Welcome to Issue #2 of our WACMB brief-newsletter with selected content from the many sources regarding world affairs. There are various formats in the below events; enjoy their messages which will contribute to understanding these issues. Best Wishes for a healthy and happy Holiday Season; next issue in January 2021.
- The Brookings Institution will host webinar on January 7th from 2-3:30pm EST/11am-12:30pm PT entitled “How artificial intelligence is transforming the United States and the world.” A panel of experts will discuss how AI is being deployed in areas such as finance, manufacturing, education, healthcare, and national defense, what risks are emerging, and how to mitigate those risks. Those who wish to attend can register on this webpage: https://www.brookings.edu/events/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-united-states-and-the-world/
- In this video by the Council on Foreign Relations, panelists discussed the history of emerging threats facing U.S. homeland security, particularly the rise of domestic terrorism and white supremacist extremism, and the framework that is necessary to address these issues. The video is available to watch here: https://www.cfr.org/event/homeland-security-emerging-threats-domestic-terrorism-and-white-supremacy
- Here’s a video lecture by one of our newer Board Members who gave a talk specifically for WACMB on a different topic a few months back. MIIS professor and CTEC expert Philipp Bleek, alongside MIIS alum Cyrus Jabbari, recently gave a lecture on acid terrorism that covers the history, ideological composition, and risk analysis of such attacks. You can access this video here: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/news/watch-professor-philipp-bleek-and-alum-cyrus-jabbari-0
- Recent WACA National Conference – “The United States Must Marshal the “Free World“” Alexander Vindman — Foreign Affairs, December 7, 2020. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Alexander Vindman recently spoke at WACA’s 2020 National Conference: New Frontiers in Diplomacy and National Security. You can watch his keynote discussion on our YouTube channel.
- Neo-primacy and the pitfalls of US strategy towards China by Joshua Shifrinson, Non-Resident Fellow, Washington Quarterly, 12/11/20. Over the last half decade, a bipartisan consensus has emerged in US foreign policy circles calling for sustained competition with China. The ostensible goals of this competition are to protect the extant international order, block Chinese regional hegemony, and defend American allies–all of which notionally require major changes in US grand strategy. READ HERE