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Dr. Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House

In January 2007, Dr. Niblett was appointed director of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs), the United Kingdom’s leading foreign policy institute. Chatham House was founded in 1920 and provides independent analysis of current developments in international affairs. The institute—also famous for the Chatham House Rule—serves as a forum for debate on the most pressing challenges to the world’s security and prosperity.

Following a truly transatlantic career, Dr. Robin Niblett has acquired extensive insights into the policy communities both in Europe and the United States. Atlantic-community.org recently spoke with Chatham House’s new director and asked him three questions on his work and experience in the realm of transatlantic relations.

1. What differentiates the think tanks in the US from those in Europe?
Think tanks and government in the US are part of a political continuum that does not exist in European countries. The openness of the American political system and culture is striking. The number of political appointees that come into government from the think tanks is far larger than in Europe. American think tanks also provide former policy makers with the opportunity to remain in the policy world even when they are not directly involved in government. Because of their connections to the political system, US think tanks approach their work from a more activist and policy-oriented perspective. US private foundations and companies are therefore motivated to provide them with funding not only because of the quality of their work, but also because there is the possibility that they are funding future members of government.
Think tanks in Europe, on the other hand, do not operate in such an open system and have greater difficulty channeling their work into the policy world. Those working on foreign affairs, in particular, tend to have a more academic approach to their research and spend more time convening lectures, workshops and conferences. European governments tend to discount what comes out of these institutions because they know most think tankers do not have direct government experience and find that the product is therefore not always directly useful.

2. What are the priorities for your work at Chatham House?
First, to encourage our research staff to have the confidence to go beyond analysis and to offer policy conclusions. Second, to take advantage of our location in London and the city’s inherent global connections to reach out to more than a UK or European audience. Third, to ensure that we continue to provide strong coverage of regional developments as well as of thematic issues.

3. What is the greatest challenge to transatlantic relations today?
The greatest challenge is probably psychological. Europeans feel that major threats to their security and prosperity exist within their own territory—for example the radicalization of Muslim communities or the perceived impacts of global warming—whereas Americans feel that they must defend themselves from an increasingly dangerous outside world epitomized by increasing chaos in the Middle East, the spread of international terrorism, and the rapid rise of China. An effective transatlantic partnership will need to be built on a closer genuine perception of the threats that we face in common.

Bio
Before joining Chatham House, the former member of a British rock band and father of two daughters was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC. As the deputy to the CSIS President from 2001 to 2006, he participated in a period of significant growth for the Center, as its staff grew from 150 to 200 and its annual budget from $16 million to $29 million.

Dr Niblett’s principal substantive interests are European integration and transatlantic relations. During his last two years at CSIS, he also served as Director of the CSIS Europe Program and its Initiative for a Renewed Transatlantic Partnership. He is the author and contributor to a number of CSIS reports, including The Atlantic Alliance Transformed (CSIS, 1992) and From Shadows to Substance (CSIS, 1995). He is contributing author and co-editor with William Wallace of Rethinking European Order (Palgrave, 2001). More recently he edited and contributed to Test of Will, Tests of Efficacy (CSIS, 2005).

Dr Niblett is a frequent panelist on transatlantic relations. He has testified on a number of occasions before the US Senate and House Committees on European Affairs. He comments regularly in the media and has written for the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, and has appeared on the BBC, CNN and a number of other broadcasters.

Dr Niblett received his BA, MPhil and DPhil from New College, Oxford.

Interview conducted by Dr. Johannes Bohnen (chairman Atlantische Initiative e.V.)