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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 sponsored by The Global Impact Discussion: US-East Asia Lecture Series. About the book: When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea following his father’s death in 2011, predictions about his imminent fall were rife. North Korea was isolated, poor, unable to feed its people, and clinging to its nuclear program for legitimacy. Surely this twentysomething with a bizarre haircut and no leadership experience would soon be usurped by his elders. Instead, the opposite happened. Now in his midthirties, Kim Jong Un has solidified his grip on his country and brought the United States and the region to the brink of war. Still, we know so little about him—or how he rules. Enter former CIA analyst Jung Pak, whose brilliant Brookings Institution essay “The Education of Kim Jong Un” cemented her status as the go-to authority on the calculating young leader. From the beginning of Kim’s reign, Pak has been at the forefront of shaping U.S. policy on North Korea and providing strategic assessments for leadership at the highest levels in the government. Now, in this masterly book, she traces and explains Kim’s ascent on the world stage, from his brutal power-consolidating purges to his abrupt pivot toward diplomatic engagement that led to his historic—and still poorly understood—summits with President Trump. She also sheds light on how a top intelligence analyst assesses thorny national security problems: avoiding biases, questioning assumptions, and identifying risks as well as opportunities. In piecing together Kim’s wholly unique life, Pak argues that his personality, perceptions, and preferences are underestimated by Washington policy wonks, who assume he sees the world as they do. As the North Korean nuclear threat grows, Becoming Kim Jong Un gives readers the first authoritative, behind-the-scenes look at Kim’s character and motivations, creating an insightful biography of the enigmatic man who could rule the hermit kingdom for decades—and has already left an indelible imprint on world history. About the speaker: Dr. Jung H. Pak is a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at the Brookings Institution. Prior to Brookings, she held senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she led the U.S. Intelligence Community’s strategic analysis of North Korea as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer. Dr. Pak is the author of Becoming Kim Jong Un (April 2020), which traces and explains Kim’s ascent to the world stage and draws from her deep knowledge and experience as an intelligence officer. Dr. Pak is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colgate University, where she served as a trustee from 2009-2015. She received her PhD in United States history from Columbia University and studied in South Korea as a Fulbright scholar.
About the lecture: The lecture focuses on the human atrocities prevalent in North Korea. It begins with a review of how the world has dealt with post-WWII human rights violations through institutional mechanisms such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (together known as the International Bill of Human Rights). It will then shift to discuss how the Kim regimes have successfully flew under the radar despite perpetrating some of the worst cases of human rights violations. The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report identified the situation as amounting to ‘crimes against humanity’. The COI report concluded that the violations unparalleled in breadth, atrocity, and seriousness provided a lawful foundation to prosecute violators, including the Kim leadership. To date, unfortunately, the recommendations have not yet been followed up. The lecture will examine the breadth of the problems at hand and why the peninsular and regional political dynamics have prevented progress. About the speaker: Jung-Hoon Lee is Dean and Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University. He is formerly ROK government’s Ambassador for Human Rights as well as its inaugural Ambassador-at-Large for North Korean Human Rights.
Full Title: Deal of the Decade: How the United States Should Handle Afghanistan in the Era of the Taliban Peace Talks About the Lecture: This presentation will start on a brief history of the Taliban, focusing on a post 9/11 world. It will highlight the current Afghanistan environment and the actors involved in the peace talks: the US, the Taliban, and the Afghani Government. The presentation will also cover future possibilities of US-Afghan relations, the different scenarios that may pan out depending on how the Afghani Government and Taliban peace talks go, and the potential ways the US could counter the Taliban now that US troops are leaving Afghanistan, and in so doing strengthening Afghanistan infrastructure. About the Speaker: Caroline Hickey is from Massachusetts and graduated in 2018 from Knox College in Illinois, where she self-designed her major in Middle Eastern & North African Studies. Caroline is continuing her education at IWP where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Statecraft and International Affairs and continuing her interest in the Middle East by focusing on Iraq and Afghanistan as well as learning Arabic.
About the Lecture: This seminar aims to expound on the impact of globalization on US public diplomacy, emphasizing Sports, Entertainment, and Culture. These three mediums, combined with the popularity of social media, continue to spread all American ideals across the globe, opening needed conversations and policies on how best the US can maximize its perception and influence as it continues to safeguard its national interests. About the Speaker: Ms. Gor is a student at The Institute of World Politics, pursuing her M.A in Statecraft and International Affairs; formerly part of the directing team that led the inaugural Global Wellness Day- Kenya 2019 celebrations.
About the Lecture: The strategic initiative of China’s leadership to harness an unprecedented influx of wealth from the West to re-establish historical land and sea trade routes is a bold and ambitious effort to cement China’s burgeoning position as the center of global trade in its increasingly unveiled quest for global hegemony which, if successful, will invariably lead it on a collision course with US National Security priorities. About the Speaker: Jared K. Martin is an IWP graduate with an M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs with a research background in the impact of China’s rapidly expanding role in global affairs on US national security priorities.
About the lecture: There are opportunities and challenges in Angola and Mozambique to reform the electoral processes. What role can the local stakeholders and USG play to pave the way for a more transparent electoral process? About the coordinator and moderator: Prof. Hashem Mekki, MA, has taught Arabic Language, Culture & Middle East Media at IWP since 2012. He is the owner of Bridge Language Solutions, providing an array of language translation, interpretation and teaching services to the Washington DC metropolitan area, and the founder of Kele Global, a nonprofit organization that promotes education, health, and economic empowerment in the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan. He also teaches Arabic language to federal employees & professionals at the National Nuclear Security Administration at the Department of Energy. Mr. Mekki volunteers with the IWP Center for Human Rights and International Affairs by providing Arabic translations & strategic cultural perspectives on North Africa and Middle East. He holds Bachelors degrees in both Political Science and International Studies from the City College of New York, and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies and International Politics from IWP. About the panelist: Martina Perino is the Program Manager for the Great Lakes and Southern Africa at the International Republican Institute. Originally from Mozambique and Italy, she has 10 years of democracy and governance experience in Mozambique, DR Congo, Zambia, and Kosovo. In Zambia, she was the Governance and Social sectors Program Manager at the European Union Delegation. There Ms. Perino designed and managed the electoral support project, an Access to Justice project and worked closely with local CSOs and other donors for human rights issues and local governance. In 2017 she joined USAID/Kosovo as the Democracy and Governance Strategic Planning Specialist where, among other tasks, she designed several projects including a local governance and conflict mitigation project, PVE project, media strengthening project, political party and legislative strengthening. Ms. Perino has been an election observer in Mozambique, DR Congo, Zambia, Kosovo, and Albania. Ms. Perino holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and a Master’s in International Development. Florindo Chivucute is the founder and Executive Director of Friends of Angola (FoA), and Radio Angola (an online radio station), activist, blogger and digital media specialist. Florindo earned his Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and has over 5 years of experience working in non-profit organizations, international development, international relations, peacebuilding, and education while being active in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in the United States. Since founding Friends of Angola in April 2014, he has led the design and implementation of four projects in Angola: Radio Angola (an online radio station hosted by Florindo); Strengthening Nonviolent Civic Engagement Among the Youth; Strengthening Democracy in Angola Through Community Journalism; Zuela Application – a pro-democracy and social networking smartphone app focused on fostering good governance, eradicating corruption, monitoring elections and human right violations and more. All projects were envisioned as part of a larger theory of change (ToC) to strengthen the capacity of civil society, empower women and youth while promoting nonviolent civic engagement by using new and existing technologies in Angola and the South-Western African Region. These projects were funded by The National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
About the interview: Dr. John Tierney, IWP professor, spoke with IWP about world order. He discussed the the history of polarity, U.S. interest in world order, and what the future could hold in this regard. About the speaker: Dr. John Tierney is a Professor Emeritus at The Institute of World Politics and teaches History of American Foreign Policy, History of International Relations, Peace, Strategy and Conflict Resolution, and U.S. Foreign Policy: Current and Future Challenges. Dr. Tierney is a Former Special Assistant and Foreign Affairs Officer for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (1981-1993); He formerly participated in various national security negotiations for the U.S. Government. He was Executive Director of the Congressional Caucus on National Defense and the National Security Research Group, U.S. House of Representatives. He is former Chairman of the Politics Department at Catholic University and former Professor of International Relations at University of Virginia and The Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Chasing Ghosts and The Politics of Peace.
About the book: The book compiles for the first time corroborative primary sources in English, Russian, French, German, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. The result is the most comprehensive list of Soviet intelligence officer defectors to date. Through the eyes of those officers, it shows the fluctuations in the Soviet recruitment and vetting of personnel for sensitive national security positions, corresponding with fluctuations in the stability of the Soviet government. It also shows the evolution of Soviet threat perceptions and the development of the “main enemy” concept in the Soviet national security system. About the Speaker: Dr. Kevin P. Riehle is an associate professor at the National Intelligence University. He has spent over 28 years in the U.S. government as a counterintelligence analyst studying foreign intelligence services. He received a Ph.D. in War Studies from King’s College London, an MS in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and a BA in Russian and Political Science from Brigham Young University. He has written on a variety of intelligence and counterintelligence topics, focusing on the history of Soviet and Eastern Bloc intelligence services.
This event is part of the Student Speaker Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: The classical definition of acting is ‘living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’ Contrary to the common perception that acting is ‘pretending,’ the working process of actors (as well as of directors and writers) is an exploratory journey to revealing the truth of every moment, the sum of which must build a narrative that connects to and transforms the audience. This webinar lecture will highlight several functional aspects of an actor’s craft that are also pertinent to the national security practitioner and policymaker: training to truly listen, attaching action to words, using the ‘what if’ to create and to foresee possible scenarios, choreographing the sequence of actions and meanings to achieve a scenario objective with maximum impact, and more. It is the hope of the presenter that some of these elements of an actor’s craft can add value to the existing toolbox of the national security professionals who aim to ‘live and operate truthfully under real circumstances’ in which they deal with real domestic and international ‘actors.’ More importantly, the lecture will discuss the critical element achieved through the study of acting without which all pursuits are bound to be less than fully effective: knowing oneself. About the speaker: Sebastian is currently Creative & Executive Director of Dacian Wolf Productions, a stage and film development, and production company, where he actively writes, directs, and produces. A former Lecturing Professor of Acting and Movement at Pace University, NYC, he holds a BFA in Dance & Theater, an MBA in Accounting, a Certificate of Completion of the Two-Year Professional Acting Program at the William Esper Studio, NYC, and a candidate for the MA in Statecraft and National Security Affairs at IWP. Since arriving in the United States from his native Bucharest, Romania in 1982, Sebastian has toured with the internationally acclaimed Pilobolus Dance Theatre and has taught movement, acting, and choreography workshops in Romania, Russia, Korea, Japan, Italy, Chile, Argentina, as well as at many US universities. His current interests revolve around projects dealing with disinformation and narrative warfare. For more information, please visit www.sebastiantudores.com
This event is part of the Winning without War series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Despite suffering repeated setbacks in recent years, Islamic extremism or more specifically, totalitarian Islamism, and the terrorism it spawns, remains a major threat to the United States and its allies. While there will always be a need for the selective use of military power to counter this threat, effectively addressing it requires non-military tools of statecraft. This webinar will discuss how the United States and its international partners can better use these tools to win the fight against terrorism without over-reliance on combat operations About the speakers: Dr. Christopher C. Harmon has been publishing terrorism studies for over 35 years. His works include two editions of the graduate-level text Terrorism Today (2000; 2007) essays on counterterrorism in the geopolitics journal Orbis, and a volume on terrorist propaganda for The Brookings Institution (2018). Dr. Harmon has lectured in some 15 countries and has taught at The Institute of World Politics and other graduate schools, civilian and military. He holds a Bren Chair at Marine Corps University and the Marine Corps University Foundation. Dr. Douglas E. Streusand is a Professor of International Relations at the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College and Adjunct Professor at The Institute of World Politics. Educated as an Islamic historian, he has pursued a broad range of teaching and research interests, historical and contemporary He has written two books, The Formation of the Mughal Empire and Islamic Gunpowder Empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals and edited a third, The Grand Strategy that Won the Cold War: Architecture of Triumph and numerous articles and book chapters.
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