The Institute of World Politics

Amb. Kristjan Prikk will discuss Estonia's views on the War in Ukraine and how the conflict is about much more than just Ukraine.

About Lecture:

- The tragedy unrolling in Ukraine right now is not a result of a temporary misunderstanding but rather of a long-term Russian strategic gamble

- The immediate impact of the war is mostly felt in Ukraine and in her neighboring countries but the consequences are considerably wider

- This is a European war. However, U.S. global vital interests are clearly in play more than in any recent conflict.

- The strategic objective and how to reach it.

About the Speaker: Amb. Kristjan Prikk has served as Estonia´s Ambassador to the United States since May 2021. This is his third diplomatic posting to Washington, DC.

Before assuming his current duties, Prikk served for nearly three years as the Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. In this role he was responsible for the management of the Ministry and for the coordination of activities of the agencies under the Ministry, including the Estonian Defense Forces, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Centre for Defense Investments.

Prior to becoming the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Prikk worked as Undersecretary for Defense Policy in the Ministry of Defense from July 2017 to August 2018. From 2015 to 2017 Mr. Prikk was the Director of National Security and the Defense Coordination Unit of the Estonian Government Office, coordinating the development and implementation of the whole-of-government interagency approach to national defense in Estonia and advising the Prime Minister on these issues. He also served as Deputy Director of the same office for two years prior to becoming the Director in 2015.

His previous Ministry of Defense assignments include serving as Defense Counsellor at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2010-2013) and as Director of International Cooperation Department in Tallinn (2007-2010).

Prior to joining the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Prikk worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on NATO issues mainly pertaining to its enlargement and its partnership with Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia in the Security Policy and Arms Control Bureau (2006-2007). Additionally, he has held assignments as a diplomat covering trade and economic issues at the Estonian Embassy in Washington (2002-2006) and as a foreign trade and World Trade Organization specialist at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Tallinn (1999-2002).

Mr. Prikk holds a Master’s degree from the Strategic Studies Program of the United States Army War College (2013) and a Bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Tartu, Estonia (2000).

In 2000-2001, Mr. Prikk performed his required military service in the Estonian Defense Forces, where he remains a reserve officer, and is also a member of Estonia’s voluntary defense organization Kaitseliit (Estonian Defense League). He has been decorated with the Order of the White Star (4th Class) by the President of the Republic of Estonia, the Cross of Merit (1st Class) of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, as well as other decorations from the Estonian Defense Forces, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, among others.

Mr. Prikk is married to Liis, with whom he has two daughters and a son.

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Dr. Christopher C. Harmon discusses "Maoist Revolutionary War Outside China," a topic on which he is offering a class at IWP (IWP 706, https://www.iwp.edu/courses/maoist-revolutionary-wars-outside-china/).

***This event is part of IWP's China Series, organized by the China/Asia Program.***

About the Lecture: The ideas of Mao tse Tung had a powerful impact—whatever one may think of their morals or their intellectual value. Maoism created the modern People's Republic of China and was then sent on outward marches to influence others around the world. The “export” of Maoist revolutionary warfare began by 1950, was refreshed with the 1965 pamphlet of Defense Minister Lin Biao “Long Live the Victory of People’s War,” and has recently been re-examined by scholar Julia Lovell’s 2019 volume Maoism: A Global History.

Dr. Harmon is lecturing on Wednesday, May 17th about this phenomenon, bringing forward examples of Maoist revolutions in Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Peru. The lecture draws upon the substance of his new syllabus at the Institute of World Politics, a course on the theory and practice of Maoism, to commence this summer (2nd term; July-August).

About the Speaker: Christopher C. Harmon directed “Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism” at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, a program detailed in Jane’s Intelligence Review (“Regional Teamwork,” September, 2018). Dr. Harmon lectured on Maoist revolutionary warfare for many years at the staff college for Majors at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, where he later held three academic chairs. He has published on the Peruvian Maoists of “Shining Path” in the journal Small Wars and Insurgencies. Harmon’s eighth book--Warfare in Peacetime, is forthcoming this spring.

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Dr. William Inboden discusses President Reagan's strategy and approach to defeating the Soviet Union towards the end of the Cold War.

About the Lecture: With decades of hindsight, the peaceful end of the Cold War seems a foregone conclusion. But in the early 1980s, most experts believed the Soviet Union was strong, stable, and would last into the next century. Ronald Reagan entered the White House with a different view. Rather than seeing the Soviet Union as a rival superpower to be contained, Reagan viewed Soviet Communism as a vile idea to be defeated. Accordingly, he developed a comprehensive strategy designed to deter Soviet strengths, exploit Soviet weaknesses, and bring Soviet communism to a negotiated surrender.

About the Speakers: Dr. William Inboden is Executive Director and William Powers, Jr. Chair at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin. He also serves as Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review. Inboden’s other roles include Associate with the National Intelligence Council, Member of the CIA Director’s Historical Advisory Panel, and member of the State Department’s Historical Advisory Council. Previously he served as Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council at the White House, at the Department of State as a Member of the Policy Planning Staff, as a staff member for Representative Tom DeLay and Senator Sam Nunn, and as a Civitas Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and his commentary has appeared in numerous outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Review, NPR, CNN, and BBC. Inboden is the author or co-editor of four books. His most recent book is The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink (Dutton, a Penguin Random House imprint 2023). Inboden received his Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in history from Yale University and his A.B. in history from Stanford University.

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After being formally inducted as the third President of The Institute of World Politics, Ambassador Aldona Woś gave remarks to the Class of 2023, highlighting IWP’s mission and the graduates’ critical role in making the world better, safer, and more harmonious. Ambassador Woś also called the graduates to stand together to defend the values of freedom and democracy.

This event took place on May 13, 2023 at the Fairmont.

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Chen Guangcheng, Chinese human rights activist and Distinguished Fellow at the Catholic University of America, gave the keynote address at IWP's Presidential Investiture and Commencement for the Class of 2023.

Mr. Chen was honored by IWP for his moral courage in the face of totalitarian coercion and received a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, from the Institute. In his remarks, Mr. Chen discussed how he resisted the Chinese Communist Party and encouraged our graduates to stand firm in their values even when those in power attempted to suppress them.

This event took place on May 13, 2023 at the Fairmont.

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Kevin Phelan was recognized as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2023, and Gillian Hand was recognized as the Salutatorian.

IWP's Presidential Investiture and Commencement Ceremony took place on May 13, 2023 at the Fairmont in Washington, D.C.

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Panelists discuss issues concerning global energy security and Canada's role in supplying an alternative solution. This lecture took place at The Institute of World Politics on April 17, 2023.

Speakers:

Mr. James Rajotte

Alberta’s Senior Representative to the United States

Mr. Craig Weichel

Counsellor and Program Manager for Energy and Environment at the Embassy of Canada

Dr. Sara Vakhshouri

Founder and President of SVB Energy International; Adjunct Professor of Energy Security at The Institute of World Politics

About the Lecture:

Topics discussed throughout the panel will include: (1)Russia’s war, the current global energy crisis and the need for alternative energy sources. Can Canada be a new energy partner for Europe?; (2) Canada’s “responsible” energy production strategy; (3) Energy transition and the need for reliable, sustainable and responsible resources. Where does Canada stand during this?; and (4) The importance of the U.S.- Canada energy partnership in the context of the long-term energy integrity and security of the two countries and North America in general transitions.

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Dr. James S. Robbins, IWP Dean of Academics, gave a lecture on "The Myths and Realities of the 1968 Tet Offensive" at IWP's campus in Reston, VA on April 13, 2023.

This lecture is part of the Asia Initiative Lecture Series, organized by IWP's China/Asia Program.

About the Lecture:

Most of what Americans have heard about the Tet Offensive is wrong. That the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces were handily defeated was considered immaterial by the press; that it could mount attacks at all was deemed a military triumph for the Communists. This persistent view of Tet is a defeatist storyline that continues to inspire America’s foreign enemies and its domestic critics of the use of force abroad.

James S. Robbins provides an antidote to the flawed Tet mythology still shaping the perceptions of American military conflicts against unconventional enemies and haunting our troops in combat. In his re-examination of the Tet Offensive, Robbins analyzes the Tet battles and their impact through the themes of terrorism, war crimes, intelligence failure, troop surges, leadership breakdown, and media bias. The result is an explosion of the conventional wisdom about this infamous incident, one that offers real lessons for today’s unconventional wars. Without a clear understanding of these lessons, we will find ourselves refighting the Tet Offensive again and again.

About the Speaker:

Dr. James S. Robbins is a national security columnist for USA Today and Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council.

Dr. Robbins is a former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and in 2007 was awarded the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award. He is also the former award-winning Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at The Washington Times. His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and other publications. He appears regularly on national and international television and radio.

Dr. Robbins holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and has taught at the National Defense University and Marine Corps University, among other schools. His research interests include terrorism and national security strategy, political theory and military history.

Dr. Robbins is the author of five books, including The Real Custer: From Boy General to Tragic Hero, This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive, and the critically acclaimed Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point.

Purchase Dr. Robbins' book, "This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive": https://www.amazon.com/This-Time-Win-Revisiting-Offensive/dp/1594036381

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Event recorded live at IWP, DC, on February 16, 2023.

This lecture is part of the Asia Initiative Lecture Series.

About the Lecture:

The North Korean regime’s increasing rate and diversity of missile launches shows that Pyongyang is making significant progress toward implementing a more capable and flexible nuclear strategy, including pre-emptive strikes with strategic, tactical, and battlefield nuclear weapons.

North Korea’s exponential increase in missile launches, combined with extensive military exercises and provocations close to the inter-Korean border, have increased regional tensions and risk triggering a military crisis that would involve the United States and its allies.

Pyongyang continues to reject all attempts by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan for diplomatic dialogue. Washington and its allies must respond resolutely to the growing North Korean threat while simultaneously seeking ways to reduce the potential for stumbling into war.

About the Speaker:

Mr. Bruce Klingner specializes in Korean and Japanese affairs as the senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center.

Klingner’s analysis and writing about North Korea, South Korea, and Japan, as well as related issues, are informed by his 20 years of service at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Klingner, who joined Heritage in 2007, has testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

He is a frequent commentator in U.S. and foreign media. His articles and commentary have appeared in major American and foreign publications and he is a regular guest on broadcast and cable news outlets. He is a regular contributor to the international and security sections of The Daily Signal.

From 1996 to 2001, Klingner was CIA’s deputy division chief for Korea, responsible for the analysis of political, military, economic, and leadership issues for the president of the United States and other senior U.S. policymakers. In 1993-1994, he was the chief of the CIA’s Korea branch, which analyzed military developments during a nuclear crisis with North Korea.

Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/

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Event recorded live at IWP, DC, on March 7, 2023.

About the Speaker

As the Ambassador of Belgium, Jean-Arthur Régibeau represents His Majesty the King of the Belgians and Belgium’s federal government in the United States of America and in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. He is responsible for the direction of the Embassy and its Consulates.

Ambassador Régibeau is both a Belgian and Swiss citizen, he studied law, international law, and International Relations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. In the ‘80s, he began his career in the banking world in New York, he also escorted groups of Belgian tourists visiting the United States. After a few years of working for private business and as a legal advisor, Jean-Arthur Régibeau joined the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998. He was the diplomatic advisor to the Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2002 and he went on to be First Secretary at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin. From 2003-2007, Mr. Régibeau returned to Brussels as Head of the Private Office of the Minister of Defense. In 2007, he was appointed Director-General in charge of Multilateral Organizations at the Foreign Ministry. In this capacity, he managed some aspects of the Belgian presidency of the European Union in 2010. He was also Deputy Commissioner for the commemoration of World War I. In 2016, he took up his role as Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan. Ambassador Régibeau has been a guest professor on European institutions, Europe, and Globalization at the University of Liège (Belgium).

Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/

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