The Institute of World Politics

This event is part of The Cyber Intelligence Initiative Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: A discussion of the challenges presented by the increasingly complex environment created when cyber, information, and intelligence operations overlap and collide. This presentation will explore case studies where the lines between various concepts become blurred, complicating the response and implications. Specifically, we will explore recent items of interest from the increasingly contentious relationship between the US, Russia, and China. How will leaders and managers operative effectively in this environment? What are the important aspects of decision-making in these situations? Why is it even important to get a handle on these dynamics? About the speaker: Jason Atwell is a Specialist Master and Manager with Deloitte’s Government and Public Sector Cyber Risk Advisory practice and an intelligence officer in the US Army Reserve. Over the last few years, he has served as a senior advisor to the CIOs of the US House of Representatives, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health helping to navigate the increasingly complex cyber threat environment. During his career he has been a key member of military and civilian staffs conducting civil-military operations in Baghdad, solving complex geospatial problems for the DIA, and working to counter foreign intelligence and influence operations at the US Department of State. He has lectured on Russian information operations at the National Defense University, Iranian use of social media as an enabler at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and cyber threats to supply chains at the Joint Counterintelligence Training Center. His education includes a Master’s degree in English Literature from American University and a fellowship in cyber leadership from Yale. He is also a graduate of both the US Army Intelligence School and John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and completed coursework at the National Intelligence University.

This event is part of the China Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Dr. Tara O will discuss China’s influence in South Korea, including its extensive Belt and Road Initiative and nearly 30 Chinatowns throughout the country. She will also discuss the implications for South Korean national security. About the speaker: Dr. Tara O is the founder of the East Asia Research Center. She has worked at the Pentagon and the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command as a U.S. Air Force officer focusing on East Asia issues. Her research areas include national security, alliance, human rights in North Korea, defectors, unification, and political and economic systems.

About the book: The dramatic, untold story of one of the CIA’s most successful Cold War intelligence operations. December, 1981—the CIA receives word that the Polish government has cut telephone communications with the West and closed the Polish border. The agency’s leaders quickly inform President Ronald Reagan, who is enjoying a serene weekend at Camp David. Within hours, Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski has appeared on Polish national television to announce the establishment of martial law. A new era in Cold War politics has begun: Washington and Moscow are on a collision course. In this gripping narrative history, Seth G. Jones reveals the little-known story of the CIA’s subsequent operations in Poland, which produced a landmark victory for democracy during the Cold War. While the Soviet-backed Polish government worked to crush a budding liberal opposition movement, the CIA began a sophisticated intelligence campaign, code-named QRHELPFUL, that supported dissident groups. The most powerful of these groups was Solidarity, a trade union that swelled to a membership of ten million and became one of the first legitimate anti-Communist opposition movements in Eastern Europe. With President Reagan’s support, the CIA provided money that helped Solidarity print newspapers, broadcast radio programs, and conduct a wide-ranging information warfare campaign against the Soviet-backed government. QRHELPFUL proved vital in establishing a free and democratic Poland. Long overlooked by CIA historians and Reagan biographers, the story of QRHELPFUL features an extraordinary cast of characters—including spymaster Bill Casey, CIA officer Richard Malzahn, Polish-speaking CIA case officer Celia Larkin, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, and Pope John Paul II. Based on in-depth interviews and recently declassified evidence, A Covert Action celebrates a decisive victory over tyranny for U.S. intelligence behind the Iron Curtain, one that prefigured the Soviet collapse. About the speaker: Seth G. Jones holds the Harold Brown Chair, is director of the Transnational Threats Project, and is a senior adviser to the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He teaches at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to joining CSIS, Dr. Jones was the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He also served as representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations. Before that, he was a plans officer and adviser to the commanding general, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan). In 2014, Dr. Jones served on a congressionally mandated panel that reviewed the FBI’s implementation of counterterrorism recommendations contained in the 9/11 Commission Report. Dr. Jones specializes in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, and covert action, including a focus on al Qaeda and ISIS. He is the author of A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland (W.W. Norton, 2018), Waging Insurgent Warfare (Oxford University Press, 2016), Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa’ida after 9/11 (W.W. Norton, 2012), and In the Graveyard of Empires: America’s War in Afghanistan (W.W. Norton, 2009). Dr. Jones has published articles in a range of journals, such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and International Security, as well as newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Dr. Jones is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

This event is part of The China Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Dr. Spalding will discuss the origins of the pandemic, implications for US-China economic and other relations, and the state of play in 5G. About the speaker: Dr. Rob Spalding is a national security policy strategist, and globally recognized for his knowledge of Chinese economic competition and influence, as well as for his ability to forecast global trends and develop innovative solutions. He has served in senior positions of strategy and diplomacy within the Defense and State Departments for more than 26 years, retiring as brigadier general. He was the chief architect for the Trump Administration’s widely praised National Security Strategy (NSS), and the Senior Director for Strategy to the President at the National Security Council. Dr. Spalding has written extensively on national security matters. His book, STEALTH WAR: HOW CHINA TOOK OVER WHILE AMERICA’S ELITE SLEPT (Portfolio; 2019) is an executive summary of his almost decade-long work countering Chinese Communist Party influence. It has been translated into additional languages. His academic papers and editorial work are frequently published and cited, both nationally and internationally. His Air Power Journal article on America’s Two Air Forces is frequently used in the West Point curriculum. He has been interviewed about the economy and national security on FOX News, BBC, OAN and CNBC, as well as numerous radio and YouTube channels, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Spalding is a skilled combat leader and a seasoned diplomat. Under Dr. Spalding’s leadership, the 509th Operations Group—the nation’s only B-2 Stealth Bomber unit—experienced unprecedented technological and operational advances. Dr. Spalding’s demonstrated acumen for solving complex technological issues to achieve operational success was demonstrated when he led a low-cost rapid-integration project for a secure global communications capability in the B-2, achieving tremendous results at almost no cost to the government. As commander, he led forces in the air and on the ground in Libya and Iraq. He is a former China strategist for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, as well as having served as the senior defense official and defense attaché in Beijing. During the UUV Incident of 2016, Dr. Spalding averted a diplomatic crisis by negotiating with the Chinese PLA for the return of the UUV, without the aid of a translator. Dr. Spalding’s relationship with business leaders, fostered during his time as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, allowed him to recommend pragmatic solutions to complex foreign policy and national security issues, now driving positive economic outcomes for the nation. Dr. Spalding’s groundbreaking work on competition in Secure 5G has reset the global environment for the next phase of the information age. Dr. Spalding is an Olmsted Scholar, a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C., as well as a Senior Associate Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society of London. He has lectured globally, including engagements at European Cybersec 2019, KAS-ASPI, the Naval War College, National Defense University, Air War College, Columbia University, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and other Professional Military Educational institutions. Dr. Spalding holds a doctorate in economics and mathematics from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He was a distinguished graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and speaks both Chinese Mandarin and Spanish

About the lecture: An ephemeral victory for Germany, the Treaty of Brest Litovsk was the first international conference ostensibly appealing to the ideal of national self-determination. It reduced Bolshevik-controlled Russia to the size of its medieval Muscovite predecessor; it also theoretically recognized Ukraine as an independent state, while vassalizing it in practice. The Treaty laid the ground for Germany's domination in the Intermarium. However, its promise soon dissipated as Berlin lost the war to Western Allies, the United States in particular. About the speaker: Dr. Chodakiewicz currently serves as a Professor of History at The Institute of World Politics, where he holds the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. He also leads IWP’s Center for Intermarium Studies. At IWP, Dr. Chodakiewicz teaches courses on Contemporary Politics and Diplomacy, Geography and Strategy, Mass Murder Prevention in Failed and Failing States, and Russian Politics and Foreign Policy. He was formerly an assistant professor of history of the Kosciuszko Chair in Polish Studies at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at University of Virginia. He also served as a visiting professor of history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

About the interview: Mr. Tobias Brandt, a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow at the Aspen Strategy Group and IWP alumnus, spoke with IWP about the importance of countering ideological support for terrorism; the narratives used by militant Islamists in their propaganda efforts; the best arguments we can make against terrorist propaganda; and why this topic is important today. About the speaker: Tobias Brandt is a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow at the Aspen Strategy Group, a policy program of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. He recently completed his Master’s Degree in Statecraft and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics, graduating as Salutatorian of the class of 2019. Throughout his studies, Mr. Brandt specialized in U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, terrorism, and the transatlantic relationship. In his final semester at IWP, he wrote an Honors Thesis on “Pushing Back Terrorist Propaganda and Countering Ideological Support for Militant Islamism.” Originally from Germany, Mr. Brandt received a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Hamburg, where his studies focused on al-Qaida’s propaganda strategy. Our conversation today deals with the topic of his Honors Thesis – counter-terrorist messaging strategy.

This event is part of The Cyber Intelligence Initiative Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: Dr. Hwang will introduce China’s cyber strategy and discuss how China views cyberspace as a battleground. He’ll then discuss Taiwan’s cybersecurity environment against attacks. About the speaker: Dr. Ji-Jen (Joseph) Hwang is a Research Scholar at the Institute for East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. Prior to that, he was a Professor & Program Director of the International Master Program in Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in R.O.C. Taiwan. Dr. Hwang has been a visiting fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. He also conducted an internship in the Library of Congress while doing his Master course. A native of Taiwan, he holds a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K., as well as a Masters in Library Science & Information Studies from the University of North Carolina. He has been working as a volunteer for a think tank based non-profit in the Washington D.C. area as a Deputy Managing Director since April 2018. Lately, his research is focused on the relations between the U.S., China, and Taiwan, in which he particularly focuses on social media and how its features in cyberspace have political impacts on the relations between the countries. He is an expert in the area and been invited as a special lecturer by CSIS, ASPI, NATO, GlobalSec, and INSS.

The Ninth Annual Ronald Reagan Intelligence Lecture About the lecture: Reagan’s efforts against the Cold War resulted in tremendous global change and the collapse of the Cold War Super Powers bi-polar power structure; including an intense paradigm shift and challenge for Indications & Warning (I&W) intelligence. Traditional Indications and Warning Intelligence – an exact and highly effective analytic method for the Cold War era and before – suddenly entered ‘identity crisis,’ as both the Intelligence Community and its policy-maker customer sought to identify the way forward for forecasting National Security threats in the changing world. Professor Almont will speak on the history, academic theory(ies), and methodological approach to managing the analysis and forecasting challenge of Non-Nation State, National Security Threat Violence in the changed world AFTER Reagan’s Cold War success. About the speaker: IWP Adjunct Professor, Darlene Almont, is a former U.S. Air Force Major with over 30 years of experience in the intelligence community. She is an Assistant Professor at the Director of National Intelligence (DNI)/Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) National Intelligence University (NIU), the U.S. government’s accredited master’s degree-granting institution; teaching Strategic Intelligence courses at the Top Secret level.

Focus: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, radical Islamism, and a global pandemic. Never has the United States faced so many external threats, each of which requires a full-range strategy – both hard and soft power- in order to preserve our freedom and prosperity while avoiding unnecessary armed conflict. At the same time, it is critical to build internal consensus based on our values and history. How can we ensure our military, State Department, Intelligence professionals, executive branch, and congressional leaders are prepared to deal with these complex challenges in the most prudent and effective manner? About the Panelists: Dr. John Lenczowski served in the State Department in the Bureau of European Affairs and as Special Advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs Lawrence Eagleburger from 1981 to 1983. From 1983 to 1987, he was the Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council. In that capacity, he was principal Soviet affairs adviser to President Reagan and one of the architects of the national strategy to bring down the Soviet empire. After teaching at Georgetown University, Dr. Lenczowski founded The Institute of World Politics, a non-profit graduate school of national security, intelligence, and international affairs in 1990 and currently serves as its President. He is the author of Full Spectrum Diplomacy and Grand Strategy. He has been consulting with the National Security Council, the State Department and the Defense Department on the China threat, U.S. strategy towards China, human rights, public diplomacy, and a general national security strategy of “winning without war.” Dr. Frank Marlo is Dean of Academics at The Institute of World Politics. He formerly served as a Professor of Strategic Studies at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He received his Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in May 2006. From January 2002 until January 2005, he served as Assistant for Counterproliferation Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. He is the author of Planning Reagan’s War: Conservative Strategists and America’s Cold War Victory Dr. David Glancy, currently a Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at IWP, formerly served as an Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked on education technology issues with National Intelligence University. Prior to joining NIU, Dr. Glancy served as an Assistant Professor (contractor) with the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) at National Defense University. Before being assigned to CISA, Dr. Glancy provided advice on strategic communications issues to a variety of government clients for Booz Allen Hamilton. Dr. David Glancy has also held positions at both the State Department and Defense Department. At the State Department, he served as a Senior Advisor for Political-Military Affairs and was responsible for handling a number of high-profile issues (coalition political-military efforts in Iraq, issues related to our global military posture, piracy off the coast of Somalia). At the Defense Department, Dr. Glancy was a policy analyst and advisor with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. During his time at the Pentagon, Dr. Glancy served as the Director of the Global War on Terrorism Communications Group and worked as a special assistant with the Eurasia policy office. About the Moderator: Mr. Michael C. Maibach is a seasoned professional in global business diplomacy, advisor to non-profits, supporter of civic causes. From 2003-2012 he was President & CEO of the European-American Business Council, a group of 75 multinational companies. From 1983 to 2001 Mr. Maibach was Vice President of Global Government Affairs for the Intel Corporation. Today he is a Distinguished Fellow at Save Our States, focused on defending the Founders’ Electoral College.

About the lecture: Thirty years ago last fall we celebrated the fall of the Berlin wall. Many thought this represented the end of history–capitalism had won and socialism had been swept into the dustbin. Today, we see that a growing segment of the American population favors “democratic socialism” and we see American members of Congress who proudly claim this ideology. We will discuss how we have gotten here and why Democratic Socialism can’t work both on economic grounds and moral grounds. About the speaker: Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and the academic director at The Fund for American Studies. Through this position, Dr. Bradley works to enhance the impact and reach of TFAS and FTE economic education programs through courses, seminars, videos and social media. She also delivers lectures around the country and oversees curriculum development and evaluation for economics courses. Previously, Dr. Bradley served as the vice president of economic initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, where she continues research toward a systematic biblical theology of economic freedom. In addition to her work with TFAS, she is a professor of economics at The Institute for World Politics and Grove City College. She is a visiting professor at George Mason University and has previously taught at Georgetown University and Charles University in Prague. She is currently an Acton Affiliate scholar and a visiting scholar at the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy. She is a lecturer for the Institute for Humane Studies and the Foundation for Economic Education. Dr. Bradley serves on the James Madison University Executive Advisory Board and is the President-Elect for the Society of the Development of Austrian Economics. She served as the associate director for the Program in Economics, Politics and the Law at the James M. Buchanan Center at George Mason University. Dr. Bradley’s academic work ranges on the question of income inequality and economic freedom as well as the political economy of terrorism, with specific emphasis on the industrial organization of al-Qaeda. Her academic research has been published in scholarly journals and edited volumes. She is currently working on a book that analyzes the Political Economy of Terrorism. Based on her academic research, she also worked as an economic analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Terrorism Analysis.

About the lecture: During World War I the idea of national self-determination came into its own. There were two principal proponents of this concept. First, Lenin advanced a theory of "proletarian" national self-determination to serve Communism; then, Wilson championed the liberal internationalist idea of national self-determination to support the cause of parliamentary democracy. Both ideas mattered in theory and practice because their advocates were winners; Wilson won World War I; and Lenin staged a successful Putzsch and prevailed in Russia's Civil War. The idea of national self-determination was a great gift to non-historical folk nationalist groups whose activists all clamored for their own states; and it became a bane of historic nations, and not only Great Powers. About the speaker: About the speaker: Dr. Chodakiewicz currently serves as a Professor of History at The Institute of World Politics, where he holds the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. He also leads IWP’s Center for Intermarium Studies. At IWP, Dr. Chodakiewicz teaches courses on Contemporary Politics and Diplomacy, Geography and Strategy, Mass Murder Prevention in Failed and Failing States, and Russian Politics and Foreign Policy. He was formerly an assistant professor of history of the Kosciuszko Chair in Polish Studies at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at University of Virginia. He also served as a visiting professor of history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

About the lecture: Mozambique is facing Islamic insurgency partly due to social, political, and economic factors. Instead of addressing these underlying issues of the conflict, the Mozambique government has exacerbated it by the heavy-handed security response. Has the government mishandled or miscalculated the threats posed by these Islamic insurgents groups in northern Mozambique? What role can the US policy play in aiding Mozambique so that this doesn’t spill over to other regions? About the moderator: Professor 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 Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan. Mr. Mekki volunteers with the IWP Center for Human Rights and International Affairs by providing Arabic translations & strategic cultural perspectives on North Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Mekki previously worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and served on the board of Voices of Sudan, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. 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 or 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. Dr. Gregory Alonso Pirio possesses extensive experience in conducting research on political, social and religious issues. He earned an M.A. in African Studies and a Ph.D. in African History from the University of California-Los Angeles and has published a number of academic articles dealing with Pan-Africanism and the Communist International. His dissertation focused on the political economy of Angola and Mozambique. As a consultant to The Strategic Trade Advisory Corporation, Dr. Pirio produced studies of the civil wars in West Africa and its impact on the politics and economy of the region. He recently completed a major study of radical Islamic groups in East Africa and the Horn of Africa for the U.S. military and is held in high regard as a Subject Matter Expert on African affairs. Dr. Pirio has occupied senior positions at the International Broadcasting Bureau/Voice of America. He was Chief of both the English-to-Africa and Portuguese-to-Africa Services for the VOA. In this capacity, he managed the coverage of international news and current affairs with a special emphasis on Africa, the Middle East, and South-Central Asia, and has traveled extensively to cover events and plan programming priorities. This experience afforded him the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of events in diverse geographic regions and enabled him to know personally many political actors especially on the African continent. Dr. Pirio has also spearheaded innovative media projects in diverse countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

This event is part of the China Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: The Chinese seek to supplant the US as the world’s top military and economic power. As Tom Reed noted in his book The Nuclear Express, China is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons technology—to Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Iraq. Its own nuclear arsenal is projected to double this decade according to DIA intelligence reports. China rejects even discussing arms control nor does it provide any information about its nuclear arsenal, although it does assert it has adopted a no first use nuclear policy. DIA also believes the PRC has recently tested nuclear weapons, contrary to China’s pledges under the NNPT and CBT. The presentation will explore these issues as well as the use of nuclear weapons—particularly the threat of their use—to contest the US and its allies in the Pacific. Especially ROK, ROC, and Japan. About the speaker: Mr. Peter Huessy is President of his own defense consulting firm, GeoStrategic Analysis, founded in 1981, and since 2016, Director of Strategic Deterrent Studies at the Mitchell Institute on Aerospace Studies. He was the senior defense consultant at the National Defense University Foundation for 22 years. He was the National Security Fellow at the AFPC, and Senior Defense Consultant at the Air Force Association from 2011 Mr. Huessy has served as an expert defense and national security analyst for over 45 years, helping his clients cover congressional activities while monitoring budget and policy developments on terrorism, counter-terrorism, immigration, state-sponsored terrorism, missile defense, weapons of mass destruction, especially US-Israeli joint defense efforts, nuclear deterrence, arms control, proliferation, as well as tactical and strategic air, airlift, space and nuclear matters and such state and non-state actors as North Korea, China, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda. This also includes monitoring activities of think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and other US government departments, as well as projecting future actions of Congress in this area. His specialty is developing and implementing public policy campaigns to secure support for important national security objectives. He is on the Board of the InSeries Theater in Washington; EMPACT, the organization devoted to protecting the US from EMP threats; and MTA, the Maryland Taxpayers Association. He authored legislation calling for the divestment of US pensions from any company doing business with Iran and testified before a number of state legislatures on this subject and on counter-terror policy, including whether or not drivers licenses should be made available to those illegally in the US. He is also a member of Secure American Energy, an organization devoted to breaking the back of OPEC and providing the US with American sources of energy. He has lectured around the world and across the USA on nuclear terrorism, nuclear deterrence, missile defense, homeland security, counter-terrorism policy, and strategic threats to the US and its allies including (1) leading a great power competition and nuclear workshop at the Louisiana Tech Research Institute in cooperation with USAF Global Strike Command, (2) speaking on China’s security threats to the US at the annual strategic conference in Omaha, Nebraska hosted by Strategic Command, (3) speaking annually at the Exchange Monitor Nuclear Summit, (4) lecturing at the Prague Security Institute in the Czech Republic, (5) teaching at Yonsei University in Seoul, ROK, (6) speaking to the Israeli MOD missile defense experts, (7) reviewing terrorist threats to the US for the California Public Policy Foundation, and (8) annually being a guest lecturer at the Naval Academy on the subject of the history of American nuclear deterrent policy.

This event is part of The Global Impact Discussion Series sponsored by The Institute of World Politics. About the lecture: How might the coronavirus pandemic influence U.S.-China relations? Some observers contend that it will accelerate the decoupling of the two countries’ economies; others, that it will compel them to restore a baseline of cooperation to address current and potential transnational threats; and yet others, that it will likely have a number of effects, not all of which will point in the same direction. And how might the pandemic affect global perceptions of each country’s ability to manage domestic crises and its willingness to provide global public goods? Some observers contend that China has “won” on those counts, at least relative to the United States; others, that it has “lost”; and yet others, that it is too early to render such judgments. About the speaker: Mr. Ali Wyne is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He is currently writing a book on great-power competition.

About the lecture: The presentation will explore the history of baseball diplomacy between the United States and Cuba, specifically focusing on the Trump administration’s nullification of the 2018 Major League Baseball-Cuban Baseball Federation player agreement. About the speaker: Nathaniel Bader is an IWP student pursuing a master’s degree in Statecraft and National Security Affairs with a concentration in Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence. Nathaniel graduated summa cum laude from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, with degrees in history and nonprofit administration. While at Dakota Wesleyan, Nathaniel was named the Senator George McGovern Scholar, served as parliamentarian for the Student Senate, led the McGovern Engagement Group for Political Activism, and spent time in Uganda working on long-term economic development projects in two rural villages. Nathaniel has interned with Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Nathaniel currently works at the American Political Science Association. Nathaniel grew up in South Dakota, and, in his free time, he enjoys watching sports, traveling, playing bar trivia, and watching science fiction films.