China in Sri Lanka and the Political Economic Crisis

July 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Abeyagoonasekera, A. (The Millennium Project) Date: 2 August 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera (The Millennium Project) as part of its SMA INDPOPACOM Speaker Series. Mr. Abeyagoonasekera began the presentation by stating that China’s loans and investments in Sri Lanka are ultimately creating a debt trap. China is taking advantage of Sri Lanka’s […]

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Long Shadows: Deterrence in a Multipolar Nuclear Age

July 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Pettyjohn, S. (Senior Fellow & Director of the Defense Program, Center for a New American Security [CNAS]) Date: 26 July 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn (Senior Fellow & Director of the Defense Program, Center for a New American Security [CNAS]) as part of its SMA STRATCOM Academic Alliance Speaker […]

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The Real Way to Succeed in a Rivalry: The Societal Foundations of National Competitiveness

June 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Mazarr, M. (RAND) Date: 6 July 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Michael Mazarr (Senior Political Scientist, RAND) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. A country’s societal dynamism is directly linked to its international competitiveness, according to Dr. Mazarr. There are seven societal characteristics related to a country’s international competitiveness: national […]

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The Perfect Imbalance of the Sino-Russian Relationship

May 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Bērziņa-Čerenkova, U. (Head of the Political Science Doctoral Programme & Director of the China Studies Centre, Riga Stradins University, Latvia) Date: 7 June 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova (Head of the Political Science Doctoral Programme & Director of the China Studies Centre, Riga Stradins University, Latvia) as […]

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Competition in the Gray Zone: Countering China’s Coercion Against US Allies and Partners in the Indo-Pacific

May 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Garafola, C. (RAND) Date: 24 May 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Ms. Cristina Garafola (Associate Policy Researcher, RAND) as part of its SMA INDOPACOM Series. *Below is a summary provided by Ms. Garafola which reflects information from her presentation and her team’s findings.   Few studies have systematically tracked how China is using […]

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How America Can Seize Its Great-Power Opportunity

April 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Wyne, A. (Eurasia Group) Date: 4 May 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Ali Wyne (Senior Analyst, Eurasia Group) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Past US foreign security policies primarily focused on adversaries’ capabilities and objectives rather than its own ability to project its desired messages and worldview. This […]

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Degrees of Separation: Targeted Decoupling and the US-China Relationship

March 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Segal, S. (CSIS); Reynolds, M. (CSIS) Date: 30 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Ms. Stephanie Segal(Non-resident Senior Associate, Economics Program, CSIS) and Mr. Matthew Reynolds (Research Associate, Economics Program, CSIS) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. As the US and China continue to compete for long-term strategic supremacy, […]

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Special Forces in Great Power Competition

March 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Watling, J. (Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)) Date: 16 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Jack Watling (Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Special operations forces (SOF) have historically been at the center of US military actions, especially at the beginning […]

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Stabilizing Great Power Rivalries

February 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Mazarr, M. (RAND); Charap, S. (RAND) Date: 2 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Michael Mazarr (RAND) and Dr. Samuel Charap (RAND) as part of its SMA EUCOM/INDOPACOM Speaker Series. Ensuring stability between geopolitical rivals can strengthen overall international security and deescalate potentially world-changing conflicts. For a rivalry to be […]

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China’s Nuclear Modernization and Its Implications

February 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Zhao, T. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Date: 23 February 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Tong Zhao (Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) as part of its SMA INDOPACOM Speaker Series. China’s rapid nuclear development is being driven by both Chinese President Xi Jinping’s personal ambition and China’s […]

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