Why, What, and How Free Societies Must Develop Effective Deterrence of Actors Intending Bad Ends Given Our GenAI Era
Speaker: Dr. David Bray (Stimson Center; LeadDoAdapt Ventures) Date: 13 March 2024 Speaker Session Summary The advent of widespread internet access and the emergence of new forms of generative AI (GenAI) have broken down the physical boundaries that once separated international and intranational communities. Dr. Bray delineates three overarching trends that delineate the interplay between […]
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Building Solutions to Post-conflict Stabilization
Speakers: Dr. Beatrice Heuser (University of Glasgow) with Guest Host Jack Gaines (One CA Podcast) Date: 6 March 2024 Speaker Session Summary The optimal outcome of any military conflict is a lasting peace in the post-war period. Professor Heuser discusses insights from historical and ongoing conflicts that shed light on the factors influencing the establishment […]
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China and the Global South: Big Ambitions, Big Challenges
Speaker: Michael Schuman (Atlantic Council) Date: 27 February 2024 Speaker Session Summary China’s economic slowdown coupled with its ambition to continuously compete with the US both economically and politically is compelling Beijing to intensify its efforts to increase political influence in the Global South. Mr. Schuman, who authored an article on why China will struggle […]
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Extended Deterrence Across the Continuum of Conflict
Speaker: Dr. Maximilian Hoell (LLNL) Date: 20 February 2024 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Maximilian Hoell (LLNL) as part of its SMA “Strategic Deterrence Frameworks” (SDF) Speaker Series. Since the end of the Cold War, US extended deterrence has undergone significant evolution, initially appearing to diminish in importance with the perceived decrease […]
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The Future of US-Russian Relations
Speaker: Thomas Graham (Council on Foreign Relations) Date: 22 February 2024 Speaker Session Summary Even in the event of a military defeat suffered by Russia at the hands of Ukraine, it will continue to pose a formidable adversary to the US for the foreseeable future. Despite this adversarial stance, there will also be opportunities for […]
Continue ReadingOn Persuasion
Speakers: Mr. Bas Wouters (Cialdini Institute) Date: 6 February 2024 Speaker Session Summary During his presentation, Mr. Wouters delved into the original model developed by the Cialdini Institute, alongside two recently-devised tools tailored for assessing a target audience’s interests and executing an influence campaign. He underscored the foundational work outlined in Dr. Cialdini’s seminal book, […]
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Great Power Economic Competition, the PRC Economic Challenge, and the Prospects of De-Dollarization
Speaker: Dr. Brandon Kirk Williams (LLNL) Date: 1 February 2024 Speaker Session Summary China aims to de-dollarize the world economy, utilizing BRICS member states—namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates—as a beachhead in the global economic system. According to Dr. Williams, there are two other important strategies employed […]
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AI-Driven Expert-Validated Threat and Foreign Influence Assessments
Speaker: Ms. Jacki Davenport (Seerist) Date: 25 January 2024 Speaker Session Summary Seerist developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled threat intelligence platform that utilizes information from open-source resources to identify, monitor, and track global threats. Alongside Deloitte, Seerist also developed the Foreign Influence Risk Index (FIRI), which examines the dynamics of great power competition. Seerist’s AI-enabled […]
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Hybrid Warfare: Guile Born Out of Weakness
Speaker: Curtis Fox (Author of Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition & Conventional Military Conflict) Date: 11 January 2024 Speaker Session Summary Russia’s historical strategy to protect its sovereign borders and security environment has been to act aggressively with its military, attempting to constantly expand its borders. This aggressive expansion has been a […]
Continue ReadingAnsar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) and its Ties to Hamas
Speaker: Dr. Zana Gul (University of Stirling) Date: 7 December 2023 Speaker Session Summary Wilayat Sinai (WS), formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), is an Egyptian-based extremist group that is active in the Sinai Peninsula. The group seeks to influence the region’s politics and establish a state of the Islamic State of Iraq and […]
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