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**Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.**
This event is part of the China Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Today’s space race is different than the Cold War-era race between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve symbolic space milestones to prove the superiority of our market-based economic system for the benefit of unaligned nations. Space 2.0 or the new space race, primarily between the United States and China, is about the economics of space-derived capabilities, access to space resources, and the technologies for acquiring and controlling them. Strategic competition with China is occurring 24/7 on across all domains of which space is increasingly becoming America’s Achilles heel. China aims to be the dominant space power by 2050 – just 30 years from today. The United States can either prepare and position itself to shape a future with American strategic leadership in space or resign itself to second-class. Thus, the new space race is a high-stakes economic competition that will influence our modern way of life and the prospect of democratizing American society for millions will be threatened by authoritarianism. About the speaker: Dr. Mir Sadat has more than 25 years of experience in private industry and government. Mir is a former policy director at the U.S. National Security Council, where he led interagency coordination on defense and space policy issues. In this role, Mir supported the establishment of both the US Space Force and US Space Command, and reviewed national security decisions involving civil space (NASA) and the US commercial space sector. Mir is also a naval officer with intelligence and space qualifications and in his preceding two naval assignments; he served as a space policy strategist with Chief of Naval Operations and as a space operations officer with U.S. Tenth Fleet. Mir has a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University and has taught at various universities in California and Washington, DC.
About the lecture: As a general, Ulysses S. Grant was often dismissed as a butcher of men and no strategist. This reputation is undeserved, however. Ulysses S. Grant’s memoir of the Civil War is a treasure trove of insights for the strategist. In its pages, Grant invites his reader to contemplate with him the constant struggle to reconcile military means with political ends, the way military maxims crumble under the weight of the reality of war, and, most importantly, the vital role that character and personality play in the design and execution of military operations and strategy. About the speaker: Peter Campbell is Associate Professor of Political Science at Baylor University. He holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Military Realism: The Logic and Limits of Force and Innovation in the U.S. Army (University of Missouri Press, 2019). His areas of research include national security decision making, civil-military relations, strategy, international relations scholarship and policy relevance, insurgency and counterinsurgency, the just war tradition, and cyber warfare.
This event is sponsored by the Asia Initiative Lecture Series at The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Based on an excerpt from his recently published book, Japanese Foreign Intelligence and Grand Strategy (Georgetown University Press), Dr. Williams will discuss Japan’s intelligence cooperation with the United States during the Cold War. Drawing from and modifying a generic framework presented by H. Bradford Westerfield, the presentation assesses the impact of bilateralism – defined as “behaving [primarily] in the international system within the remit of the bilateral [US-Japan] alliance” (Hook et al. 2005, 72) – on Japan’s foreign intelligence-related institutions and activities across four core mechanisms of liaison: institution building and collaborative operations, facilities access, information sharing, and support via training and equipment provisions. It highlights how the United States initially assisted in establishing intelligence organizations in Japan that would serve as liaison partners and engage in various forms of collaborative operations in pursuit of regional geostrategic objectives during the Cold War. Other liaison mechanisms served a similar function and were also employed as a means of keeping a junior ally under Washington’s intelligence umbrella. While Japanese foreign intelligence largely adhered to bilateralist norms, the relationship did occasionally cause tensions between the respective intelligence communities and their political overseers. About the speaker: Dr. Brad Williams is an associate professor in the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong. He has studied, taught, and conducted research in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Taiwan, and the US. Brad has published on a diverse range of issues in Japanese politics and foreign policy and is also the author of Resolving the Russo-Japanese Territorial Dispute: Hokkaido-Sakhalin Relations (Routledge 2007, 2011).canva
About the book, "Ethics, Law, and Natural Hazards: The Moral Imperative for Intervention Post-Natural Hazard": This book argues that the international community has a moral duty to intervene on behalf of a population affected by a natural hazard when their government is either unable or unwilling to provide basic, life-saving assistance. The work draws on law, international relations theory, and political philosophy to articulate that non-response to a natural hazard is unethical. In providing policy suggestions the author articulates what should happen based on an ethical analysis. Readers will thus gain an ethical lens with which to view intervention in the aftermath of a natural hazard. The book encourages readers to consider the nuances of arguments from various disciplines about whether or not intervention is appropriate. Whilst arguing throughout that an intervention policy in response to natural hazards should be developed by the international community, the study also accounts for why intervention should only be used in very limited situations. This interdisciplinary approach makes the book essential reading for researchers, academics, and policy-makers working in the areas of international law, humanitarian studies, human rights, international relations, and political science. About the speaker: Dr. Lauren Traczykowski is an American living in Birmingham, England. She started her education at Boston University studying International Relations. Whilst completing her undergraduate degree, she studied American Foreign Policy at IWP for one summer. After completing her degree and with three internships under her belt – the U.S. Department of State, Fine Gael HQ (Dublin), and Demos (London) – Dr. Traczykowski moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contribute to the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery from within the Office of International Affairs. Dr. Traczykowski then moved to the U.K. to do an MA in International Studies: Globalisation & Governance. Later, she completed a Ph.D. in Global Ethics focusing on the research she will present. Whilst still working on her Ph.D., Dr. Traczykowski taught modules on Bioethics, Contemporary Ethics, Politics and the State, Professional Ethics, and Medical Ethics at institutions around the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. Dr. Traczykowski now teaches at Aston University (Birmingham, U.K.) as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor). Her main teaching is in Business Ethics and Ethics in a Crisis. Dr. Traczykowski is also editing a collected work on Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching to be submitted to Edward Elgar Publishing later this year.
About the lecture: As head of three Asian countries’ flagship firms, Mr. McCarthy learned the secrets to being successful in other cultures. Often, he was the only American working with 3,000 local employees, giving him a peek into the Zeitgeist of the local business and government leaders that most Americans never see. He learned how to succeed in turnarounds where many others had failed and how to first think like a local then gain their trust. He developed a set of skills and tactics that allowed him to build strong high-performing local teams. In this lecture, he will explain his use of “Sunau or Ting Hua” and other recommendations for how to succeed overseas that will surprise many Americans. About the speaker: Mr. Timothy F. McCarthy’s career has been evenly divided between the U.S. and overseas. During the ’90s, he was President of Fidelity Investment Advisor Group prior to becoming President of Charles Schwab and Co. In 2000, Mr. McCarthy became Chairman of Good Morning Securities Group in South Korea then Chairman and CEO of Nikko Asset Management in Japan. These were the first times each country’s government approved a foreigner to lead one of their flagship financial services companies. Also, notably, during this tenure at Nikko, he co-founded the Rongtong JV in China. His firms attracted over 8 million Asians to invest $300 billion in fund assets. He is now active in venture capital high-tech investing. Mr. McCarthy is fluent in 6 languages. He has published two books – one a best seller in Japanese. Mr. McCarthy’s academic history includes an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business as a Baker Scholar in 1978 and a BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of California, Davis, with honors in 1973.
Full title: Incels as a Domestic Terrorist Group Within the Violent Non-State Actor Framework About the lecture: This presentation will define and analyze the threat of incels as an emerging domestic terrorist threat within the Violent Non-State Actor framework. In an era of online recruitment and social media radicalization, incels have created a community that centers around getting revenge as a result of being rejected by women in the past. This online network of disgruntled individuals has served as the breeding ground for lone actor violence that has claimed more than 50 lives in the United States and Canada. About the speaker: Hannah Wilk works as an Investigative Analyst and is pursuing her master’s degree at The Institute of World Politics. She is studying Statecraft and National Security Affairs with a concentration in Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence. In 2019 she received her bachelor’s degree in Criminology from George Mason University with a concentration in Homeland Security and a double minor in Intelligence Analysis and Forensic Psychology. In her free time Hannah enjoys spending time with friends and family, baking, and trying out new brunch spots in the Washington, D.C. area.
About the Lecture: Muqtada al-Sadr is the leader of the Sadrist Movement, a Shia political group with a militia called the Mahdi Army. Al-Sadr has a complicated history with the United States but is now in a position to create a stable democracy and protect Iraq from Iranian influence. While the U.S. looks to thwart Iranian efforts in the region, it needs to consider how to work with political actors like al-Sadr. About the Speaker: Caroline Hickey is a graduate student at IWP where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Statecraft and International Affairs. Her regional interest is in the Middle East and has focused her studies on Iraq and Afghanistan.
Full title: Avenging Angels: Russia’s Legacy of Female Terrorism in Revolution and the Chechen Conflict About the Lecture: Female-perpetrated terrorism is a compelling subject largely for the shocking dichotomy between traditional perceptions of femininity and brutal, premeditated violence. From the fiery revolutionaries of the 1800s to modern-day Chechen suicide bombers, Russia’s legacy of women’s involvement in terrorist activity is remarkable for its violence, fervor, and popular mythologization. This presentation will discuss what in Russia’s political history and society has encouraged such distinctive, violent female political actors by assessing the revolution’s “avenging angels” and modern “black widows” as part of the same legacy. It will also explore the personal, ideological, and cultural disparities between female terrorists in Russia’s revolutionary era and those in modern-day Chechnya. About the Speaker: Emily Miller is an international development professional with five years of experience in business development, communications, and program design/implementation. She graduates this semester with an M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from IWP, with a specialization in Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence. Her graduate research has focused on pre-Soviet and Soviet Russia, the influence of non-state actors on international security, and the intersection of policymaking and ideology.
About the book review: In certain ways China has moved off its Maoist model. But Maoism has had strong and unexpected roles in the violent underground in many places outside China. The best known cases may be the revolutionary wars of the latter 20th c. in Malaya, Vietnam, and Cambodia. But other contests by ideological Maoists opened up in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and even the western hemisphere's Peru. What is Maoism's appeal to foreigners? To what degree has it been exportable? In this new podcast, Professor Christopher C. Harmon will offer his insights into "Maoism Overseas" and discuss the admirable new book on the topic by Julia Lovell. About the Speaker: Dr. Harmon holds the Bren Chair of Great Power Competition at Marine Corps University and is also a professor at IWP, where he teaches courses on Military Strategy and Terrorist Advocacy and Propaganda.
About the lecture: Ethan S. Burger will share his views of the most surprising feature of the long-awaited unclassified version of the National Intelligence Council’s Intelligence Community Assessment “Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Election,” March 10, 2021, principally that is it contained few if any surprises. Perhaps its discussion of China and Iran influence campaigns are noteworthy — the former country did not “take sides” in the presidential contest and the latter engaged in an effort targeting individual voters. To date, no one has systematically examined what if any impact foreign influence campaigns have there been on the 2020 Congressional elections. Compared with its efforts in 2016, Russia’s actions seemed not to affect the election outcome in the form of influencing opinions or suppressing turnout. In a sense, this reflects that its objective of sowing further discord within American society has achieved a level of success previously not anticipated. Nonetheless, at least throughout the summer, the Russian leadership seems to believe that Mr. Trump would be re-elected. Shortly before being fired by President Donald Trump after the election, Christopher Krebs, the Department of Homeland Security Director saw that his agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, had achieved its goal of ensuring “the most secure [presidential election] in American history.” Indeed “t]here is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” Mr. Burger will seek to put China’s, Iran’s, and Russia’s efforts into a historical context, where their objectives are similar to those of many countries’ attempts to sway voters in foreign countries to place into power a “friendly government,” albeit with less sophisticated tools. In the future, the principal cybersecurity threats are likely to be attacks on infrastructure, governmental institutions, and financial crimes. About the Speaker: Ethan S. Burger, Esq., is a Washington-based international legal consultant and an cyber instructor with IWP's Cyber Intelligence Initiative, where he teaches a seminar about the international law governing cyber operations. His lectures at the IWP have included: The Application of International Law to Cyber Operations, Better Understanding Russian Use of Mercenaries to Advance Foreign Policy Goals, and Contextualizing Russian Interference in the 2016 UK Brexit Referendum and the U.S. Presidential Election. His areas of interests include corporate governance, transnational crime (corruption, cybercrime, and money laundering), and Russian affairs. After working as an attorney on Russian commercial, investment, and risk issues, he segued into academic, and advisory roles. He has taught at Vilnius University about cybersecurity issues while on a Fulbright Foundation grant during which time he participated in the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence’s, a seminar on the international law governing cyber operations. He was a full-time faculty member at the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (American University — School of International Service) and the Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention (Wollongong University — Faculty of Law).He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
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