Sound Discussion

Janine di Giovanni sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book "The Morning They Came For US: Dispatches From Syria," which explores the personal stories of those affected by the conflict in Syria.

George Magnus sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book, "Red Flags: Why Xi's China Is in Jeopardy," which explores the fate of China’s economic future.

Dr. Francis Fukuyama sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book: "Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment."

"The question before us is whether this populist upsurge is kind of a stock market correction, or whether it represents a bigger shift that will have a much longer term duration," says Fukuyama.

Professor Kevin Werbach sits down with Bruce McConnell to discuss the potential role of Blockchain as a foundation to an emerging “trust economy.”

“Trust is your willingness to work with someone, to engage in a business transaction with another party even though you are not absolutely 100 percent certain that they are going to follow through. And that really is the key question that blockchain addresses – how to produce that trust?”

Kevin Werbach is Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His most recent book is The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust.

Dr. Robert Kagan joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the perceived decline of the liberal world order, as established by the United States at the conclusion of the Second World War. Focusing on Dr. Kagan’s most recent book entitled: “The Jungle Grows Back: America and our Imperiled World,” the discussion addresses the potential consequences of America’s retreat from its global leadership role, and the ensuing challenges to global stability.

“We are the ones upholding the system,” says Kagan. “If we lose control and are unable to uphold the system, it’s not clear to me that we will be able to reestablish it. That’s why I don’t want to wait for the disaster to come - I want to prevent the disaster.”

Dr. Robert Kagan is an American historian and foreign policy expert. He is the senior fellow with the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and is a contributing columnist at the Washington Post.

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Michael Daniel, president of the Cyber Threat Alliance and former special assistant to the President and cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, on how governments and the private sector respond to cyber incidents and threats.

“There are some estimates that are showing that the level of criminal activity has reached the point where it actually outstrips the GDP of all but a few handful of the largest economics on the planet,” says Daniel. “That’s not really a tenable place for us to be… that’s actually becoming a threat to cyberspace and the utility of cyberspace, as well.”

Dr. Kori Schake joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the future of American diplomacy and policymaking and what it means for the West and the world. Key issues addressed include the rise of China and the resurrection of Russian power, the New National Security Strategy, the status of American exceptionalism and how the intersection of public and private sectors has blurred the lines in diplomacy.

Dr. William J. Parker III, former Chief Operating Officer of the EastWest Institute, sits down with Dr. Elizabeth C. Economy, C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss her third and latest book titled "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State."

Stephen Sestanovich joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the currently fragile state of U.S.-Russia relations, including an assessment of this year’s summit, a look at Russia’s domestic affairs and an exploration of areas where the two countries may find common ground in the future.

Sestanovich is the George F. Kennan senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis professor of international diplomacy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is the author of Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama, published by Knopf in February 2014.

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Latha Reddy, former deputy national security advisor of India, and Scott Charney, vice president for security policy at Microsoft, on the importance of introducing norms in cyberspace and the role of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) in building on this important initiative.

“Part of the goal of the commission [GCSC], and others working on norms…is how do you take what we’ve learned from the past and apply them to this new domain [cybersecurity], instead of just waiting for disaster to happen and then everyone saying ‘there should be a rule,'” stated Charney. “Maybe we know enough to start crafting some of those rules now.”

When asked about the objectives of the commission, Reddy said “For me, success would be if we could come out with five or six norms that make universal sense.” "There has been a lot of talk about whether the Internet is a global commons or not…I think this much is true: The Internet it is a public good, an international good…it has become a universal medium, so we have to find a universal way to regulate it.”

Latha Reddy has extensive experience in foreign policy and security, and has worked on strategic technology policies, particularly on cyber issues relating to cybersecurity policy, international cyber cooperation and Internet governance. She is currently a distinguished fellow at the EastWest Institute.

Scott Charney has received numerous awards during his career, including the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. He currently serves on the President’s National Security and Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).