Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies opened its doors on the 4th of September 1962. This date arrived just days before the Cuban Missile Crisis began to unfold in October of that same year. Arleigh Burke and David Manker Abshire established the organization as an affiliate of Georgetown University. Their initial office occupied a small brick townhouse at 1316 36th Street, located one block from the university campus. Richard V. Allen became the first professional staff member hired by the new center. He would later serve in the Reagan administration.
A conference held in the Hall of Nations at Georgetown University took place in January 1963. Scholars gathered there to develop a blueprint for their intellectual agenda. The resulting book titled National Security: Political, Military and Economic Strategies in the Decade Ahead exceeded one thousand pages in length. This volume set out a framework for discussing national security during the Cold War era. It defined areas of agreement and disagreement within the Washington foreign policy community. Practitioners of this school of thought subsequently reached the pinnacles of U.S. policymaking.
Georgetown University professors criticized CSIS staff members in 1986 for giving academically unsupported assessments during public interviews. Jordan Mary wrote about this friction in The Washington Post on the 18th of October 1986. Donations to Georgetown University decreased because of its association with the think tank. A special committee studied the issue and recommended that CSIS be formally separated from the university. The board of directors voted to sever all ties on the 17th of October 1986.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies was incorporated in Washington, D.C. on the 29th of December 1986. The formal affiliation between Georgetown and CSIS ended on the 1st of July 1987. The center became an incorporated nonprofit organization to raise its endowment and expand programs. It focused on emerging regions of the world following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Henry Kissinger retired as U.S. Secretary of State in 1977 and chose to make CSIS his base for Washington operations. His decision attracted more public attention than virtually any event in the preceding fifteen years.
By the mid to late 1970s, many scholars who worked at the center had found their way to senior positions in government. They took roles within the Department of State or Department of Defense. James Schlesinger, Bill Brock, William J. Crowe, and Harold Brown joined CSIS in the late 1970s. Zbigniew Brzezinski joined the center in 1981 after the end of the Carter administration. He worked on issues related to the Soviet Union and Poland's transition to a market economy.
These arrangements allowed cabinet-level officials to write, lecture, and consult with media and business firms. A myriad of think tanks either expanded operations or emerged in Washington, D.C., during the 1970s and 1980s. The work of trustees and counselors left CSIS in a unique position to develop foreign policy. It signified a degree of institutional maturation that founders had not imagined when they started the center in the early 1960s. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon noted that every Friday afternoon he asked his staff to prepare reading binders containing products from CSIS.
For fiscal year 2013, CSIS had an operating revenue of US$32.3 million. Corporate sources provided 32% of this total while foundations contributed 29%. Government funding accounted for 19% and individual donations made up 9%. Defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon Company, and General Atomics provided significant support. The New York Times reported in September 2014 that the United Arab Emirates donated more than $1 million to the organization.
CSIS also received undisclosed funding from Japan through the government-funded Japan External Trade Organization. Norway was another source of international financial support. John Hamre defended the organization against claims of inappropriate lobbying on behalf of U.S. defense contractors in 2016. He stated that they gather stakeholders to find areas of agreement and highlight disagreements. John Kempthorne wrote in Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting that CSIS is heavily funded by arms dealers and oil companies.
The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) was created in 2003 with support from government agencies and private donations. Clark A. Murdock started PONI when it was widely recognized that the nuclear community faced an impending crisis. His study Revitalizing the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent documented concerns about the future leadership and expertise of the nuclear community. The program seeks to build a networked community of young nuclear experts from military, national laboratories, industry, academia, and policy communities.
The Global Health Policy Center focuses on U.S. engagements in HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, polio, and other high priorities. These issues intersect with U.S. national security interests. In September 2019, former National Security Advisor John Bolton delivered his first speech since leaving office at CSIS. He used the opportunity to be highly critical of US policy towards North Korea. The center hosts more than 350 students and professionals every year for seminars and programming.
In 2013, CSIS moved from its K Street headquarters to a new location on Rhode Island Avenue in Washington, D.C. The new building cost $100 million to construct and features a studio for media interviews. It also includes room to host conferences, events, lectures, and discussions. The facility is located in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood and earned LEED Platinum Certification. H. Andrew Schwartz described the organization's number one goal as having impact on policy in 2015.
CSIS maintains its own YouTube channel which regularly posts short videos and infographics about the think tank's work. Scholars have published op-eds in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post. They appeared frequently in major newswires like Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse, and Bloomberg News. In 2024, the Center was designated as an undesirable organization in Russia.
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Common questions
When did the Center for Strategic and International Studies open its doors?
The Center for Strategic and International Studies opened its doors on the 4th of September 1962. This date arrived just days before the Cuban Missile Crisis began to unfold in October of that same year.
Who established the Center for Strategic and International Studies as an affiliate of Georgetown University?
Arleigh Burke and David Manker Abshire established the organization as an affiliate of Georgetown University. Their initial office occupied a small brick townhouse at 1316 36th Street, located one block from the university campus.
On what date did the board of directors vote to sever all ties between CSIS and Georgetown University?
The board of directors voted to sever all ties on the 17th of October 1986. The formal affiliation between Georgetown and CSIS ended on the 1st of July 1987.
What was the operating revenue of the Center for Strategic and International Studies for fiscal year 2013?
For fiscal year 2013, CSIS had an operating revenue of US$32.3 million. Corporate sources provided 32% of this total while foundations contributed 29%.
When did the Center for Strategic and International Studies move to its new headquarters on Rhode Island Avenue?
In 2013, CSIS moved from its K Street headquarters to a new location on Rhode Island Avenue in Washington, D.C. The new building cost $100 million to construct and features a studio for media interviews.