“RUSSIA’S RELATIONS WITH EUROPE AND THE USA ARE AT THE WORST I HAVE SEEN IN 20 YEARS!”

Dr. John J. Hamre is President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the world's number one Defense and National Security think tank. Before joining CSIS, he served as the 26th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. Prior to holding that post, he was the Under Secretary of Defense from 1993 to 1997. In 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Dr. Hamre to serve as chairman of the Defense Policy Board, and he served in that capacity under four Secretaries of Defense. Sven Lilienström, founder of Faces of Democracy, spoke with Dr. Hamre about NATO, hybrid warfare and the INF Treaty.

DR. HAMRE, THE FACES OF DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE WANTS TO SUPPORT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRACY IN GERMANY, EUROPE, AND AROUND THE WORLD. HOW SIGNIFICANT ARE DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIC VALUES TO YOU PERSONALLY?

John Hamre: I have spent my personal and professional life in the national security field to protect democracy and democratic values during the Cold War. Unfortunately, the challenge to democracy from authoritarian countries has returned, and it must again be my primary conviction for the rest of my professional life.

TERRORISM, CYBER-ATTACKS AND HYBRID WARFARE: THE GLOBAL SECURITY ARCHITECTURE IS FACING A RANGE OF NEW CHALLENGES. HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE CURRENT SECURITY SITUATION?

John Hamre: The current era poses far more complex security challenges than did the Cold War. The prospect of major war for the United States is low, though we are back into a world of peer competitors.