. He also was the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs under President Bill Clinton. Full bio

Liz
Theoharis

Board Member

The Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, pastor, author, and anti-poverty activist. She is the Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival with the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. Full bio

Jessica
Tuchman Mathews

Board Member

Jessica Mathews is a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she served as president for 18 years. Before her appointment in 1997, her career included posts in both the executive and legislative branches of government, in management and research in the nonprofit arena, and in journalism and science policy. Full bio

Katrina
vanden Heuvel

Board Member

Katrina vanden Heuvel is a QI board member and editorial director and publisher of The Nation. She served as editor of the magazine from 1995 to 2019. She currently writes a weekly column for The Washington Post and is a commentator on U.S. and international politics for MSNBC, CNN, and PBS. Full bio

Stephen
Walt

Board Member

Stephen M. Walt is a QI board member, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a contributing editor at Foreign Policy. Full bio

Mike
Zak

Board Member

Mike Zak spent 33 years as an entrepreneur and early stage venture capitalist. He is a Partner, Emeritus at CRV, where he made investments in telecommunications equipment, internet infrastructure technologies, and alternative energy systems Full bio

Team

Ananya
Agustin Malhotra

Research Fellow

Ananya Agustin Malhotra is a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. She holds an MPhil in History from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and an AB from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. Full bio

Khody
Akhavi

Senior Video Producer

Khody Akhavi is a Senior Video Producer at the Quincy Institute. He holds masters degrees from Georgetown University and Columbia University. Full bio

Ben
Armbruster

Managing Editor, Responsible Statecraft

Ben Armbruster is the Managing Editor of Responsible Statecraft. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Ohio University and a master of arts in international relations from King’s College London. Full bio

Tori
Bateman

Outreach Coordinator

Tori Bateman is the Outreach Coordinator at the Quincy Institute. Formerly, she coordinated policy advocacy for faith-based organizations working on peace and justice issues. Full bio

Kelley
Beaucar Vlahos

Senior Advisor, Quincy Institute & Editorial Director of Responsible Statecraft

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos is a senior advisor for the Quincy Institute and editorial director at Responsible Statecraft. She has spent the last two decades in Washington reporting and writing about U.S. foreign policy and national security, politics, veterans, and civil liberties. Full bio

Elizabeth
Beavers

Vice President for Public Affairs

Elizabeth Beavers is the Vice President for Public Affairs of the Quincy Institute and a national security legal scholar. She is an adjunct professor of counterterrorism law at the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law. Full bio

George
Beebe

Director of Grand Strategy

George Beebe is Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute. He spent more than two decades in government as an intelligence analyst, diplomat, and policy advisor, including as director of the CIA's Russia analysis and as a staff advisor on Russia matters to Vice President Cheney. Full bio

Audrey
Boroshok

Human Resources Generalist

Audrey Boroshok is the Human Resources Generalist for the Quincy Institute. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Human Resources Management from Roanoke College. Full bio

Brandon
Carr

Special Assistant & Non-Resident Fellowship Coordinator

Brandon Carr is the Special Assistant/NRF Coordinator at the Quincy Institute. He studied politics and international relations at The George Washington University and the University of Oxford. Full bio

Rebekkah
Chatham

Program Assistant

Rebekkah Chatham is a Program Assistant at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. She holds a B.S in Sociology, and a Master of International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Full bio

Eli
Clifton

Senior Advisor, Quincy Institute & Investigative Journalist at Large at Responsible Statecraft

Eli Clifton is a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and Investigative-Journalist-at-Large at Responsible Statecraft. He holds a masters degree from London School of Economics. Full bio

Mark
Cunningham

Director of Development

Mark Cunningham is the Director of Development at the Quincy Institute. He has dedicated his entire career to the non-profit sector and led the development efforts at a number of US and European based organizations. He holds a masters degree from the Central European University. Full bio

Artin
DerSimonian

Junior Research Fellow

Artin DerSimonian is a junior research fellow in the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He earned a Masters of Science in Russian, East European, and Euraisan studies from the University of Glasgow in 2022. Full bio

Zoe
Desch

Executive Assistant

Zoe Desch is the Executive Assistant to the CEO of the Quincy Institute and a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Political Science and Studio Art. Full bio

Andrew
Earvolino

Communications Associate

Andrew Earvolino is a Communications Associate at the Quincy Institute. He holds a B.A. in Global Politics from Washington and Lee University and a M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University Elliott School. Full bio

Connor
Echols

Reporter

Connor Echols is a Reporter for Responsible Statecraft. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Middle East and North African Studies from Northwestern University. Full bio

Ben
Freeman

Director, Democratizing Foreign Policy Program

Ben Freeman is Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His work focuses on how foreign governments seek to influence American government and politics. This work builds upon his book, The Foreign Policy Auction. Full bio

William D.
Hartung

Senior Research Fellow

William D. Hartung is Senior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an expert on the arms trade, Pentagon spending and strategy, and nuclear weapons policy. His books include Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex. Full bio

Alex
Jordan

Deputy Communications Director

Alex Jordan is Deputy Communications Director at the Quincy Institute. Prior to joining the Quincy Institute, he served as Senior Communications Associate at the Advancement Project National Office. Full bio

Anatol
Lieven

Eurasia Program Director

Anatol Lieven is the Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His work focuses primarily on Russia and Europe. He was formerly a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and a journalist covering South Asia and the former Soviet Union. Full bio

Jim
Lobe

Contributing Editor, Responsible Statecraft

Jim Lobe is a Contributing Editor of Responsible Statecraft. He served for 30 years as DC bureau chief for Inter Press Service and directed the award-winning blog, LobeLog. Full bio

Lora
Lumpe

CEO

Lora Lumpe is CEO of the Quincy Institute. She has 30 years of experience in philanthropy, policy development, lobbying and campaigning on various aspects of US militarization. Full bio

Meiyee
Mak

Director of Operations

Meiyee Mak is the Director of Operations at the Quincy Institute. She holds a Master's degree in Media Management from The New School and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Bates College. Full bio

Blaise
Malley

Reporter

Blaise Malley is a reporter for Responsible Statecraft. He previously was an associate editor at The National Interest and reporter-researcher at The New Republic. Full bio

Zachary
Paikin

Research Fellow

Zachary Paikin is a Research Fellow in the Grand Strategy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Kent, specializing in Russian foreign policy, great power relations and international order. Full bio

James
Park

Junior Research Fellow

James Park is a Junior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute’s East Asia Program. His research interests include South Korean foreign policy and domestic politics, Chinese security issues, and U.S. policy vis-à-vis East Asia. Full bio

Trita
Parsi

Executive Vice President

Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Full bio

Ethan
Paul

Research Fellow

Ethan Paul is a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He was previously a reporter for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Full bio

Tiffany
Robinson

Operations Manager

Tiffany Robinson is the Operations Manager at the Quincy Institute. She holds a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. She has 20 years of experience working in the publication and insurance industry. Full bio

Jessica
Rosenblum

Director of Communications

Jessica Rosenblum the Director of Communications at the Quincy Institute. Prior to Quincy, she served as J Street’s Senior Vice President of Public Engagement. Full bio

Sarang
Shidore

Director, Global South Program

Sarang Shidore is Director the Global South program at the Quincy Institute. His areas of research and analysis are geopolitical risk, grand strategy, and energy/climate security, with a special emphasis on Asia. Full bio

Steven
Simon

Senior Research Analyst

Steven Simon is a Senior Analyst at the Quincy Institute. He studied theology at Harvard and public policy at Princeton before government service at the State Department and the NSC. Full bio

Nathan
Smith

Development Associate

Nathan Smith is a development associate at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He has a B.S. in Political Science and a B.B.A in Finance from the University of Houston. Full bio

Marcus
Stanley

Director of Studies

Marcus Stanley is Director of Studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Prior to joining the Quincy Institute, he spent a decade at Americans for Financial Reform. He has a PhD in public policy from Harvard, with a focus on economics. Full bio

Michael D.
Swaine

Senior Research Fellow

Michael D. Swaine is a Senior Research Fellow on East Asia at QI and is one of the most prominent American scholars of Chinese security studies. He comes to QI from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he worked for nearly twenty years as a senior fellow. Full bio

Ari
Tolany

Research Fellow

Ari Tolany is a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute. Previously, as the U.S. Program Manager at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), she advocated for a more accountable arms trade. Full bio

Adam
Weinstein

Deputy Director, Middle East Program

Adam Weinstein is Deputy Director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute. His research focuses on security, trade, and rule of law in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps and the war in Afghanistan and received his JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Full bio

Jake
Werner

Research Fellow

Jake Werner is a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute. His research focuses on US–China economic relations and the global economy. He received his doctorate in history from the University of Chicago. Full bio

Our Supporters

The Quincy Institute advances its mission to promote ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace with the philanthropic support of generous individuals and foundations. We are proud to recognize the following institutional supporters who help further our work. View a full list of Quincy Institute’s financial supporters here and our conflict of interest policy here. Our 2020 audit is here and our most recent IRS Form 990 can be accessed here.

Lawyers for Reporters and Steptoe & Johnson LLP are non-financial supporters of the Quincy Institute and we are deeply grateful for their support.

Contact

For more information about the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, please email [email protected]

To support our cause, please reach out to our Director of Development, [email protected] or mail your contributions our New York office at 30 Irving Place, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10003