About Us
Mission & Objectives
The Janus Forum is a transatlantic research center focused on strengthening supply chain resilience and advancing strategic economic initiatives for the United States, the United Kingdom, and their commercial partners. Born out of a period of extraordinary global disruption—from the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating geopolitical conflicts to the deterioration of U.S.-China relations—the Forum addresses the structural vulnerabilities that have been laid bare across critical industries, from semiconductor production to energy security.
The Janus Forum is not a conventional think tank. It avoids ideological debates around democracy, human rights, or social policy unless they bear directly on trade, supply chains, or investment strategies. Defense and military issues are considered only in relation to industrial capacity and the security of strategic transit corridors. Instead, Janus is committed to developing pragmatic, commercially viable alternatives to China’s state-backed economic model—ensuring that Western economies remain competitive in an era of great power rivalry.
At its core, the Forum is driven by a belief in transatlantic economic realism: that economic engagement must be guided by national interest, not abstract conditionalities. As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized during his confirmation remarks, policy must be judged on whether it makes the transatlantic partnership safer, stronger, and more prosperous. The Janus Forum exists to ensure that those principles are reflected in economic strategy—and translated into action.
Strategic Focus
The Janus Forum employs a data-driven, investment-focused methodology to identify, analyze, and address the vulnerabilities within global supply chains. Through rigorous policy research, stakeholder engagement, and high-impact advocacy, it seeks to recalibrate transatlantic economic strategy toward long-term resilience and strategic competition.
This means looking beyond traditional public-sector tools and mobilizing the private sector—redirecting capital from Wall Street and the City of London into strategic regions and sectors, such as industrialization, infrastructure, and energy security. The Forum advocates for smarter deployment of development finance, urging institutions like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and British International Investment to support debt financing, equity, and risk insurance for projects in high-impact sectors.
Recognizing the strategic importance of regions like Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Central and Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, India, and the Arctic, the Forum promotes investment in alternative transit corridors that bypass geopolitical chokepoints and reduce dependency on adversarial economies. It also champions the establishment of regional development banks focused on critical minerals, rare earth elements, industrial re-shoring, and infrastructure expansion.
The Forum seeks to reposition existing multilateral efforts—such as the Blue Dot Network—to support projects grounded in national interest, offering credible, private sector–led alternatives to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In doing so, Janus facilitates deeper commercial ties between Western economies and emerging middle powers, while also advancing smarter economic statecraft to address growing de-dollarization threats and the unintended consequences of sanctions policy.
At the heart of Janus’s work is a commitment to measurable impact: reshaping economic policy, realigning global capital, and ensuring that supply chains are not just restored—but made more robust, diversified, and secure.
Our Team
Darren Spinck
Managing Director
Darren G. Spinck is co-founder and managing director of the Janus Forum, a U.S.-based think tank focused on economic connectivity and supply chain resilience. He also serves as managing partner of Washington Consulting Solutions, advising international clients on public diplomacy, reputation management, and crisis communications. He has worked with TECRO on Taiwan advocacy, written policy briefs for IRMO and EESI, and analyzed U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Asia. He speaks at major forums and holds degrees from the University of Maryland and George Mason University.
Phillip Pilkington
Director of Research
Philip Pilkington is a macroeconomist and former investment professional. He is the author of The Reformation in Economics and The Collapse of Global Liberalism. His work appears in The Telegraph, NY Post, American Affairs, Post-Liberal Order, Moneyweek, The Spectator, and Unherd. He co-hosts the Multipolarity podcast. Pilkington’s contributions span critiques of mainstream macroeconomic theory, original models of potential output, and sharp analysis of global political economy. His work challenges orthodoxy and offers empirically grounded, policy-relevant alternatives.
Carlos Roa
Director of Strategy
Ibrahim Mammadov
Non-Resident Fellow
Ibrahim Mammadov is a non-resident fellow at the Janus Forum and researcher at the Danube Institute. He previously served at QAFSAM, IDD, and CPAC in Baku, Azerbaijan. He is completing his MA in International Relations at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and holds a BA in International Studies from ADA University. Ibrahim is the founder and director of the Young Eurasian Scholars Network (YESN). His work has appeared in The National Interest, CABAR.asia (IWPR), Commonspace.eu (LINKS), IDD Publications, and The Hungarian Conservative. His focus is on Eurasian Affairs, especially Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Southern Caucasus.