Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World
Speaker: Ms. Bethany Allen (Axios) Date: 18 October 2023 Speaker Session Summary During the last 25 years, China has strengthened its ability to economically coerce governments, companies, multilateral institutions, and individuals, bringing them in line with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) desires. She summarized China’s statecraft as a “clearly communicated set of rewards and punishments […]
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The Future of Nuclear Weapons, Statecraft, and Deterrence After Ukraine
Speakers: Thomas Shattuck (Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania) Date: 17 October 2023 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Thomas Shattuck (Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. The narrative surrounding nuclear deterrence and statecraft has changed since the beginning of Russia’s invasion […]
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Putin and Putnam: The Unethical Rationality of Vladimir Putin Viewed Through a Game Theory Perspective
Speaker: LTC Nathan Colvin (US Army) Date: 11 October 2023 Speaker Series Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with LTC Nathan Colvin (US Army) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. In current discourse, Putin has been described as an irrational actor, choosing to commit armed aggression toward non-NATO countries even when the […]
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Why Trust Matters in AI? How Can We Achieve It?
Speaker: Dr. David Bray (Stimson Center) Date: 5 October 2023 Speaker Session Summary The capabilities and implications of artificial intelligence are frequently discussed throughout all sectors of society. Among the many questions asked is, how can human users trust AI? Dr. Bray emphasized that the first step in understanding whether humans can trust AI, is […]
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Influence and Perception Management Office
Speaker: Mr. James Holly (OUSD (I&S)) Date: 3 October 2023 Speaker Session Summary The Influence and Perception Management Office (IPMO) is a young office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD I&S). However, the need for an organization managing the US Armed Forces’ messaging has been debated for […]
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China’s Three Roads to Controlling Taiwan
Speakers: Dr. Dan Blumenthal (AEI) & Frederick W. Kagan (AEI); Jack Gaines, Moderator (One CA Podcast) Date: 27 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary The increasing political and military tensions between China and Taiwan are frequently discussed in Western media. During these discussions, politicians and pundits point out Taiwan’s strategic importance to the US and China, […]
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Putin and the Psychology of Nuclear Brinkmanship
Speakers: Dr. Rose McDermott (Brown University) and Dr. Paul Slovic (Brown University) Date: 28 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Rose McDermott (Brown University) and Dr. Paul Slovic (Brown University) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. The world has not experienced a global military conflict since […]
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Freedom in the World 2023: Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy
Speaker: Yana Gorokhovskaia (Freedom House) Date: 20 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary For fifty years, Freedom House has published its assessment of the state of democracy around the world. Freedom House categorizes countries and territories in to three groups based off a point system: 1) free, 2) partly free, and 3) not free. Dr. Gorokhovskaia […]
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The Minds and Actions of Devoted Actors and the Will to Fight: A Behavioral and Brain Studies Approach to War and Extreme Group Conflict
Speaker: Dr. Scott Atran (University of Michigan) Date: 12 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary What drives warfighters to make costly sacrifices—including their lives—is a long-standing question that military and civilian leaders have tried to answer. Dr. Atran explained that this question can be studied through two different psychological models: 1) rational choice theory and 2) […]
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Russia’s Role in Global Nuclear Supply Chains
Speaker: Ms. Darya Dolzikova (RUSI) Date: 12 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary Ms. Dolzikova discussed how Russia’s civil nuclear sector has largely evaded the sanctions placed on the rest of the Russian economy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. During her presentation she outlined the drivers of the global dependency on Russia’s civil […]
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