The Institute of World Politics

Michael A. Walsh, former associate editor of TIME magazine, gave a lecture about his book, "The Devil's Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West " at The Institute of World Politics.

About the book: In the aftermath of World War II, America stood alone as the world's premier military power. Yet its martial confidence contrasted vividly with its sense of cultural inferiority. Still looking to a defeated and dispirited Europe for intellectual and artistic guidance, burgeoning trans-national elite in New York and Washington embraced not only the war's refugees, but many of their ideas as well, and nothing has proven more pernicious than those of the Frankfurt School and its reactionary philosophy of "critical theory." At once overly intellectualized and emotionally juvenile, Critical Theory - like Pandora's Box - released a horde of demons into the American psyche. When everything could be questioned, nothing could be real, and the muscular, confident empiricism that had just won the war gave way, in less than a generation, to a central-European nihilism celebrated on college campuses across the United States. Seizing the high ground of academe and the arts, the New Nihilists set about dissolving the bedrock of the country, from patriotism to marriage to the family to military service; they have sown (as Cardinal Bergoglio - now Pope Francis - once wrote of the Devil) "destruction, division, hatred, and calumny" - and all disguised as the search for truth. In The Devil's Pleasure Palace we will look at the ways Critical Theory took root in America and, once established and gestated, has affected nearly every aspect of American life and society - and what can be done to stop it.

About the author: Michael Walsh, a former associate editor of TIME magazine, is the author of six novels and six works of nonfiction, as well as a columnist for the New York Post and a contributor to National Review and PJ Media. He was a winner of the 2004 American Book Awards for his novel, And All the Saints.

Libby Liu, the President of Radio Free Asia, gave a talk on the mission of RFA as part of a series of lectures with Women Executives in National Security at The Institute of World Politics.

Libby Liu, the President of Radio Free Asia, gave a talk on the mission of RFA as part of a series of lectures with Women Executives in National Security at The Institute of World Politics.

Libby Liu, the President of Radio Free Asia, gave a talk on the mission of RFA as part of a series of lectures with Women Executives in National Security at The Institute of World Politics.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl discussed "Implementing Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: Lessons from Village Stability Operations and Afghan Local Police (VSO/ALP)" at The Institute of World Politics on December 10, 2015.

In 2010, towards the end of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, US Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their international partners experimented with a new way of implementing counterinsurgency, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP). VSO/ALP is based on a "bottom-up" rather than "top-down" approach that focused on soldiers interacting with local Afghan populations, supporting traditional local tribal governance, and training local security forces. In this discussion, Dr. Lofdahl reviews lessons which can be drawn from the VSO/ALP experience in Afghanistan.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl is a Senior Scientist at Charles River Analytics where he uses computer-based modeling, simulation, and data analysis techniques to address hard problems for DARPA, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies. He lived at the US special operations command in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 where he worked as a quantitative analyst for the Commander’s Issues Group (CIG). Dr. Lofdahl hold degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and international relations from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Brown University, and MIT.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl discussed "Implementing Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: Lessons from Village Stability Operations and Afghan Local Police (VSO/ALP)" at The Institute of World Politics on December 10, 2015.

In 2010, towards the end of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, US Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their international partners experimented with a new way of implementing counterinsurgency, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP). VSO/ALP is based on a "bottom-up" rather than "top-down" approach that focused on soldiers interacting with local Afghan populations, supporting traditional local tribal governance, and training local security forces. In this discussion, Dr. Lofdahl reviews lessons which can be drawn from the VSO/ALP experience in Afghanistan.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl is a Senior Scientist at Charles River Analytics where he uses computer-based modeling, simulation, and data analysis techniques to address hard problems for DARPA, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies. He lived at the US special operations command in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 where he worked as a quantitative analyst for the Commander’s Issues Group (CIG). Dr. Lofdahl hold degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and international relations from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Brown University, and MIT.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl discussed "Implementing Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: Lessons from Village Stability Operations and Afghan Local Police (VSO/ALP)" at The Institute of World Politics on December 10, 2015.

In 2010, towards the end of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, US Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their international partners experimented with a new way of implementing counterinsurgency, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP). VSO/ALP is based on a "bottom-up" rather than "top-down" approach that focused on soldiers interacting with local Afghan populations, supporting traditional local tribal governance, and training local security forces. In this discussion, Dr. Lofdahl reviews lessons which can be drawn from the VSO/ALP experience in Afghanistan.

Dr. Corey Lofdahl is a Senior Scientist at Charles River Analytics where he uses computer-based modeling, simulation, and data analysis techniques to address hard problems for DARPA, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies. He lived at the US special operations command in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 where he worked as a quantitative analyst for the Commander’s Issues Group (CIG). Dr. Lofdahl hold degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and international relations from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Brown University, and MIT.

This lecture on "Order from Chaos: The Future of Land Warfare" with Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, took place on November 17, 2015 at The Institute of World Politics

What happens if we bet too heavily on unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and special operations in our defense? In his new book, The Future of Land Warfare (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Michael O’Hanlon offers an analysis of the future of the world’s ground forces. Dr. O’Hanlon considers a number of illustrative scenarios in which large conventional forces may be necessary, and he asks hard and challenging questions about which situations might require significant numbers of American boots in the future. This talk is the first event of the IWP Global Impact Discussion Series.

Dr. Michael E. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow and co-director with the Centre for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, and director of research for the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S defense strategy, the use of military force and American foreign policy.

To learn more about IWP's Master's degree and Certificate programs, please visit www.iwp.edu.

This lecture on "Order from Chaos: The Future of Land Warfare" with Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, took place on November 17, 2015 at The Institute of World Politics

What happens if we bet too heavily on unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and special operations in our defense? In his new book, The Future of Land Warfare (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Michael O’Hanlon offers an analysis of the future of the world’s ground forces. Dr. O’Hanlon considers a number of illustrative scenarios in which large conventional forces may be necessary, and he asks hard and challenging questions about which situations might require significant numbers of American boots in the future. This talk is the first event of the IWP Global Impact Discussion Series.

Dr. Michael E. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow and co-director with the Centre for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, and director of research for the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S defense strategy, the use of military force and American foreign policy.

To learn more about IWP's Master's degree and Certificate programs, please visit www.iwp.edu.

This lecture on "Order from Chaos: The Future of Land Warfare" with Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, took place on November 17, 2015 at The Institute of World Politics

What happens if we bet too heavily on unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and special operations in our defense? In his new book, The Future of Land Warfare (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Michael O’Hanlon offers an analysis of the future of the world’s ground forces. Dr. O’Hanlon considers a number of illustrative scenarios in which large conventional forces may be necessary, and he asks hard and challenging questions about which situations might require significant numbers of American boots in the future. This talk is the first event of the IWP Global Impact Discussion Series.

Dr. Michael E. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow and co-director with the Centre for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, and director of research for the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S defense strategy, the use of military force and American foreign policy.

To learn more about IWP's Master's degree and Certificate programs, please visit www.iwp.edu.