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Title: China's Belt and Road Initiative: A Story of Assessment and Strategic Adaptation This lecture is a part of The Institute of World Politics' China in the World: 21st Century Challenges series. This event is co-sponsored by The Institute of World Politics, the National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Movement for the Renaissance of Vietnam. About the Lecture: About the Lecture: Almost six years after its launch, the Belt and Road Initiative, labelled by Xi Jinping as the "Project of the Century," seems to have reached its culminating point of success. A mounting wave of resistance against the BRI can be felt both within and outside of China. Are these signs that the BRI is grinding to a halt? How is the Chinese leadership reacting to the gathering headwinds facing BRI? What does BRI tell us about the Chinese leadership's capacity to assess, adjust, and adapt? About the Speaker: About the Speaker: Nadège Rolland is Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs, at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), based in Seattle and Washington, D.C. Her research focuses mainly on China's foreign and defense policy and the changes in regional dynamics across Eurasia resulting from the rise of China. Drawing on her 20 years of experience as a French government official, she also examines the prospects for Transatlantic cooperation in research and policy related to Asia. She is the author of China's Eurasian Century? Political and Strategic Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative, published in 2017.
Title: Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism About the Book: Socialism was man's most ambitious attempt to supplant religion with a doctrine claiming to ground itself in “science.” Each failure to create societies of abundance or give birth to “the New Man” inspired more searching for the path to the promised land: revolution, communes, social democracy, communism, fascism, Arab socialism, African socialism. None worked, and some exacted a staggering human toll. Then, after two centuries of wishful thinking and bitter disappointment, socialism imploded in a fin de siècle drama of falling walls and collapsing regimes. It was an astonishing denouement but what followed was no less astonishing. After the hiatus of a couple of decades, new voices were raised, as if innocent of all that had come before, proposing to try it all over again. About the Author: Dr. Joshua Muravchik is a Distinguished Fellow at the World Affairs Institute. His most recent book is Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism (2019). He is the author of ten previous books and more than 400 articles on politics and international affairs, contributing to, among others, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs,Foreign Policy, the New York Times Magazine, and Commentary. Muravchik, who received his Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University, is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute for World Politics. He serves on the editorial boards of World Affairs, Journal of Democracy, and the Journal of International Security Affairs. He formerly served as a member of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion; the Commission on Broadcasting to the People’s Republic of China; and the Maryland Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Title: New Dynamics of Energy Security; US sanctions on Iran & Venezuela, Shale boom & OPEC About the Lecture: In this lecture Dr. Vakhshouri will discuss the new trends and development in the energy industry and their impacts on global energy security. The key issues that will be discussed are: - US Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela - Shale oil and gas productions and changes in the energy trade flow - OPEC, Saudi Arabia and Russia About the Speaker: Dr. Sara Vakhshouri is Founder and President of SVB Energy International, a strategic energy consulting firm with offices in Washington DC and Dubai. Dr. Vakhshouri has two decades of experience of working in the energy industry with an extensive experience in global energy market studies, energy security and geopolitical risk, and has consulted numerous public and private sector energy and policy leaders. Dr. Vakhshouri has been based in Washington DC since 2009 where she has advised US and European governments, investment banks, financial institutions, law firms and international corporations on energy markets, trading and pricing, the geopolitics of energy, and investment patterns. She has published articles in numerous journals including The Economist, Middle East Economic Survey, and Oil and Gas Journal. Dr. Vakhshouri has been keynote speakers at many energy conferences including Chatham House, Platts Oil and Middle East conferences, LNG Global Congress and other international oil, gas and energy conferences. She is frequently quoted and has appeared on Bloomberg, the BBC, The Financial Times, Reuters, Platts, The Financial Post, The Wall Street Journal, Energy Intelligence, and Voice of America. She is the author of The Marketing and Sale of Iranian Export Crude Oil since the Islamic Revolution and has contributed chapters in different books and energy reports including World Energy Outlook 2018, published by the International Energy Agency. She also regularly does briefings for various energy think tanks and agencies including the International Energy Administration (IEA). Dr. Vakhshouri has a PhD in energy security and Middle Eastern studies. She has an MA in business management (international marketing), and another MA in international relations. Dr. Vakhshouri was also Senior Energy Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Dr. Vakhshouri has also experience of working in both public and private sectors of the Iranian energy industry.
Title: America and Canada: The Statecraft of Two Nations This lecture is a part of The Institute of World Politics' Student Speaker Series. About the Lecture: This event will discuss the ideological differences between America and Canada and how those differences have morphed into the relationship seen today. The speaker will detail what those differences could mean for the future. About the Speaker:Originally from New Jersey, Cory Ott attended Stevenson University in Maryland to earn his Bachelors of Science in Psychology May of 2018. His undergraduate thesis focused morality, views on authority, and guilt experienced with whistleblowing. Mr. Ott is currently studying Statecraft and National Security Affairs at the Institute of World Politics with a focus on intelligence. His lecture is based on a paper he submitted for IWP’s course on International Relations and Statecraft.
About the Book: Blockchain 2035: The Digital DNA of Internet 3.0 is the first book ever written by a Blockchain founder and encapsulates nearly a decade of experience at the bleeding edge of the technology. It includes an introduction to the core components of the technology, and concludes with a predictive assessment of how Blockchain technology will likely be adopted as the world advances into a 21st century dominated by Artificial Intelligence, an Internet of Things, geopolitical competition, increasing income inequality, and sovereign debt crises. About the Authors: Jared C. Tate is the founder of DigiByte, the fastest, most decentralized, and most secure UTXO blockchain in existence today. Beyond cryptocurrency DigiByte is focused on the blockchain's many applications in furthering cybersecurity. DigiByte has pioneered several technical innovations including real-time difficulty adjustments, multi-algorithm mining, and Digi-ID, a decentralized cryptographic form of identity that serves as a more secure replacement for usernames and passwords. Today, code created by Jared and the DigiByte community has been adopted by dozens of other blockchains. Prior to DigiByte, Jared studied at the U.S. Military Academy, the University of Idaho, and Utah Valley University. Andrew D. Knapp is the CEO and founder of VESTi Inc. as well as the co-author of Blockchain 2035. In 2018, Andrew left federal service to lead VESTi, having built the core concepts involved over several years living in the DC metro area. He is a 2013 graduate of IWP (SIS).
Title: The Weaponization of Social Media This lecture is a part of The Institute of World Politics Capitol Hill Speaker Series. About the Lecture: Ethan Burger will examine the relevance of the Russian concepts ‘Hybrid War’ and ‘Cyberwarfare’ as applied to Russian intervention in the 2016 Brexit Referendum and U.S. Presidential Election. This lecture will focus on the similarity of Russia’s social media campaigns which used false information, fake news, and other content aimed at exploiting the fears and passions of the UK and U.S. electorates. The Kremlin did not rely on the use of social media alone to obtain favorable electoral outcomes. In both cases, Russian ties to supporters of Brexit and the Trump campaign remained largely unnoticed until after voting. Finally, Mr. Burger will explore some steps that might be taken to reduce the vulnerability of countries’ citizens to foreign manipulation. About the Speaker: Ethan S. Burger, Esq., is a Washington-based international legal consultant and educator, and he is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics. His areas of interest 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, research, and advisory roles. Mr. Burger has been a full-time faculty member at American University (School of International Law) and the University of Wollongong (Faculty of Law), and he has also been an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University Law Center, University of Baltimore, and Washington College of Law. Mr. Burger has lectured in Colombia, India, and Singapore, and he has taught on cyber issues at Vilnius University on a Fulbright Foundation grant. He holds an A.B. from Harvard University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Written by: Dr. Jolanta Mysiakowska-Muszyńska, Scholar of the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw Presented by: Maria Juczewska, Associate Director, Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies Full Title: Between Politics and Social Work: A Study of Women's Activities within the Ranks of the Polish National Movement (1919–1939) About the Lecture: This lecture is a part of The Ninth Annual Lady Blanka Rosential Kosciuszko Chair Spring Symposium that was held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at The Institute of World Politics. About the Author: Dr. Jolanta Mysiakowska-Muszyńska is a graduate of Warsaw University and The Institute of Polish History of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. She works as a scholar for the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw and as a deputy editor-in-chief of the semi-annual Glaukopis dealing in history and social issues. She is an author of several books and has published numerous articles in the field of history in scholarly publications. Mrs. Muszyńska is an expert on Polish history, particularly the period between 1919–1939, with a special interest in women’s organizations, as well as the social and political thought of the Polish National Movement. She also conducts research on Polish-British relations in the interwar period.
Title: Boris Smyslovski: WWII, White Russian, Counterinsurgency and Counterintelligence About the Lecture: This lecture is a part of The Ninth Annual Lady Blanka Rosential Kosciuszko Chair Spring Symposium that was held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at The Institute of World Politics. About the Speaker: Dr. Sebastian Bojemski graduated from the Institute of History of Warsaw University and gained his doctoral degree at The Cardinal Wyszyński University in Warsaw. His main research interest is the history of underground organizations active during WWII within the area of the occupied Polish lands - mostly the Polish anti-Nazi, anti-Soviet underground. He authored Narodowe Siły Zbrojne w Powstaniu Warszawskim and Nim Hitler runie śmierć komunie (just published). Dr. Bojemski also has extensive experience in strategic communication and marketing. For over 15 years he had owned a Warsaw-based communication firm and in 2018-2019 was an executive director for marketing at PKN Orlen – the largest oil company in Central Europe.
Full Title: For the Entente's Cause in Tsarist Uniforms: Polish Military Formations in Tsarist Russia During WWI (1914–1918) About the Lecture: This lecture was a part of The Ninth Annual Lady Blanka Rosential Kosciuszko Chair Spring Symposium held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at The Institute of World Politics. About the Speaker: Dr. Wojciech Jerzy Muszyński is a graduate of The Institute of History of Warsaw University and The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University of Warsaw. He works as a scholar for the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw and as the editor-in-chief of the semi-annual Glaukopis dealing in history and social issues. He authored books and published numerous articles in the field of history in the scholarly publications. Mr. Muszyńki specializes in the political history of Poland in the period 1900-1990. His topics of interest include Polish-Jewish relations, military history the social and political thought of the Polish National Movement.
About the Lecture: Over the past twenty years, the United States’ practice of wartime detention has received a great deal of criticism and controversy. Yet, detention is a lawful, humane, and important part of armed conflict. Having long ago moved beyond early errors in its detention policies and practices in its current conflicts, the United States should re-embrace the detention mission in operation and doctrine as a strategic part of its conflicts with al-Qa’ida and ISIS. About the Speaker: Ryan Vogel is an assistant professor of law and national security and the founding Director of the Center for National Security Studies at Utah Valley University. Before coming to UVU, Vogel served at the Pentagon as a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He began his career at the Pentagon through the presidential management fellowship program and was awarded the Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service in 2014. Vogel was the principal drafter of several key DoD doctrinal directives related to detention and detainee review processes. Vogel has taught international and national security law courses at American University, Brigham Young University Law School, and the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He completed an LLM in public international law, with a certificate in national security law, from the Georgetown University Law Center. He earned a J.D. and an M.A. in international affairs from American University and graduated from Utah Valley University with a B.S. in Integrated Studies.
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