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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Nuclear Intimidation: A Russian Success Story
Speaker: Professor Keir Giles (Chatham House) Date: 5 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Prof. Keir Giles (Chathan House) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. Russia’s long-term information operations (IO) and influence campaigns have altered how US and Western decision makers perceive the risk level of Russia […]
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Concepts of Influence Beyond Punishment and Denial: A Combined Effect Analysis of China, Russia, and Iran
Speaker: Brig Gen (Ret) Thomas Drohan (Professor Emeritus of Military and Strategic Studies, U.S. Air Force Academy; Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies) Date: 29 August 2023 Speaker Series Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Brig Gen (Ret) Thomas Drohan (Professor Emeritus of Military and Strategic Studies, U.S. Air Force Academy; Mitchell Institute for Aerospace […]
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US Command Perspectives on Campaigning in Support of Integrated Deterrence
Speakers: Ms. Michele Wolfe (USAFRICOM), Drs. Emily Goldman and Michael Warner (USCYBERCOM), Mr. James “JJ” Jenista (USNORTHCOM and NORAD), Mr. Robert Jones (USSOCOM), Mr. Howard Simkin (USASOC), Ms. Kayse Jansen (USSTRATCOM) Date: 10 August 2023 Speaker Session Summary The complex nature of the modern threat environment and geopolitical competition, especially competition in the gray zone, has […]
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US Strategy and Force Posture for an Era of Nuclear Tripolarity
Speakers: Dr. Keir Lieber (Georgetown University) and Dr. Daryl Press (Dartmouth College) Date: 6 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Keir Lieber (Georgetown University) and Dr. Daryl Press (Dartmouth College) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. US nuclear deterrence has changed drastically during the last few […]
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Safety and Security of Nuclear Installations in Ukraine and Implications for Future Conflicts
Speaker: Ms. Darya Dolzikova (RUSI) Date: 1 August 2023 Speaker Session Summary The war in Ukraine is raising questions about the security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and the safety of civilians who are in their proximity. Military and civilian leaders in other countries that possess nuclear power plants are examining how litigation could protect […]
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A New Asian Order is Emerging
Speaker: Mr. Mohammed Soliman (Middle East Institute) Date: 26 July 2023 Speaker Session Summary India’s expanding political influence is altering the current geopolitical order in Asia, with India positioned at its center. India’s growing role in geopolitics will over time take away some of the geopolitical focus on the Asia-Pacific region and place it on […]
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The United States and Regional Great Power Rivalry: Can America Still Pass the Mearsheimer test?
Speaker: Dr. Mark Katz (Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University) Date: 25 July 2023 Speaker Session Summary International relations (IR) experts widely perceive the US global political influence to be in a decline, especially in regions farther from the US. However, state actors who are gaining influence in their home regions are […]
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