Public Support for Self-Defence in Taiwan: The Current State of Research
Speakers: Dr. Charles K.S. Wu, Fang-Yu Chen, and Yao-Yuan Yeh (University of Southern Alabama) Date: 14 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary Chinese President Xi Jinping has indicated that an invasion of Taiwan by 2027 is a distinct possibility, if not imminent. The concern of a Chinese invasion from the international community intensified following the Russian […]
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Russia’s Cyber Power Base: From Cybercriminals to Private Contractors
Speaker: Justin Sherman (Global Cyber Strategies) Date: 7 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary Justin Sherman spoke to the SMA audience about Russia’s cyber power base—not just the state and intelligence actors, but also the private contractors and private sector companies that play an important role in Russia’s cyber power. To begin, Mr. Sherman emphasized that […]
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Global Influence Operations
Speakers: Patrick Alley (Author, Terrible Humans) with Guest Host Jack Gaines (One CA Podcast) Date: 31 July 2024 Speaker Session Summary Global Witness employs a strategy of research, exposure, and advocacy to dismantle autocratic and kleptocratic regimes, such as Charles Taylor’s regime in Liberia. Patrick Alley and guest host Jack Gaines discussed how Global Witness […]
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The Next Quantum Superpower? US-China Quantum Competition and the New Global Quantum Scramble Quantum Computing
Speaker: Brandon Williams (LLNL) Date: 30 July 2024 Speaker Session Summary The race to achieve quantum computing has significant implications for the future security landscape. Dr. Williams highlighted the current progress, challenges, and opportunities for growth in the quantum computing field. He also discussed China’s rapid progress in quantum computing and emphasized the steps the […]
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Climate, Peace, and Security in Latin America and the Caribbean – A Perspective from UNDP
Speaker: Adam Forbes (United Nations Development Programme) Date: 18 July 2024 Speaker Session Summary Since 2008, the discourse on the relationship between climate change effects, conflict, and security has significantly evolved. Mr. Forbes elaborated on how this nexus impacts Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change by […]
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Shades of Grim: Scenarios for Ukraine and Global Order
Speakers: Prof. Luis Simón & Ms. Lotje Boswinkel (Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) Date: 16 July 2024 Speaker Session Summary The ongoing war in Ukraine remains unresolved, and its outcome is widely debated among politicians, researchers, and military practitioners. In their recent CSDS paper “Shades […]
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The Promise & Perils of AI: What We’ve Learned from Some of the Largest Real World Deployments of Generative & Classical AI to Understand Global News
Speaker: Dr. Kalev Hannes Leetaru (GDELT Project) Date: 11 July 2024 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Kalev Hannes Leetaru (GDELT Project) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. One of the GDELT Project’s goals is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand our world. To accomplish this monumental task, […]
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Access Denied?: Assessing Options for Projecting Airpower into a Contested East Asia
Speakers: Dr. Nicholas Anderson (George Washington University) and Dr. Daryl Press (Dartmouth College) Date: 25 June 2024 Speaker Session Summary China is striving to limit US military power projection in its home region of East Asia by enhancing its own ability to project air and missile power. To ensure that China cannot restrict US power […]
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Rebuilding Ukraine with Mr. Pavlo Kukhta
Speakers: Pavlo Kukhta (Center for Economic Solutions) and Guest Host Jack Gaines (One CA Podcast) Date: 20 June 2024 Speaker Session Summary The ongoing Russian invasion has dramatically affected Ukraine’s industry and economy, forcing Ukraine to reimagine and rebuild its industrial base and market structure. Mr. Kukhta discussed how Ukraine can rebuild its economy through foreign […]
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Foreign Assistance in an Era of Strategic Competition
Speaker: Dan Cederberg (U.S. Department of State) Date: 23 May 2024 Speaker Session Summary China is the only modern-day US competitor with both the intent and the capability to challenge the United States politically, militarily, and economically. One significant avenue of political competition is foreign financial aid to developing countries. Between 2000 and 2021, China […]
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