The Institute of World Politics

By The Institute of World PoliticsEducation

The Institute of World Politics episodes

March 03, 2023 Lessons Learned From the Russo-Ukraine War and How They Can be Applied to a U.S. China Conflict
*This lecture is part of the Student Speaker Series*
About the Lecture
As Russia and Ukraine clash for the survival of their civilizations there are many lessons that can be learned from this war. These lessons should be studied if the United States desires an advantage against the rising threat of China. The areas covered in this presentation will include the will to fight and the how to fight. In these sections there are many factors that could hinder the United States should a conflict erupt with China Finally, several possible solutions to the dilemmas that are before the United States will be discussed.
About the Speaker
Mr. Robert T. Roseberry holds a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Intelligence and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Psychology and is completing his Master of Strategic Intelligence Studies from IWP. He has studied Eastern European history and its’ political workings since he was a teenager. As a native Ukrainian he has followed the developments of the war between Ukraine and Russia and has formulated theory that could be useful should China assume a more aggressive posture that would quickly escalate. Robert currently lives in South Carolina and enjoys traveling and a good Irish whiskey.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
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59 min
March 03, 2023 From General to Statesman: President Ulysses S. Grant, Military Realism & Foreign Policy
*This event is presented in partnership with Baylor University*
About the Lecture
Is American politics and foreign policy being militarized? Is the health of American civil-military relations being compromised? With former military officers occupying traditionally civilian political positions and retired officers stepping into the partisan political fray, these dangers cannot be dismissed out of hand. One danger, some argue, is an increased chance of war because the military mind is too focused on using force to solve problems. Others see the military mind as inherently parochial, always seeking more resources, prestige, and autonomy for its organization, even at the expense of sound strategy and foreign policy. To understand the full implications of increased military influence in American politics, strategy, and foreign policy, we need a more complete picture of the military mindset. Peter Campbell argues that this can be accomplished by using the theory of Military Realism to identify some of the underappreciated tendencies of the military mind. When considering the use of force, the military realist focuses on the interactive nature of violence, the ever-present frictions in war, and the uncertainty generated by the use of force for political ends. Campbell argues that President Ulysses S. Grant’s approach to foreign policy was informed by a Military Realist perspective. At times, Grant’s military realism and political inexperience were a liability in foreign policy. Overall, however, Grant’s military realist outlook tempered calls for the use of force in foreign policy during his administration. Along the way, Campbell shows that Grant was a preeminent strategic thinker and that unique aspects of his character also shaped his leadership and foreign policy. When we appreciate the military realist perspective, we can better assess the potential implications of military influence on American politics, strategy, and foreign policy in the future.
About the Speaker
Dr. Peter Campbell is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Baylor University. He holds an M.A. in war studies from King’s College London and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Military Realism: The Logic and Limits of Force and Innovation in the U.S. Army (University of Missouri Press, 2019). His areas of research include national security decision-making, civil-military relations, strategy, international relations scholarship and policy relevance, insurgency and counterinsurgency, the just war tradition, and cyber warfare.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
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52 min
March 03, 2023 The Coming Hypersonic Revolution and its Impact on International Security - with Bill Brunner
About the Speaker
Mr. Bill Bruner is the co-founder and CEO of New Frontier Aerospace, a technology development company in Seattle, Washington. NFA is developing a range of applied technologies for the aviation, space, and energy markets – to include a renewably fueled, vertical takeoff & landing hypersonic aircraft that will deliver passengers and cargo anywhere on Earth in less than two hours.
From 2007 to 2009, Bill was the Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA) at NASA. Under Bill’s leadership, the 30-person OLIA team directed all of NASA’s relations with the U.S. Congress, governors, state legislators and local governments.
Prior to joining NASA, Bill had a distinguished career as an aviator in the United States Air Force, from which he retired as Colonel. Among his decorations is the Bronze Star, awarded for service in the First Gulf War. He then served in several key positions in Washington — among them as a space and airpower expert on the staff of the Secretary of the Air Force; as a Military Fellow in the Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and as an Office Director within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he won the Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul H. Nitze Award for Excellence in International Security Affairs.
Bill is a graduate of the National War College, the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, and the Air Force’s School of Advanced Air and Space Power Studies — where his thesis topic was “National Security Implications of Inexpensive Space Access.” He has earned master’s degrees, with distinction, in National Security Strategy and Airpower Arts and Sciences. His bachelor’s degree in Physical Science (Astronomy) is from San Francisco State University.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
44 min
March 03, 2023 Pursuing Justice Worldwide - with Amb. Morse H. Tan
About the Speaker
Ambassador Morse H. Tan served as the first Asian-American Ambassador at Large in U.S. history. A unique position in world history, Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice Tan pursued preventative, mitigating and accountability-seeking justice throughout the world for mass atrocity crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The top policy position in the entire U.S. government in this area, Ambassador Tan advanced this mission in places such as Rwanda, Kosovo, Syria, Burma, China, Iraq, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Nagorno-Karabakh, North Korea, Sudan, Lebanon, and El Salvador.
The foremost legal scholar on North Korea, Ambassador Tan published “North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises” (Routledge) and more law review articles on this subject than any other scholar. Named “Korean-American of the Year” and an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, he has participated in a range of media engagements, such as the National Law Journal and United Press International (UPI). His speaking invitations include Cornell Law School, the Tiffany Memorial Lecture and the National Press Club.
Ambassador Tan has worked in legal academia for close to two decades. His journey in legal academia began as a founding faculty member at the first American Juris Doctor program in Asia, Handong International Law School. Ambassador Tan has served as a visiting scholar at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and the University of Texas Law School, and Professor of Law at Northern Illinois University College of Law, and he currently serves as Dean at Liberty University School of Law.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
1 hr 1 min
January 27, 2023 U.S. Cold War Strategy against China
(NOTE: The main mic feed was lost at 44:00. We apologize for the change in sound quality.)
This lecture is part of the China Lecture Series and was recorded live on January 25, 2023 at the Reston Campus of The Institute of World Politics.
About the Speaker
Dr. John Lenczowski is the Founder, President Emeritus, and Chancellor of The Institute of World Politics, an independent graduate school of national security, intelligence, and international affairs in Washington, D.C. IWP is dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of American founding principles and the Western moral tradition. Offering a doctoral program, seven Master’s degrees, and eighteen certificate programs, IWP is the only academic institution dedicated to teaching all the arts of statecraft, including: military strategy, the art of diplomacy; public diplomacy, opinion formation, political warfare; intelligence, counterintelligence, economic strategy, and moral leadership, and how these arts are integrated into national strategy.
From 1981 to 1983, Dr. Lenczowski served in the State Department in the Bureau of European Affairs and as Special Advisor to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Lawrence Eagleburger. From 1983 to 1987, he was Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council. In that capacity, he was the principal Soviet affairs adviser to President Reagan.
He has been associated with several academic and research institutions in the Washington area, including Georgetown University, the University of Maryland, the American Enterprise Institute, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Council for Inter-American Security, and the International Freedom Foundation. He has also served on the staff of Congressman James Courter.
Dr. Lenczowski attended the Thacher School, earned his B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
He is the author of Soviet Perceptions of U.S. Foreign Policy (1982); The Sources of Soviet Perestroika (1990), Cultural Diplomacy: A Multi-faceted Strategic Asset of Soviet Power (1991); Full-Spectrum Diplomacy and Grand Strategy (2011) and numerous other writings and addresses on U.S. foreign policy, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, counter-propaganda, political warfare, Soviet/Russian affairs, comparative ideologies, intelligence, strategic deception, counterintelligence, and integrated strategy.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/Web…31090&id=18
1 hr 14 min
January 25, 2023 Thinking about Ukraine: Four Options -- Dr. Henry Nau
About the Lecture
America can escape “forever” wars, but it cannot escape “forever” debates about American foreign policy. The debate today about Ukraine reflects four time-tested ways of thinking about America’s role in the world. Nationalists urge America to stay out of Ukraine and conflicts in general outside the western hemisphere. Realists, now called Restrainers, envision a “frozen conflict” or status quo outcome that splits the difference between western and Russian/ Chinese interests in Ukraine and Taiwan. Liberal internationalists appeal to diplomacy and the Minsk process to reach a cease fire, demilitarization and gradual settlement of disputes through peaceful processes and institutions. Finally, conservative internationalists address the conflict in ideological terms, authoritarian versus democratic governments, and insist that freedom “wins” in Ukraine and Taiwan through a Cold War process of balancing power and eventual negotiations that tilt toward freedom.
About the Speaker
Henry R. Nau is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. He holds a B.S. degree in Economics, Politics and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He taught at Williams College (1971-73) and George Washington University (1973-2019) and as visiting professor at Columbia University, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins SAIS.
His books include Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and Reagan (Princeton 2013, paperback with new preface 2015); The Myth of America’s Decline (Oxford 1990, paperback with new preface 1991); At Home Abroad (Cornell 2002); and Perspectives on International Relations (Sage 2021, 7th edition 2021). His latest articles include “Why Reagan Matters,” The National Review, July 10, 2022; “Why Nation-Building is Inevitable,” Providence, August 31, 2021; and “What Trump Gets Right about U.S. Foreign Policy,” The National Interest, April 30, 2020.
From January 1981 to July 1983, he served on President Reagan’s National Security Council as senior staff member and White House sherpa for the Annual G-7 Economic Summits at Ottawa (1981), Versailles (1982), Williamsburg (1983) and a special summit with developing countries at Cancun, Mexico (1982). Dr. Nau also served, in 1975-1977, as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Department of State and, from 1963-65, as Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
From 1989-2016 he directed the U.S.-Japan-South Korea Legislative Exchange Program bringing together semiannually legislators from the U.S. Congress, Japanese Diet and South Korean National Assembly, the only forum for regular off the record political discussions among these three major Asia allies. In recognition of this Program, the Japanese Government awarded Professor Nau The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, presented by the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States, Kenichiro Sasae, at the Japanese Embassy, September 29, 2016.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/Web…31090&id=18
1 hr
January 25, 2023 Foreign Leaders Analysis: A Profile of Xi Jinping with Dr. Enrico Suardi (’19)
About the Lecture
This is a segue of my overview of the involvement of the behavioral sciences in US national security. The premise of this series is that the human factor is the basis of crises and the source of solutions.
International politics at the highest levels is to an extent personal. The assessment of foreign leaders has been part of the original mission of the U.S. Intelligence Community since teams led by William Langer and Henry Murray were tasked with profiling Adolph Hitler. With his intellectually influential work in government and academia, Jerrold Post later developed the multidisciplinary psycho-biographical method. Current approaches include psycho-biographies as well as computer-based systems built on empirical research, the studies of Alexander George on operational codes, and Margaret Hermann’s Leader Trait Assessment content-analytic technique.
I will review how the IC has assessed foreign leaders since WWII and I will present a profile of the Chinese Communist Party’s General Secretary Xi Jinping. I will highlight how Xi Jinping’s personal history of trauma and growth aligns with China’s historical narrative of order and chaos. I will discuss strategic empathy as a tool of statecraft and full-spectrum diplomacy. A conversation may follow about the strengths, weaknesses, and influence of leadership analysis in U.S. national security and foreign policy-making.
About the Speaker
Dr. Enrico Suardi (IWP Class of 2019, Executive MA in National Security Affairs) is director of psychiatry at Saint Elizabeths Hospital and director of forensic services at the Ross Center in Washington, D.C. A diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, on faculty at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Georgetown University and George Washington University, he has served as chief child and family psychiatrist at the U.S. State Department. Dr. Suardi studied political psychology with Jerrold Post. He completed his M.D. and a residency in preventive medicine in Milan, Italy and obtained an MSc in Public Health and Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
1 hr 6 min
December 02, 2022 China Is Preparing for War, America Is Not with Mr. Gordon G. Chang
This lecture is a part of the Annual Pearl Harbor Day Lecture Series and is presented in collaboration with IWP's China/Asia Program.
Recorded live on November 29, 2022 at The Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C..
About the Lecture
Xi Jinping is not only implementing the fastest military buildup since the Second World War, but he is also mobilizing the Chinese people for war. He has just created a new war cabinet. He talks about war all the time. The American political and military establishments, however, are not taking Xi seriously, and in Washington, there is an evident lack of sense of urgency. This mismatch will have severe consequences.
About the Speaker
Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Great U.S.-China Tech War and Losing South Korea, booklets released by Encounter Books. His previous books are Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World and The Coming Collapse of China, both from Random House.
Chang lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for almost two decades, most recently in Shanghai, as Counsel to the American law firm Paul Weiss and earlier in Hong Kong as Partner in the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. His writings on China and North Korea have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, The American Conservative, Commentary, National Review, Barron’s, and The Daily Beast. He is a columnist at Newsweek and writes regularly for The Hill.
He has spoken at Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and other universities and at The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, RAND, the American Enterprise Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other institutions. He has given briefings at the National Intelligence Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, and the Pentagon. He has also spoken before industry and investor groups including Bloomberg, Sanford Bernstein, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia. Chang has appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Chang has appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, the BBC, and Bloomberg Television. He is a regular co-host and guest on The John Batchelor Show. Outside the United States, he has spoken in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, The Hague, London, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver. He served two terms as a trustee of Cornell University.
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
1 hr 21 min
November 15, 2022 Modern Applications of Xenophon’s Persian Expedition
This event is part of the Student Speaker Lecture Series and was recorded live at The Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. on November 14, 2022.
About the Lecture
Navigating terrain is difficult. Navigating terrain in an unknown land, without a local guide, surrounded by hostile parties, in an arid climate, and dangerously low on supplies makes the journey significantly more perilous. However, the trek throughout these lands and the skills – both brain and brawn – needed to safely traverse a course back home requires unparalleled knowledge in how to adapt to and strategize for the usage of the geography around oneself. Utilizing the account of Xenophon’s, and his fellow Greek mercenaries’, trials throughout Anatolia and Mesopotamia at the turn of the 5th century B.C.E. helps illustrate the critical importance of geography. This talk looks at providing an analysis for an ancient account of strategy in unfamiliar territories to highlight those principles that transcend time and should be considered even in contemporary operations.
About the Speaker
Sean Honesty is an M.A. candidate in the Statecraft and National Security Affairs program with a concentration in Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence. His primary interest of study centers around Mediterranean geopolitics, particularly concerning the cross-cultural challenges facing Europe and MENA, and their effects on U.S. national security considerations for the
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
44 min
November 09, 2022 PRC Cyberattacks on Taiwan: What the U.S. Should Learn from Them
This lecture was recorded live on November 7, 2022 at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C..
About the Lecture
Information warfare is an essential part of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) defense doctrine. The PRC uses cyber to carry out information operations. Washington should analyze the PRC’s cyber attacks on Taiwan to understand its cyber capabilities and intentions against the United States. This presentation will analyze the PRC’s 2020 attack on Taiwan’s telecom and gas sector, its 2021 attack on Taiwan’s financial sector, and its disinformation operations regarding COVID-19. These attacks reveal that the PRC is likely to attack the United States’ critical infrastructure sector as a way to halt vital services and psychologically degrade the American public’s trust in the government. Additionally, the PRC’s attacks on Taiwan reveal that the PRC is successful at attacking adversaries on the narrative battlefield by using social media.
Today, the United States is not prepared to successfully counter or prevent such attacks. This presentation will explain the four actions the United States needs to perform to curb PRC cyber attacks and information operations in the cyber domain: encourage the private sector to develop a robust cybersecurity system through incentive mechanisms, use the principle of reciprocity for actions the government will take against the PRC if cyber attacked, pursue long-term offensive cyber measures such as network reconnaissance against the PRC, and educate the public on PRC disinformation capabilities through a nationwide public affairs campaign.
About the Speaker
Gillian Hand is a current graduate student at The Institute of World Politics and is set to graduate in December of 2022 with a Masters in Statecraft and National Security Affairs. She is currently working as an analyst at Rockwood Company where she helps government clients work through complex problems to achieve mission success. She has extensive experience in research and analysis through completing several national security research projects for high-ranking government officials. Her areas of expertise include emerging threats and China studies. At IWP, she has focused heavily on understanding how to properly implement the tools of statecraft and create an integrated strategy. Gillian has spent substantial time studying abroad in China to improve her Mandarin skills. She earned her B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. She is also a National Military Foundation Scholar (2021) and Association of Former Intelligence Officers Scholar (2021).
Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18
39 min

About The Institute of World Politics

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The Institute of World Politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of the principles of the American political economy and the Western moral tradition.