CONCESSIONS TO THE LIMITED POWERS: Considerations of Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons, Asymmetrical Capability, and Extended Deterrence

September 2024 No Comments

Authors: Bob Williams (Georgetown University) & Dr. James Giordano (Georgetown University Medical Center) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview Quite recently, nuclear strategy scholars Kier Lieber and Daryl Press posited that arms’ tables have […]

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Emerging Chem-Bio (and Neuro-cognitive) and Data/Computational Science Capabilities and Threats

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Author: Dr. James Giordano (Georgetown University Medical Center) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication preview: The twentieth century evidenced the increasing use of state-of-the-art science and technology (S&T) in warfare. Included in this S&T armamentarium […]

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Ukrainian Resistance to Russian Disinformation: Lessons for Future Conflict

September 2024 No Comments

Speaker: Todd Helmus and Khrystyna Holynska (RAND) Date: 19 September 2024 Speaker Session Summary A key element of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion has been its ability to counter Russian disinformation. In their recent report for RAND, Dr. Helmus and Dr. Holynska discuss Ukraine’s approach to combating disinformation and the lessons that the United […]

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Future Scenarios for Sino-Russian Military Cooperation Possibilities, Limitations, and Consequences

September 2024 No Comments

Speakers: Mark Cozad, Cooper Cortez III, and David Woodworth (RAND) Date: 12 September 2024 Speaker Session Summary The level of integration and cooperation between China and Russia in the event of a significant military conflict is often speculated upon, particularly given the rising political tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea. A […]

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How Innovative is China in Nuclear Power?

September 2024 No Comments

Speaker: Mr. Stephen Ezell (ITIF) Date: 10 September 2024 Speaker Session Summary Analysts have long debated China’s capacity to innovate within its industry and economy. Mr. Ezell presented compelling evidence that China is not only more innovative than most analysts predict, but that its nuclear industry is particularly advanced. According to Ezell, China is likely […]

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The Defender’s Dilemma: Why countering grayzone aggression is so difficult (and what options Western governments do have)

August 2024 No Comments

Speaker: Elisabeth Braw (Atlantic Council) Date: 5 September 2024 Speaker Session Summary: Western governments, including the United States, face significant challenges in identifying gray zone aggression. This form of aggression is often difficult to detect before the attack is fully underway, as it can originate from any source at any time. A key characteristic of […]

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Statelet of Survivors: The Making of a Semi-Autonomous Region in Northeast Syria: US Options in the New Phase of the Syrian Conflict

August 2024 No Comments

Speaker: Dr. Amy Austin Holmes (George Washington University) Date: 28 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary The political overtures made by Turkish President Erdogan to normalize relations with the Assad regime are reshaping the dynamics of the Syrian civil war. These overtures have more closely aligned Turkish, Russian, and Iranian interests in the region. As evidence, […]

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Climate Change as an Indirect Contributor to Terrorism

August 2024 No Comments

Speaker: Madeline Romm (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland) Date: 21 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Madeline Romm (UMD START) as part of its SMA AFOE Phase III Climate Effects Speaker Series. Climate change is now widely recognized as a […]

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Irregular Warfare in Strategic Competition and Gray Zones: Prosecuting Authoritarian Subversion and Exploitative Use of Corruption and Criminality to Weaken Democracy 

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Speakers: David Luna (Luna Global Networks & Convergence Strategies, LLC) Date: 22 August 2024 (Time TBD) Speaker Session Summary US adversaries, including China, Russia, and Iran, aim to diminish Western influence while expanding their own in many countries. They employ various strategies, such as leveraging proxies, transnational organized crime and kleptocrats, which can undermine democracies […]

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Public Support for Self-Defence in Taiwan: The Current State of Research

August 2024 No Comments

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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