Podcasts about Albright Stonebridge Group

Chinese leaders believe overcapacity across industries including automotive is a cyclical problem that fresh growth will solve. Foreign investors with experience in the PRC see things differently. To them, overcapacity is a direct result of China's planned economy. Not only does massive overcapacity spark price wars inside China, it also threatens to spur an avalanche of exports into markets worldwide, undermining industries and killing jobs. Joerg Wuttke led the China operations of BASF, the German chemical giant for 27 years. Mr Wuttke  knows China like few people on the planet. In the summer of 2024, he became a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group based in Washington DC. Mr Wuttke is considered one of the world's leading experts on Europe-China trade and investments. Today, we talk about what Mr Wuttke calls China's "breaking point" when it comes to overcapacity. How soon will it arrive? What will it look like?

Dette er andre episode i spesialserien om det amerikanske presidentvalget. Marius Brun Haugen, investeringsstrateg Lars-Erik Aas og tidligere diplomat Kåre Aas har reist med Utbytte-podden til Washington, D.C. for å prøve å få en enda bedre forståelse for hvor den amerikanske økonomien er på vei de kommende årene.I denne episoden møter de Erik Brattberg fra Albright Stonebridge Group. Erik har god innsikt i den amerikanske valgkampen og lang erfaring med geopolitikk.Episoden ble spilt inn i Washington, D.C. søndag 3. november 2024.Produsent: Kim-André Farago, DNB Wealth Management Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 356 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Paul Triolo, Senior Vice President for China and Technology Policy Lead at Albright Stonebridge Group, where he advises clients in technology, financial services, and other sectors as they navigate complex political and regulatory matters around the world. This episode was inspired by an article Paul recently published for American Affairs titled “A New Era for the Chinese Semiconductor Industry.” In it, he examines how semiconductor export controls levied by the US Commerce Department have been received in Beijing and how China's domestic semiconductor ecosystem has responded. Paul and Demetri spend the first hour of the episode assessing the state of the Biden administration's strategic competition with China in the area of semiconductors. Specifically, they ask (1) what are the administration's goals, (2) are those goals clear to Western companies that have depended on selling into the Chinese market for a large share of their revenues, (3) and is the administration itself clear on what it wants to accomplish with these efforts? In the second hour, they examine the fallout from the 2022 and 2023 semiconductor export controls, including some of the unintended consequences that could adversely impact major players in the Western semiconductor ecosystem over the long term. They discuss the Chips Act and whether more needs to be done to support America's domestic semiconductor industry. They also do a deep dive into China's response to these measures, including a new top-down approach to industrial policy and fully supporting open-sourced hardware architectures as a way to protect their companies from further restrictions. Lastly, they examine China's success in electric vehicles and whether this is a harbinger of what could happen in other sectors if American policymakers are not careful. You can subscribe to our premium content and access our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. For a 50% discount to American Affairs, use the code “HIDDENFORCES24” during checkout. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces, you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe and Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 03/05//2024

Anand Shah is a Partner at The Asia Group, which he joined in 2022 as part of the firm's acquisition of Dhamiri, a venture that he founded to help corporations align their core businesses with public good in critical international markets. He previously led the development of strategic initiatives as Senior Vice President of Indian ride-hailing giant Ola and has also worked at the Albright Stonebridge Group, BMW AG, and Audi AG. He spent 15 years living in India, where he founded Sarvajal, a technology and market-based provider of clean water to rural villages and urban settlements, and helped establish Ahmedabad University. He was also the Founding CEO of the Piramal Foundation, a Co-Founder of Teach for India, and the Founder of Indicorps, a pioneering public service program.

Anand Shah is a Partner at The Asia Group, which he joined in 2022 as part of the firm's acquisition of Dhamiri, a venture that he founded to help corporations align their core businesses with public good in critical international markets. He previously led the development of strategic initiatives as Senior Vice President of Indian ride-hailing giant Ola. He has also worked at the Albright Stonebridge Group, BMW AG, and Audi AG. He spent 15 years living in India, where he founded Sarvajal, a technology and market-based provider of clean water to rural villages and urban settlements, and helped establish Ahmedabad University. He was also the Founding CEO of the Piramal Foundation, a Co-Founder of Teach for India, and the Founder of Indicorps, a pioneering public service program.

‘Tech companies are the primary architects of digital space where it is not just a question about rules of data flowing, it is about engineering decisions that affect the way people act.' In this episode of the podcast, Manas Chawla speaks to the Vice President for Europe & Eurasia and Technology Policy at Albright Stonebridge Group Kevin Allison about the collision between geopolitics and technology as governments focus their attention on the rapidly developing technology sector and increasingly seek to weaponise critical mineral and semiconductor supply chains. They also discuss the influence that tech companies have as geopolitical actors and the pressure they are under as governments seek to dominate the technology space. Kevin Allison is Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group which is a global strategy and commercial diplomacy firm helping clients to navigate the intersection of public, private, and social sectors in international markets. Prior to joining Albright Stonebridge Group, he served as Director and Deputy Head of the Eurasia Group's Geo-Technology practice. Kevin began his career in journalism working firstly for The Financial Times and then for Reuters having completed his MPP at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

João Taborda da Gama, Lisboa 1977.Licenciado em Direito (2000) e Mestre (2004) pela Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa, foi visiting researcher na NYU (2010) e na Georgetown University (2013).É assistente da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, onde coordena a Pós-graduação em Fiscalidade e é doutorando em Direito Fiscal. Árbitro do Centro de Arbitragem Administrativa e advogado, foi consultor do Presidente da República entre 2011 e 2013 e Secretário de Estado da Administração Local em 2015. Foi membro do Conselho Superior dos Tribunais Administrativos e Fiscais (2017-2021). É membro do Practice Council do International Tax Program da New York University, senior advisor do Albright Stonebridge Group e sócio fundador da Gama Glória Advogados. Trabalha desde 2014 na área do direito das substâncias controladas e políticas de drogas com pacientes, empresas, governos e ONG's, em Portugal e no estrangeiro. Publicou em 2022 “Regular e Proteger – por uma nova política de drogas” e em 2023, “Direito Psicadélico”.Tem vários artigos publicados em revistas científicas portuguesas e estrangeiras. É coautor de “Manual de Direito Fiscal Angolano” (2010), com o Professor Saldanha Sanches, com quem colaborou profissional e academicamente entre 2003 e 2010. Links: https://www.gamagloria.com/ https://fd.lisboa.ucp.pt/pt-pt/pessoa/joao-taborda-da-gama https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/joao-taborda-da-gama/ https://www.ensino.eu/multimedia/podcasts/joao-taborda-da-gama/ https://www.capeladorato.org/2015/12/13/joao-taborda-da-gama-conversa-sobre-deus/ https://www.dn.pt/opiniao/opiniao-dn/joao-taborda-da-gama/a-hora-da-canabis-medicinal-quinhentos-anos-depois-8974635.html Episódio gravado a 14.02.2023 http://www.appleton.pt Mecenas Appleton:HCI / Colecção Maria eArmando Cabral /A2P Apoio:Câmara Municipal de Lisboa

In this special series, host Sarah Howard takes the Track Two Podcast on the road doing interviews with leaders from various industries about this fast-growing term: ESG. Continuing the series from Davos, this time Sarah is on the ground in Egypt at COP27. In this episode, Sarah sits down with Melissa Kopolow, the VP of Sustainability at The Albright Stonebridge Group. Building on the conversations from Davos, Melissa brings a rich perspective on the similarities and differences between the established framework of the SDGs and the emerging framework of ESG. Set in the context of the annual UN Climate Summit, this conversation looks at the need for ESG to be more than a framework on climate and how philanthropy has the chance to lead on climate solutions if willing to take more bold action. 

In August, the Biden administration finally passed a semiconductor subsidy bill. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 achieved rare bipartisan support and promises funding of more than $200 billion over the next five years with the goal of re-establishing the U.S. as a global center of semiconductor manufacturing. To understand the bill and its impact, this week on China Corner Office, Chris Marquis discusses the CHIPS Act with Rory Murphy, Vice President of Government Affairs at the U.S.-China Business Council; and Paul Triolo, Senior VP for China and Technology Policy Lead for Albright Stonebridge Group. Highlights of the show include a general overview and the history of the CHIPS Act, the political significance to U.S.-China relations, and challenges in industrial policy and export controls. Also discussed is how Taiwan has been and will be in the spotlight of the global supply chain with U.S. and China competing in the semiconductor industry. They concluded with an emphasis on the need for U.S. and Chinese companies to adapt to the new rules and regulations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As eleições para o Congresso americano importam para o mundo. Ainda mais agora, em tempos de crise da democracia dentro e fora dos Estados Unidos, e crescente tensão geopolítica entre as grandes potências mundiais. No início de novembro, estará em disputa o controle da Câmara e do Senado, hoje em mãos do Partido Democrata. Os três palestrantes deste webinar discutiram as chances eleitorais de Democratas e Republicanos, possíveis cenários para a segunda metade do mandato do presidente Biden e as suas respectivas implicações para a política internacional. - CONVIDADOS Anya Prusa Cientista política e historiadora, é diretora sênior do Albright Stonebridge Group – empresa de consultoria estratégica sediada em Washington, D.C., que assessora clientes sobre riscos políticos e relações governamentais nas Américas. Em 2020, foi pesquisadora do programa Slater Family Fellowship, no Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, dedicando-se ao estudo das políticas públicas brasileiras e das relações entre os EUA e o Brasil. Entre 2016 e 2021, integrou o Brazil Institute (Wilson Center). Possui um M.A em Estudos Latino-Americanos e Hemisféricos pela George Washington University. Nick Zimmerman Global Fellow do Brazil Institute e Senior Advisor da WestExec Advisors – empresa de consultoria estratégica em Washington, D.C. Foi consultor sênior do embaixador dos EUA na ONU e diretor do Conselho de Segurança Nacional da Casa Branca para o Brasil e Cone Sul durante o governo Obama. Possui um M.A pela John F. Kennedy School of Government, da Harvard University. Paulo Sotero Jornalista e historiador, foi correspondente em Washington, D.C, dos jornais Gazeta Mercantil e O Estado de S.Paulo. Entre 2006 e 2020, dirigiu o Brazil Institute, do Wilson Center, do qual foi fundador e atualmente é Distinguished Fellow. Tem Mestrado em Jornalismo pela American University, na capital dos EUA, onde reside desde 1980. - MEDIAÇÃO Sergio Fausto Cientista político, é diretor geral da Fundação FHC e codiretor do projeto Plataforma Democrática e da coleção "O Estado da Democracia na América Latina".

It is not common to find a psychiatrist with an MBA, but Gary Gottlieb took it upon himself to diversify his career and become involved in the policy making aspects of healthcare. In this episode, Patrick, Marjorie, and Dr. Gottlieb discuss the history and policies that impact our current healthcare system, as well as what can be done to incentivise providers to improve behavioral healthcare services.    “I think we can't rest in the circumstances we're in now. We can't rest with people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, who are living in the street or in undignified housing–or being shuttled and waiting in emergency rooms for days for a bed because they're not paid properly. Or because there aren't enough appropriate services in a system that's fragmented and inefficient. That's just not acceptable” -Dr. Gary Gottlieb   There is still a lot to do for mental healthcare to come to the forefront of policy making and to improve our response to support persons with chronic mental health conditions. Dr. Gottlieb also dives into how his geriatric psychiatry practice has had a tremendous impact on his advocacy and how steps we take today could benefit our future brain.   Our guest, Gary Gottlieb, is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. From 2015 through June of 2019, he served as CEO of Partners In Health, a global NGO providing a preferential option for the poor in health care in severely resource constrained settings. Gottlieb is an executive partner at health venture firm Flare Capital Partners and a senior advisor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.   If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel here, https://www.youtube.com/c/PsychHub.   Future Of Mental Health is a Psych Hub Podcast and is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health education.   Follow us on Social Media Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOMHshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychhubeducation

Uzair Younus comes back on The Pakistan Experience for a detailed discussion on the Pakistani political economy. Did Imran Khan sabotage the Pakistani ecnomy? Will Pakistan ever recover from the Floods? Why does the Pakistani economy keep crashing? Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. Uzair Younus is the director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. He is also manager for engagement and strategy at Dhamiri, an innovation firm helping companies align their business competencies with public good needs. Younus was a director at Albright Stonebridge Group's South Asia practice. In this role, he helped clients develop strategies for long-term growth in the region, assess political and economic developments, and engage with government and non-government stakeholders on policy issues in various sectors, including the energy and technology sectors. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Imran Khan and political narratives 10:35 Economic programs and policies 19:47 Flood damages, reparations and recovery 30:48 Infrastructure and education 40:24 Cynicism, depoliticisation, and radicalisation 48:38 The danger of Khan 1:00:05 Economic and political decline and instability 1:17:06 Financial inclusivity and government intervention 1:29:06 MMT and the dollar rate 1:36:47 QnA

Elina talks with Sophie Lemière, a political anthropologist and an adjunct fellow with the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, on recent political developments in Malaysia. Andreyka is joined by Camille Bismonte, an associate with the East Asia & Pacific practice at Albright Stonebridge Group and former intern for the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, to cover the latest news from the region.

Michael Auerbach is founder & General Partner at Subversive Capital, an investment firm, and SVP at Albright Stonebridge Group. We cover in detail what the metaverse means to him and his firm, the opportunities ahead, and the notorious PUNK ETF which shorts Meta Platforms.

We were glad to welcome back Matthew Goodman from CSIS in Washington to the Virtual Studio. As you can see from his short bio below, Matt has had both public and private sector roles and has been directly involved with the G7/8 and G20 in past U.S. administrations. it was great to catch up with him to focus our attention on the Indo-Pacific and Biden Administration policy in the region as well as the recently concluded German G7 Summit. We also wanted to explore with Matt the growing difficult relationship between the two leading states of the region, the U.S. and China, and how the relationship has shaped Biden foreign policy. Matthew is senior vice president, senior adviser for Asian economics, and holds the Simon Chair in Political Economy at CSIS. Matthew has served in both the private sector at Goldman Sachs and Albright Stonebridge Group and has also held several significant roles in the public sector including early in his career as an international economist at the U.S. Treasury Department and at the Tokyo Embassy. Subsequently, he was director of international economics on the National Security Council staff responsible for the G20 and, the then G8, and then former White House Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Paul Triolo, Senior VP for China and Technology Policy Lead at Dentons Global Advisors ASG, formerly and probably better known still as Albright Stonebridge Group. Paul provides an in-depth overview of today's semiconductor landscape, from export control issues, to the unstable equilibrium between U.S., China, and Taiwan's industries. He walks us through the strategic importance of semiconductors in U.S. national security considerations — and how unintended consequences of our current policies toward China might actually end up undermining U.S. national security. 04:45 – An overview of semiconductor geopolitics and supply chains20:33 – Why the U.S. is cutting China off from advanced semiconductor technologies27:02 – The shift in technology export controls from Trump to Biden32:08 – The CHIPS Act and subsidies for the semiconductor industry37:43 – Deterrence and Taiwan's semiconductor industry as a “silicon shield”46:16 – Lessons learned from the chip shortage52:30 – Why is the U.S lighting a fire to Chinese self-sufficiency efforts?57:57 – The implications of Pelosi's planned visit to TaiwanA transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.comRecommendations:Paul: Rob Dunn, A Natural History of the Future; and Ryan Hass, Stronger: Adapting America's China Strategy in an Age of Competitive InterdependenceKaiser: The Boys on Amazon PrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Within this podcast episode, we discuss topics that may be upsetting or triggering to some listeners. Topics such as abortion, maternal mortality rate, racism, sexism, white supremacy, and white nationalism will be mentioned. Featuring Kia Guarino (she/her), the executive director at Pro-Choice Washington; the lead organization focused on political and legislative advocacy for reproductive freedom in Washington state. Kia has a background in global health and international development, economics, policy, and advocacy, having worked at several global organizations, including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Albright Stonebridge Group, the Clinton Foundation, and Amnesty International. She is dedicated to the advancement of reproductive rights and social justice. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/ WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/ ------------------------- PRO CHOICE WASHINGTON WEBSITE: https://prochoicewashington.org/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/prochoicewashington/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/prochoicewa 5 Ways to Take Action Now ------------------------- EPISODE RESOURCES Finding Care: abortionfinder.org, INeedAnA.com, Washington Department of Health Abortion Funds: donate to abortion funds in your area, Northwest Abortion Access Fund (donate here or volunteer here), Indigenous Women Rising Local Clinics: Cedar River Clinics, All Women's Health, and All Women's Care Local Policy & Legislative Change: State Abortion Access Network Checking Legal Action: https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/ Statement from the Sierra Club Music: Ashot-Danielyan-Composer

Today's podcast is essential for our humanity's well-being. I interview Kia Guarino, the executive director of Pro Choice Washington, to discuss how to manage our emotions and take purposeful action to fight for reproductive freedom. Kia gives us a clear snapshot of what is happen with abortion rights from a macro and micro level across the country and more specifically in Washington state. We discuss how to manage our emotions and stay politically active from a purposeful place and ditch the reactive energy that will  lead to burnout.  Kia also shares many ways to get involved and create impact. Take a listen, share this episode with a friend and check out the resources below. Let's remember that taking care of yourself is essential during these times because the world needs each one of us to be showing up. Showing up doesn't have to be exhausting, but instead it can be empowering. If you are looking for more ways you can take care, check out Centered in the City so that you can have access to a holistic library of over 200 + mindfulness based resources at your fingertips whenever and wherever you are. Learn more and sign up for your 7-day free trial at CenteredintheCity.org. (Scholarships are available for those in need.)   ***** Kia Guarino (she/her) joined as executive director with Pro Choice Washington in October 2020 because of her dedication to the advancement of reproductive freedom and social justice. Kia joined Pro-Choice Washington from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she served as Program Officer for Family Planning and Gender Equality Advocacy since 2017. Kia brings a background of global health and international development, economics, policy, and advocacy, having previously worked with Albright Stonebridge Group, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Amnesty International. Kia also served as Program Manager for the Africa Region with Operation Smile, working across ten countries. In this role, Kia organized and implemented large-scale programs, as well as managed existing and launched new country offices in close partnership with local governments and key stakeholders. Kia earned a MsPH in Global Health, International Health Systems from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a MA in International Development and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She also earned her BA in Communication Studies and International Studies from Boston College. Resources:   Finding Care: To find a legitimate provider and clinic, you can visit abortionfinder.org and  INeedAnA.com The Washington Department of Health also has good resources for finding an abortion in Washington state Abortion Funds: You can find donate to abortion funds in your area Our local fund is Northwest Abortion Access Fund, and you can donate here and sign up volunteer here Indigenous Women Rising is a national group that focuses on support abortion access to indigenous folks across the country Local Clinics (WA): To donate to local abortion clinics, like Cedar River Clinics, All Women's Health, and All Women's Care Local Policy & Legislative Change: Our rights are dependent on our local policies and lawmakers now – and it takes a lot of work to mobilize for change at the local level. Check out the State Abortion Access Network to find local grassroots groups At Pro-Choice Washington, here are five ways for you to get involved, including through donations SURGE Reproductive Justice is another local partner working on community engagement with Black and other communities of color

In the final episode of this season of Tech Tonic, we ask if the growing tensions between the US and China could split the world into two competing technological spheres. It has been dubbed 'the great decoupling'. Some in the US want to see Chinese companies cut off from American investment, while hawkish factions in China have been fighting for a more self-sufficient and nationalistic tech sector. But what would decoupling really look like? And is it even possible? Presented by James Kynge, this episode features interviews with Lillian Li (author of Chinese Characteristics newsletter), Paul Triolo (senior vice-president of Albright Stonebridge Group), Roger Robinson Jr (president and founder of RWR Advisory) and Kevin Rudd (former prime minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society)Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Josh Gabert-Doyon is producer. Manuela Saragosa is executive producer. Special thanks to Tom Griggs. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT's head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.News clips credits: CNBC Check out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the FT's technology team at ft.com/technologyFor a special discounted FT subscription go to https://www.ft.com/techtonicsaleAnd check out FT Edit, the new iPhone app that shares the best of FT journalism, hand-picked by senior editors to inform, explain and surprise. It's free for the first month and 99p a month for the next six months. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, I spoke with Bruce Solomon, Senior Advisor with the Health practice at the Albright Stonebridge Group. Bruce has decades of experience developing and leading innovative health care delivery systems around the world and has served in senior leadership positions at multiple world-class medical institutions. We spoke about health systems and how care has and will continue to change coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, global health trends, and overarching themes emerging from the pandemic in terms of healthcare delivery, strategic collaborations and partnerships, and policy reforms.

In the final episode of this season of Tech Tonic, we ask if the growing tensions between the US and China could split the world into two competing technological spheres. It has been dubbed 'the great decoupling'. Some in the US want to see Chinese companies cut off from American investment, while hawkish factions in China have been fighting for a more self-sufficient and nationalistic tech sector. But what would decoupling really look like? And is it even possible? Presented by James Kynge, this episode features interviews with Lillian Li (author of Chinese Characteristics newsletter), Paul Triolo (senior vice-president of Albright Stonebridge Group), Roger Robinson Jr (president and founder of RWR Advisory) and Kevin Rudd (former prime minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society) Check out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the FT's technology team at ft.com/technologyFor a special discounted FT subscription go to https://www.ft.com/techtonicsaleAnd check out FT Edit, the new iPhone app that shares the best of FT journalism, hand-picked by senior editors to inform, explain and surprise. It's free for the first month and 99p a month for the next six months.Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Josh Gabert-Doyon is producer. Manuela Saragosa is executive producer. Special thanks to Tom Griggs. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT's head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.News clips credits: CNBCRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Imran Khan has been removed and Shahbaz Sharif has been made Prime Minister. What does the future now hold for Pakistan? Mosharraf Zaidi, columnist, journalist, and public policy analyst, comes on the podcast to discuss the present political crisis and the potential hopes for the future. Has Imran Khan undermined the work of Pakistani diplomats? Is there any truth to "lettergate"? Is it routine for diplomats to discuss possibilities with each other? Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. Mosharraf Zaidi is a Pakistani public policy professional and the founder and CEO of Tabadlab, an Islamabad-based policy think-tank. He writes a weekly column for The News International and is a senior advisor for the Albright Stonebridge Group. Previously, he served as a Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2013 under Hina Rabbani Khar, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan.[1][2][3][4] The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

On this episode of Defence Deconstructed, Cleo Paskal is joined by H.E. Kareen Rispal, H.E. Christophe Penot, H.E. Gabriele Visentin, RAdm Jean-Mathieu Rey, and Jonathan Fried to discuss the convergences between the French, European, and Canadian Indo-Pacific visions. Participants Bio: Kareen Rispal was the French Ambassador to Canada from 2017 to March 2022. She is now the Inspector General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Christophe Penot is France's first Ambassador to the Indo-Pacific since October 2021. Previously, he served as France's Ambassador to Australia and was stationed in Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. He also worked in the UK and Canada.  Gabriele Visentin is the EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific since September 2021. He has been an official of the European External Action Service since 2011, where he served as Head of the Parliamentary Affairs Division.  Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey is the French Joint commander of the Asia-Pacific zone. A senior naval Special Forces officer with operational experience mainly in the Indo Pacific area, he was previously deployed to the French Foreign Ministry as an adviser for security and defence cooperation in Asia and South America.  Jonathan Fried is a former Canadian diplomat whose career spanned law, economics and trade. He is now Senior Advisor with Bennett Jones, LLP, the Albright Stonebridge Group, Senior Associate to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Advisor to Llewellyn Consulting.  Cleo Paskal is an Associate Fellow with Chatham House, London, U.K. and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington, D.C. She serves on the International Board of Advisors, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies (India) and the International Board of Advisors, Global Counter-Terrorism Council, India. Host Bio: Dave Perry is President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (www.cgai.ca/david_perry) Recording Date: 117 Feb 2022 Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary. Produced by Charlotte Duval-Lantoine. Music credits to Drew Phillips

Half a century after Nixon's icebreaking trip, the Sino-U.S. relationship seems to have regressed in recent years. Join host Tu Yun for a closer look at whether the Pingpong diplomacy that paved the way for Nixon's China trip and the signing of the Shanghai Communique may provide any referential value to both sides. Joining her in the chat are former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai Kenneth Jarrett, who serves as a senior advisor of Albright Stonebridge Group; Sarah Brooker, a Yenching Scholar and Masters student in China Studies, History and Archaeology at Peking University; and writer and columnist Einar Tangen.

This week on China Corner Office, Chris Marquis talks to Kenneth Jarrett, senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group about how multinationals can deal with the increasingly frequent consumer boycotts that occur in China. While many international brands such as the NBA, H&M, Walmart, Zara, Nike, and others have found themselves in recent years on the wrong side of Chinese consumer ire, not all boycotts are the same. Drawing on decades of business and diplomatic experience in China, Ken describes that there are different types of boycotts — depending on the extent of consumer and/or government involvement — and correspondingly different strategies companies can take when dealing with them. Also discussed are the challenges local China offices have in dealing with headquarters during boycotts and how multinationals in China can develop effective relationships with the government.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Colombians could get three chances to cast ballots for the next president this year: in March's interparty consultations, May's first round, and a June runoff. A crowded candidate field ahead of the March elections—which coincide with legislative elections—is indicative of widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo, says Muni Jensen, a former Colombian diplomat now a political analyst with the Albright Stonebridge Group. She gives a rundown of the notable candidates, the mood of voters, and how the new Congress may be reshaped. More coverage at AS/COA's 2022 Election Guide: as-coa.org/2022 The music in this episode is “Las Horas,” performed by Colombian trio Trip Trip Trip. Watch the video: bit.ly/3gJfKoZ

“More than half the population of practically every country is female, and therefore, it is a waste of a resource not to have women involved in active ways to make life better in their own countries.” The Honorable Dr. Madeleine Albright, the 64th US Secretary of State. Key Links https://www.facebook.com/1303692343109384/videos/185832835977998 (IFES's Rural Women in Tunisia) (Video) "https://cepps.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Not-before-18.pdf“Not Before 18” and the 30% Gender Quota in Libya (Not Before 18” & The 30% Gender Quota in Libya) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnm1nGJehk&feature=emb_imp_woyt (Full interview with the Honorable Dr. Madeleine Albright) (Video) ---- On this episode of Democracy! The Podcast, we take an in-depth look at what happens when women win.   First, tag along to Tunisia for the scoop on a group of rural women who had overlooked their right to vote for years.  Follow their story as they grow from apathetic to empowered citizens helping to steer the future of their country at the ballot box.  In Peru, we'll take a sobering look at terrifying violence intended to derail a woman's shot at running for office.   Then we'll sit down with the 64th US Secretary of State and Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group, the Honorable Dr. Madeleine Albright, as she speaks out on some of the most urgent issues facing women around the world today, and shares some of her best behind the scene stories as the US's first top woman diplomat.   Democracy! The Podcast is brought to you by the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) with support from the United States Agency for International Development through the Global Elections and Political Transitions Award.   ---- Follow https://twitter.com/cepps (CEPPS on Twitter).  http://cepps.org/podcast (Democracy! The Podcast) is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross.  This podcast has been produced by the http://cepps.org (Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening) through the Global Elections and Political Transitions award and is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the https://www.usaid.gov/ (United States Agency for International Development.) Opinions expressed here are those of the host and the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the US Government.  This show is produced by https://twitter.com/evoterra (Evo Terra) and https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Madeleine Albright was born in Czechoslovakia, moved to the United States as a young child, went to Wellesley, and got her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She then served on the National Security Council under Zbigniew Brzezinski during the Carter administration, was appointed by Pres Clinton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, before he named her to be America’s first female Secretary of State. President Obama also awarded her the presidential medal of freedom. She is currently the Chair of the Albright-Stonebridge Group, a Professor at Georgetown University, and the author of "Fascism: A Warning" and "Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir" and many more books.Intergenerational Politics is a podcast created by Jill Wine-Banks and Victor Shi dedicated to engaging all generations in politics with weekly unfiltered conversations with experts across the nation. Be sure to subscribe to and rate us on Apple Podcasts. You can also find us on Spotify or any other podcast streaming services. Intergenerational Politics on social media: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intergenerational-politics/id1522241906 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Intrgenpolitics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intergenpoliticspodcast/

Korea24 – 2021.03.08. (Monday) News Briefing: Seoul and Washington have concluded talks on the long-awaited renewal of a defense cost-sharing deal regarding American troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula. While details have yet to be released, an unnamed U.S. official was quoted as saying that a "meaningful increase" in Seoul's contribution was included. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis Part 1: Seoul Bureau Chief for The Economist Lena Schipper delves into the weekly paper's annual "Glass Ceiling Index(GCI)," published marking International Women's Day, that assesses where women in OECD countries stand in the workplace. She talks about how South Korea ended up at the bottom of the list and what needs to be done to further support working women. In-Depth News Analysis Part 2: Evans J.R. Revere, senior director with the Albright Stonebridge Group and former acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, talks about the springtime joint military exercises between South Korea and the US that began Monday and if they'll prompt a response from North Korea. He also talks about how the regime is heavily focused on its own economic concerns and how this could be the time for the US to put more pressure on North Korea with stronger sanctions. Korea Trending with Alex Sigrist: Migrant workers and employers criticize a new government measure on temporary housing(비닐하우스 숙소 금지에 농가 발 동동…양성화·유예기간 절실), rumors emerge about a large amount of gold buried under an old farmstead in North Jeolla Province(전북 익산 도심에 금괴 2t 매장설 확산…경찰 "확인된 바 없어"), and BTS is set to perform at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards(‘그래미 후보’ 방탄소년단, 공연도 한다…한국 가수 최초). Sports: Yoo Jee-ho from Yonhap News Agency talks about Son Heung-min and Harry Kane breaking the record of the most goal combinations in a single season, the KBO's SK Wyverns being rebranded as the SSG Landers, and short track star Lim Hyo-jun applying for Chinese citizenship to boost his chances of competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: Mark shares a piece from the Korea Times that talks about a special grant by the Korea Arts Management Service(KAMS) that helps strengthen the relationship between artists and gallery owners. He then talks about a large indie music festival kicking off on Monday that aims to support indie music venues hit hard by the pandemic.

Our world has turned upside down as we navigate a pandemic, civil unrests, economic hardship, climate destruction, fragile governance…it all spells chaos. Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State and founder of the influential Albright Stonebridge Group, joins Altamar in a conversation about the world’s problems – and opportunities. We take her on a global tour – from America’s political and social instability to China’s rising power and everything in between. And we also ask the self-described ‘optimist who worries’ whether there’s anything she’s optimistic about right now. Former Secretary of State Albright is also a former UN ambassador, Georgetown professor, and seven-time New York Times best-selling author who has witnessed – and shaped -- the transformation of modern international relations from the front row.

Dr. Mehul Mehta, CMO, Albright Stonebridge Group & Visiting Faculty in Ophthalmology and Global Health at Harvard Medical School talks about Vaccine Innovation & The Future of Clinical Trials Post Covid-19. The session was moderated by IIMA Prof. Chirantan Chatterjee.

Michael Auerbach is the Founder of Subversive Capital, which is dedicated to investing in radical companies. He sits on the Board of Directors of Tilray, Inc. – the first Nasdaq-listed global cannabis company – and holds several directorships with companies that Subversive invests in. He also serves as a Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group, the global consulting firm chaired by former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. In this podcast, we discuss:  Launching a SPAC (SBVCF) with Jay-Z for the cannabis sector  The bullish case for the California cannabis market  Why Canada’s legalization of cannabis has still seen illicit trade increase  The financing challenge for cannabis companies  Why brands are where the value is  How the Biden administration will accelerate legalisation  The political and cultural reasons for banning cannabis over alcohol  The Portugal case of decriminalisation  Books that influenced Michael: Far From the Tree (Solomon), How to Change Your Mind (Pollan), Sapiens (Harari), History of Sexuality (Foucault), Glas (Derrida), King Leopold’s Ghost (Hochschild), Malcolm X, Say Nothing (Keefe)                  

While the focus of the world has been on the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has been busy preparing a war authorization for the incoming Joe Biden administration. In this episode, we examine the advice given to Congress in nine recent hearings to learn which countries are on the World Trade System naughty list, as Jen prepares to read the NDAA that's soon to become law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Episodes CD208: The Brink of the Iran War CD195: Yemen CD191: The Democracies of Elliott Abrams CD190: A Coup for Capitalism CD186: National Endowment for Democracy CD167: Combating Russia NDAA CD131: Bombing Libya Bills H.R.526: Cambodia Democracy Act of 2019 Congress.gov H.Res.751: Reaffirming the partnership between the United States and the African Union and recognizing the importance of diplomatic, security, and trade relations. Congress.gov H.Res.1120: Urging the Government of Tanzania and all parties to respect human rights and constitutional rights and ensure free and fair elections in October 2020, and recognizing the importance of multi-party democracy in Tanzania Congress.gov H.Res.1183: Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging continued democratic progress in Ethiopia, and for other purposes. Congress.gov Articles/Documents Article: Belarus Will Be an Early Challenge for Biden, By Gregory Feifer, Slate, December 18, 2020 Article: Expanded "America Crece" Initiative Launch Event, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, December 17, 2020 Article: Court Finds Evidence of Crimes Against Humanity in the Philippines, By Jason Gutierrez, The New York Times, December 15, 2020 Article: 2,596 Trades in One Term: Inside Senator Perdue’s Stock Portfolio, By Stephanie Saul, Kate Kelly and Michael LaForgia, The New York Times, December 2, 2020 Article: Africa: From caravan networks to investment projects, By Ahmet Kavas, Daily Sabah, November 25, 2020 Article: Ethiopia’s Problems Will Not End with a Military Victory, By Aly Verjee, United States Institute of Peace, November 24, 2020 Article: Tanzania: Repression Mars National Elections, Human Rights Watch, November 23, 2020 Article: DoD Policy Chief Quits As Leadership Vacuum Expands, By Paul McLeary, DefenseNews, November 10, 2020 Article: Biden landing team for Pentagon announced, By Aaron Mehta, DefenseNews, November 10, 2020 Article: Africa in the news: Unrest in Ethiopia, contentious elections results in Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire, and a new UK-Kenya trade deal By Payce Madden, Brookings, November 7, 2020 Article: US doing its best to lock China out of Latin America By Vijay Prashad, Asia Times, November 4, 2020 Article: Ethiopia Proposes Holding Postponed Vote in May or June 2021: FANA By Addis Ababa, Reuters, October 30, 2020 Press Release: Crisis in Mali, By Alexis Arieff, Congressional Research Service, October 21, 2020 Article: América Crece: Washington's new investment push in Latin America By Jeff Abbott, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, October 8, 2020 Article: Ethiopian Region Holds Local Elections in Defiance of Prime Minister By Simon Marks and Abdi Latif Dahir, The New York Times, September 10, 2020 Article: IRI Expert Discusses COVID-19, Protecting Democracy in Europe and Protests in Belarus in Testimony to House Foreign Affairs Committee International Republican Institute, September 10, 2020 Article: Nile dam row: US cuts aid to Ethiopia, BBC News, September 3, 2020 Press Release: Belarus: An Overview, By Cory Welt, Congressional Research Service, August 24, 2020 Press Release: Rep. Omar Leads Letter to Condemn Trump Administration’s Plan to Invest in Controversial Projects in Honduras, Ilhan Omar, August 13, 2020 Article: China Dominates Bid for Africa’s Largest Dam in New Pact By Pauline Bax and Michael Kavanagh, Bloomberg Green, August 7, 2020 Article: Nile dam row: Egypt fumes as Ethiopia celebrates By Magdi Abdelhadi, BBC News, July 29, 2020 Article: Remarks by CEO Boehler at the América Crece Event With President Hernández of the Republic of Honduras U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, July 21, 2020 Article: Can Malian President Keita survive growing anti-gov’t protests? By Hamza Mohamed, Aljazeera, July 10, 2020 Article: Pundits with undisclosed funding from arms manufacturers urge ‘stronger force posture’ to counter China By Eli Clifton, Responsible Statecraft, May 14, 2020 Article: The Three Seas Initiative explained By David A. Wemer, Atlantic Council, February 11, 2020 Article: FORMER OBAMA OFFICIALS HELP SILICON VALLEY PITCH THE PENTAGON FOR LUCRATIVE DEFENSE CONTRACTS By Lee Fang, The Intercept, July 22, 2018 Article: Is John McCain's Pick to Lead the International Republican Institute a Strike Against Donald Trump? By Timothy J. Burger, Town & Country, August 10, 2017 Article: The River That Swallows All Dams By Charles Kenny and John Norris, Foreign Policy, May 8, 2015 Document: The Grand Inga Illusion By David Lunde, University of Denver, 2014 Article: Can DR Congo's Inga dam project power Africa? By Maud Jullien, BBC News, November 15, 2013 Article: A New Take on the 1961 Murder of Congo’s Leader By Slobodan Lekic, Los Angeles Times, September 3, 2006 Article: How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich By Jonathan Guyer, The American Prospect Article: Christopher Fomunyoh Grabs Man Of The Year Award By Bama Cham, Eden Newspaper Article: Reform in Ethiopia: Turning Promise into Progress, Yoseph Badwaza and Jon Temin, Freedom House Article: Beijing and Wall Street deepen ties despite geopolitical rivalry, Financial Times Article: THE HISTORY OF DR CONGO TIMELINE, Welcome to the Congo Reform Association Article: Business: The Big Dreamer, By LOUIS EDGAR DETWILER, TIME, August 01, 1960 Additional Resources About The Jamestown Foundation Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. African Union Alyssa Ayres Council on Foreign Relations DEREK MITCHELL National Democratic Institute Douglas Rutzen International Center for Not-For-Profit Law Daniel Serwer, LinkedIn Daniel Serwer, Middle East Institute Daniel Twining LinkedIn Dr. Daniel Twining International Republican Institute Elbridge Colby, LinkedIn Elbridge Colby, The Marathon Initiative Elbridge Colby, Senior Advisor, Westexec Advisors Employment Timeline: Albright, Madeleine K OpenSecrets.org Eric Farnsworth, LinkedIn Eric Farnsworth Americas Society Council of the Americas Flagship Projects of Agenda 2063 African Union History: IDEA TO REALITY: NED AT 30 National Endowment for Democracy Investing in Development U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Jamie Fly The German Marshall Fund of the United States Jamie Fly U.S. Agency For Global Media Janusz Bugajski, The Jamestown Foundation Jon Temin Freedom House Joshua Meservey, LinkedIn Lauren Blanchard, LinkedIn Michael Camilleri, The Dialogue Mission Statement, Growth in the Americas Monica de Bolle International Capital Strategies Our Experienced Team McLarty Associates Philip Reeker, LinkedIn Summary: Albright Stonebridge Group OpenSecrets.org Susan Stigant, United States Institute of Peace Team, The Beacon Project, October 2020 Team ALBRIGHT STONEBRIDGE GROUP Therese Pearce Laanela, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Yoseph Badwaza, Freedom House Sound Clip Sources Hearing: THE BALKANS: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION, Committee on Foreign Affairs, December 8, 2020 Watch on C-SPAN Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Madeleine Albright Chairman of the National Democratic Institute Chairman of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm Chairman of Albright Capital Management , an investment advisory firm Member of the Council on Foreign Relations 2003-2005: Member of the Board of Directors of the NYSE 1997-2001: Secretary of State 1978-1981: National Security Council Staff Daniel Serwer Director of American Foreign Policy and Conflict Management at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University Former Vice President at the US Institute of Peace Former Minister Counselor at the State Department during the Clinton years Janusz Bugajski Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation Former Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Hosts a tv show in the Balkans Transcript: 40:03 Rep. Eliot Engel (NY): Serbia has been importing Russian fighters and tanks and conducting military exercises with the Russian Army. A US Defense Department report told us that Belgrade's drift towards Moscow has mostly occurred since President Vučić took power. The same time democratic space in Serbia has shrunk in recent years. Freedom House describes Serbia as a, 'hybrid regime', not a democracy because of declining standards in governance, justice, elections and media freedom. If Serbia wants to become part of the European Union, and the North Atlantic family of nations, it needs to get off the fence and embrace a Western path. 56:17 Madeleine Albright: As you know, Mr. Chairman, the President Elect has been personally engaged in the Balkans since his time in the Senate. And he was one of the most outspoken leaders in Congress calling for the United States to help end the complex and I was honored to work closely with him throughout my time in office. And I know that he understands the region and its importance for the United States. The national security team that President Elect Biden is putting in place is deeply knowledgeable and committed to helping all the countries of the region move forward as part of a Europe that is whole free and at peace. And that's important, because today this vision is in peril. The nations of the Western Balkans are suffering deeply from the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Corruption remains a serious problem, and nationalist leaders continue to stoke and exploit ethnic tensions. China and Russia are also exerting new influence in the region, with Serbia in particular the target of much anti Western propaganda. As the pandemic eases there will be an opportunity for the United States and Europe to help the region build back better, particularly as Western European countries seek to bring supply chains closer to home. And as new funds become available to invest in energy diversification and environmental protection. 59:36 Madeleine Albright: The answer is for the United States and the EU to work together to champion initiatives that help custom Bosnia and others build economic ties to Europe and the neighborhood while also pushing for needed political reforms. 1:00:00 Madeleine Albright: On Bosnia, the Dayton accords stopped a war and continue to keep the peace. But the governing arrangements are not captured by leaders among the three groups that negotiated the peace. They want to hold on to power even if it means holding their society back. While Bosnia is neighbors move toward EU membership, the United States and the European Union must focus their efforts in Bosnia on the abuse of government and state owned enterprises. Taking away the levers of power that keep the current system in place. 1:05:30 Daniel Serwer: Europe and the United States want a post state in Bosnia, they can qualify for EU membership. That Bosnia will be based not on ethnic power sharing, but rather on majorities of citizens electing their representatives. [?] entities as well as ethnic vetoes and restrictions we'll need to fade. the Americans and Europeans should welcome the prospect of a new Civic constitution. But no one outside Boston Herzegovina can reform its constitution, a popular movement is needed. The United States along with the Europeans needs to shield any popular movement from repression while starting the entities with funding and redirecting it to the central government and municipalities. 1:12:07 Janusz Bugajski: Moscow views Serbia in particular, and the Republic of Srpska in Bosnia as useful tools to subvert regional security and limit Western integration. 1:12:40 Janusz Bugajski: Western Balkan inclusion in the Three Seas Initiative and its North South transportation corridor will enhance economic performance and help provide alternatives to dependence on Russian energy and Chinese loans. 2:00:41: Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA): Why do you think longer term in the Balkans its Chinese influence we need to be focused on? Janusz Bugajski:Thank you very much for that question. Let me begin with why Russia is not a longer term danger. Russia is a country in serious decline, economic decline. Its economies size of a medium sized European state. China has the second largest economy in the world. Russia has internal problems with its nationalities with its regions, with increasing public unrest with increasing opposition to put in them even be power struggles during the succession period over the next four years, Russia faces major internal problems. China, on the other hand, unless of course, there is opposition to the Chinese Communist Party from within, is in a different stage. It continues to be a very dynamic country in terms of its economic growth. It doesn't face the sort of internal contradictions and conflicts that Russia does. And it's increasingly.. China's always looked at the longer term. In other words, they don't even have to look at succession cycles, because of the dominance of the Communist Party. They are looking eventually to replace Russia as the major rival of the United States. And the best way to do that is to increase their influence not only militarily in East Asia, South Asia and other parts of the world, but economically, politically, diplomatically, culturally, and through the media and that's precisely what they're doing, not only in Europe, but in other continents. 2:18:38 Madeleine Albright: I think that democracy and economic development go together also. Because as I put it, people want to vote and eat. Hearing: THE UNFOLDING CONFLICT IN ETHIOPIA, Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, December 3, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Yoseph Badwaza Senior Advisor for Africa at Freedom House Former Secretary General of Ethiopian Human Rights Council Susan Stigant Director of the Africa Program at the United States Institute of Peace Former program director at the National Democratic Institute, focused on South Sudan Tsedale Lemma Editor in Chief and Founder of Addis Standard Magazine Lauren Ploch Blanchard Specialist in African Affairs at the Congressional Research Service Former East Africa Program Manager at the International Republican Institute Transcript: 35:32 Yoseph Badwaza: The devastating developments of the past four weeks have brought inmeasurable human suffering and the destruction of livelihoods and appear to have returned to yet another protracted civil war and nearly 30 years after it emerged from its last. These tragic events have also dealt a deadly blow to what would have been one of the most consequential democratic transitions on the African continent. 37:09 Yoseph Badwaza: A series of missed opportunities in the last two and a half years led to the tragic derailment of a promising democratic experiment. A half hearted effort at implementing reforms by a ruling party establishment reluctant to shape its deeply authoritarian roots. Roots stands in the way of a genuine inclusive political process. Hearing: U.S. DEFENSE POSTURE CHANGES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER, Committee on Armed Services, September 30, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Dr. James Anderson Former Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense (resigned the day after Trump fired DoD Secretary Mark Esper) 2006-2009: Director of Middle East Policy for the Secretary of Defense 2001-2006 - Gap in LinkedIn resume 2000-2001: Associate at DFI International, a multinational consulting firm 1997-1999: Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation Lt. Gen David Allen: Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, Joint Chiefs of Staff Transcript: 17:14 Dr. James Anderson: As we continue to implement the NDS or efforts at enhancing our European posture beyond Eucom Combat Command Review, have shown recent successes, including the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with Poland in August that will enable an increased enduring US rotational presence in that country of about 1000 US military personnel. Hearing: DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, September 30, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Christopher Fomunyoh Senior Associate for Africa at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs Has been at NDI since 1993 Has worked for the Cameroon Water Corporation and Cameroon Airlines Corporation Dorina A. Bekoe, PhD Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses Jon Temin Director of the Africa Program at Freedom House Freedom House gets most of its funding from the National Endowment for Democracy 2014-2017: U.S. Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff Director of the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Africa Program Member of the Council on Foreign Relations Non-resident Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Joshua Meservey Senior Policy Analyst for Africa and the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation since 2015 Former Associate Director of the Atlantic Council Former Field Team Manager for the Church World Service Resettlement Support Center Former Volunteer with the US Peace Corps Former intern for the US Army Special Operations Command Former Loss Prevention Coordinator for Dollar Financial Corporation Transcript: 7:13 Rep. Chris Smith (NJ): I fear that 2020 may see an even greater decrease in democracy on the continent. Today's hearing is also timely, as elections are approaching next month in Tanzania and the Ivory Coast, both countries which appear to be on a downward trajectory in terms of governance and respect for civil and political rights. And I want to note that Chairwoman bass has introduced legislation with respect to Tanzania, and I'm very proud to be a co sponsor of it and I thank you for that leadership. 8:37 Rep. Chris Smith (NJ): For example, was quite obvious to outside observers in the DRC that the declared winner of the latest presidential election held in late 2018. Felix Tshisekedi received less votes than Martin Fayulu low because of a corrupt bargain between the outgoing strongman Joseph Kabila Tshisekedi. The Constitutional Court packed by Kabila declared him to be the winner. What happened next was troubling, as our State Department issued a statement that said and I quote, 'the United States welcomes the Congolese Constitutional Court certification of Felix Tshisekedi as the next president of the DRC,' which was apparently driven by a handful of diplomats, including our ambassador. 9:26 Rep. Chris Smith (NJ): Elections in Nigeria were first postponed by sitting President Buhari and marred by irregularities in advance of the election date, quitting arson attacks on the independent national Electoral Commission offices in opposition strongholds in Buhari's his removal of Supreme Court Justice Walter Onnoghen. 10:40 Rep. Chris Smith (NJ): Before Sudan is delisted as a state sponsor of terrorism, I also believe there must be justice for all victims of its past bad acts including the victims of 911, many of whom live in my home state of New Jersey and in my district. 14:44 Rep. Karen Bass (CA): Most concerning is the situation in Tanzania, which I recently addressed in House Resolution 1120 where current leadership is repressing the opposition and basic freedoms of expression and assembly in a blatant attempt to retain power. 15:00 Rep. Karen Bass (CA): We see similar patterns in Cote d'Ivoire as the executive branch legalizes the deviation in democratic institutions to codify non democratic actions. We have similar concerns about Guinea and are going to be very watchful of upcoming elections there. And in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Somalia. 15:57 Rep. Karen Bass (CA): What concerns me most is the democratic backsliding is not limited to Africa and we seem to be in a place of retreat from democracy that I only hope is an anomaly. In Europe, we see the egregious behavior of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed success in a disputed August 9 election and sought support from extra national resources such as Russia to justify his claim to power. 17:28 Rep. Karen Bass (CA): President Duterte of the Philippines is accused of lawfare, or weaponizing the law to deter or defeat freedoms, personalities and establishments that promote human rights, press freedoms and the rule of law while also cracking down on individual freedoms. 24:39 Christopher Fomunyoh: NDI has over three decades of technical assistance to and support for democratic institutions and processes in Africa and currently runs active programs in 20 countries. 26:09 Christopher Fomunyoh: Notably, West Africa, previously commanded as a trailblazer region has seen serious backsliding, as Mali experienced a military coup, and major controversies have arisen about candidacies of incumbent presidents in Guinea, Conakry and Cote d'Ivoire. The Central Africa region remains stocked with the three with the highest concentration of autocratic regimes with the three longest serving presidents in the world. In that sub region, notably Equatorial Guinea forty one years, Cameroon 38 years, and Congo Brazzaville 38 years. 26:50 Christopher Fomunyoh: In southern and East Africa, continued persecution of political opposition and civil society activists in Zimbabwe and similar worrying signs or patterns in Tanzania since 2016 seriously diminished citizen participation in politics and governance and also stand my prospects for much needed reforms. 31:31 Dorina A. Bekoe: Mali's 2012 coup took place even though there was a regularly scheduled election just one month away. And the coup in August of this year took place despite the fact that in 2018 there was a presidential election and last year there were legislative elections. 38:44 Jon Temin: The United States should consider changes to term and age limits that allow incumbent leaders to extend their time in office as essentially a coup against the constitution and respond accordingly. These moves by leaders who have already served two terms are an usurpation of power, that deny the country and its citizens the many benefits of leadership rotation. 40:07 Jon Temin: In Sudan the long overdue process of removing the country from the list of state sponsors of terrorism may soon conclude, but that is not enough. The United States needs to support the civilian component of Sudan's transitional government at every step of the long road toward democracy and do all that it can to revive Sudan's economy. 40:25 Jon Temin: In Ethiopia, there are deeply concerning signs that the government is reaching for tools of repression that many hoped were relegated to history. Nonetheless, Ethiopia remains on a tentative path to democratic elections that can be transformative. In this context, the decision by the United States to withhold development assistance from Ethiopia in a quixotic and counterproductive effort to influence Ethiopia's negotiating position concerning the grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is bad policy that should be reversed. 41:00 Jon Temin: Nascent democratic transitions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Gambia and Angola also call for strong US support. 1:10:21 Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN): I want to start with Dr. Fomunyoh. In your testimony you discuss the massacres committed in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. Did the United States provide training funding or arms to the Cameroonian security forces who committed those massacres? 1:12:20 Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN): Did the Millennium military officers who led the recent coup [??] receive US military training? And if you can just say yes or no, because I have a few more questions and we have limited time. 1:29:23 Jon Temin: Freedom in the world, which we do every year rates every country in the world that includes the United States, the United States score was decreasing before this administration, we have seen a slow slippage of democracy in America for some time, rating based on our scores. That decrease has accelerated under this administration. 1:30:00 Jon Temin: I think part of it has to do with freedom for journalists. I believe there's been some concern there. Part of it has to do with corruption and some of the indications that we've seen of corrupt activity within government. I'll leave it there. We're happy to go dig into that and provide you more detail. And I'm sure that when we look at the scores again later this year, there will be a robust conversation on the United States. Hearing: THE ROLE OF ALLIES AND PARTNERS IN U.S. MILITARY STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS, Committee on Armed Services, September 23, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Christine Wormuth On Joe Biden's presidential transition team 2018- present: Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation 2017-2018: Founding Director of the Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience at the Atlantic Council 2017-2018: Senior Advisor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies 2010-2014: Various DoD positions, rising to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 2004-2009: Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies 2002-2004: Principal at DFI Government Services, an international defense consulting firm Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges Center for European Policy Analysis Board of Advisors for the Spirit of America (not listed on hearing bio) Board of Directors is made up of CEOs of mulitnational corporations Board of Advisors is full of corporate titans and big names, including Michelle Flournoy, Jeh Johnson, Kimberly Kagan, Jack Keane, James Mattis, Stanley McChrystal, H.R. McMaster, & George Shultz 2014-2017: Commanding General of the US Army in Europe Elbridge Colby Principal and co-Founder of the Marathon Initiative Formed in May 2020 Senior Advisor to WestExec Advisors (not listed on hearing bio) Co-Founded by incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Michelle Flournoy, who told the Intercept in 2018, "we help tech firms who are trying to figure out how to sell in the public sector space, to navigate the DOD, the intel community, law enforcement." 2018-2019: Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security Northrup Grumman is one of its biggest donors, also gets funding from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Bell Helicopter, BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Boeing, and DynCorp. 2017-2018: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Lead official in the creation of the 2018 National Defense Strategy 2010-2017: Center for a New American Security GWB administration (not listed on his LinkedIn) 2005-2006: worked with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 2004-2005: President GWB's WMD Commission 2003: worked with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq Transcript: 17:14 20:08 Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges: Second point of emphasis requires us to place importance on the greater Black Sea where. I believe the great power competition prevents great power conflict, failure to compete and to demonstrate interest and willingness to protect those interests in all domains, power vacuums and miscalculations which can lead to escalation and to actual conflict. This is particularly true in the greater Black Sea region, where Russia is attempting to maximize its sphere of influence. The Black Sea region should be the place where the United States and our NATO allies and partners hold the line. The Black Sea should matter to the west in part because it [was to the Kremlin.] taking the initiative away from the Kremlin denies the ability to support the Assad regime in Syria and then to live will reduce the flow of rich into Europe, or General Breedlove called the weaponization of refugee. Limit the Kremlin's ability to spread his thoughts of influence in the Balkans which is the Middle East and North Africa. 21:28 Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges: We must repair the relationship between Turkey and the United States. And see Turkey [?] as an exposed ally at the crossroads of several regions and challenges. Turkey is essential for deterrence of the Kremlin in the Black Sea region. And it is a critical both against ISIS and Iran we need to consider this relationship to be a priority, [but] condone or excuse several mistakes or bad choices about the Turkish Government. There are times are very quiet, but we think long term. The current Turkish administration will eventually change. But the strategically important geography of Turkey will never change. 23:31 Elbridge Colby: Allies and partners are absolutely essential for the United States in a world increasingly defined by great power competition, above all with China. Indeed, they lie at the very heart of the right US strategy for this era, which I believe the Department of Defense's 2018 National Defense Strategy lays out. The importance to the United States of allies and partners is not a platitude, but the contrary. For the first time since the 19th century, the United States is not far and away the world's largest economy. More than anything else, this is due to the rise of China. And that has become very evident. Beijing is increasingly using its growing power for coercive purposes. 24:08 Elbridge Colby: United States faces a range of other potential threats, including primarily from Russia against NATO, as well as from transnational terrorists, Iran and North Korea. In other words, there exists multiple challenges to US national security interests. Given their breadth and scope, America can no longer expect to take care of them essentially alone. Accordingly, we must address this widening shortfall between the threats we face and the resources we have to deal with them by a much greater role for allies and partners. 24:59 Elbridge Colby: Because of China's power and wealth, the United States simply must play a leading role in blocking Beijing's pursuit of hegemony in Asia. This means that the US defense establishment must prioritize dealing with China and Asia and particularly vulnerable allies and partners such as Taiwan and the Philippines. 25:24 Elbridge Colby: In particular, we will not be able to dedicate the level of resources and effort to the Middle East and Europe that we have in the past. We will therefore need allied partners to do their part not just to help defend our interests and enable a concentration on Asia but to defend themselves and their interests. 26:00 Elbridge Colby: The contemporary threats to us interest stem from China across Asia. Transnational terrorists largely in the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe, Persian Gulf area and North Korea in Asia. 26:11 Elbridge Colby: Yet the United States is traditional, closest and most significant allies are largely clustered in Western Europe in Northeast Asia. Many of these countries, especially Europe feel quite secure and are little motivated to contribute to more distant threats. This leaves wide areas such as South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East, for which long standing US alliances are of minimal help. The natural way to rectify this is for the United States to add partners and form necessary alliances to help address these gaps. 35:13 Elbridge Colby: In this effort, though, we should be very careful to distinguish between expanding our formal alliances or [?] alliances from expanding our partnerships, the former should be approached derivatively while the latter can be approached more liberally, when we extend an alliance commitment or something tantamount to it as in the case of Taiwan, we tie our credibility to that nation's fate. We should therefore be [cheery] about doings. In light of this, we should seek to expand our partnerships wherever possible. In particular, we should focus on increasing them in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, where China otherwise might have an open field to [subordances] and add them to its pro hegemonium coalition. 27:41 Elbridge Colby: I do not see a near term need to add any allies to the US roster. But I do think we will increasingly need to consider this as the shadow of Chinese power darkens over the region. 27:53 Elbridge Colby: Our effort to expand our network of allies and partners should really be focused on states with shared threat perceptions. It has become something of a common place that shared values form the bedrock of our alliances. It is true that such values help allies, but the most useful alliances generally proceed from shared fears. The best motivator to fight is self defense. The states that have a shared interest in preventing Chinese or Russian or Iranian hegemony selves have a natural alignment with our own. This is true whether or not they are democracies. 29:00 Elbridge Colby: In Asia, given the scale proposed by Beijing, we should concentrate most of our allies like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan on readying to defend themselves alongside US Armed Forces and provide access to US forces in the event of a contingency. 29:16 Elbridge Colby: Meanwhile, we should assist partners like Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, with whatever means available to enable their defense against an ever more powerful China while concurrently seeking greater access and logistics support for US and other allied forces. 29:39 Elbridge Colby: Europe Finally, the overall us goal should be while preserving the fundamental us commitment to NATO's defense to have Europeans especially in northern and eastern Europe shoulder more of the burden of defending the Alliance from Russia assault. The reality is that given the stakes and consequences, the United States must prioritize Asia. United States must therefore economize in its second theater Europe. 35:13 Elbridge Colby: And move away from using these tools as leverage for key partners for domestic political reform or secondary geopolitical objectives. United States should always of course, stand proudly for free government that treats its people with dignity. We must keep our eye on the prize though China is the primary challenge to our interest in the world, including our government, both at home and abroad. Our top priority must therefore be to block its gaining predominance in Asia, which is a very real prospect. This means strengthening states in the region against Chinese power, whether or not they are model democracies. 35:15 Rep. Adam Smith (WA): When we should we just say, look, we're not going to worry about your domestic politics. We want to build the Alliance, however possible. How would we deal with extreme human rights abuses, as are alleged in the Philippines in terms of extra judicial killings, or in the case of India, and of course, we're dealing with this with Turkey and Europe as well, as you know, doing the arm sales with Russia, should we significantly back off on our sort of sanctions policy for those things? And if so, how do we signal that without without undermining our credibility? 40:55 Elbridge Colby: In a sense, what we're going to need to do to leverage this greater power of this network, you know, allies, partners, whatever their role is going to be interoperability, the ability to work to different standards to communicate with each other. That's partially a technical problem and an equipment problem, but a lot of it is human training and an organizational issue. And Taiwan, I think I'm very enthusiastic about the arms sales to Taiwan. And I know that one was recently reported, I hope it goes through because it's the kind of equipment that we want to see this kind of A2AD denial kind of capabilities to Taiwan, but actually, where I think would be really valuable to move forward with. And that's a sensitive issue, but I think this would be within the context of our trade policy would personally be on training, you know, and that's something we could think about with Vietnam as well. Obviously, the Indians have a very sophisticated military, but they're maybe we can offer there too. So I think that's a real sort of force multiplier. 42:00 Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX): Turkeys geography, history, critical role is always going to be important is certainly valid. And yet, not only are there human rights and governance issues, the current leader of Turkey has policies that contradict the, in many ways the best interests of the United States. So, take that specific example. We don't want to make enemies of Turkey forever. But yet, what do we do now? To to preserve that future when there's a different government, but yet make clear or in some way help guide them on a better policy path? 57:50 Christine Wormuth: We need to make adjustments to our posture in the region to be able to better deal with China. And so the announcement by Palau, for example, that it's willing to host US airfields and bases could be quite helpful to us. Even though they're relatively small. We do need to diversify our footprint. 1:24:52 Christine Wormuth: The challenge is that the many of the countries in the indo Pacific don't want to have to choose between the United States and China. They want to engage with China for very clear economic interests, while most of them lean towards the United States for security interests, and I think they're trying to sort of thread that needle. 1:32:07 Christine Wormuth: Turkey is a very challenging geostrategic problem. I was in the Obama administration when we were fighting ISIS, and we knew there was tension between the necessity to have partners on the ground and the Syrian Democratic Forces were what we had. We knew Turkey had issues with that. In my experience, however, the United States worked very hard and very closely with Turkey to try to assuage their concerns and nothing was ever enough for them. So we do have a challenge, they are very important in terms of where they are located, but the authoritarianism that Erdogan has turned to is concerning. So I think we have to keep the dialogue open and continue to try to keep turkey inside the fold, but at the same time, communicate that doing whatever they want is not acceptable. And the the S400 for example, is a key example of that. 1:34:07 Christine Wormuth: AFRICOM’s Zero Based review, I hope will shed light on which kinds of activities are helping us and helping our African partners. 1:35:36 Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges: The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain all have extensive efforts going on in Africa. So this is an opportunity once again, where we can work with allies to achieve what our objectives are. 1:40:00 Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges: What for sure brings a lot of military capability air landed forces to the a lot and that if for some reason, you know that it would have to be filled by us or the state or other allied to then that's a problem right? Sorry. But more importantly is control the strokes that can help the blacks in the Mediterranean. And so having a NATO ally has control and sovereignty over the strait we have the mantra. Hearing: Stemming a Receding Tide: Human Rights and Democratic Values in Asia, Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, September 22, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Derek Mitchell President of the National Democratic Institute Returned to NDI in September 2018 after leaving in 1997 2012-2016: Former US Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) 2011-2012: U.S. Department of State’s first Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma 2009-2011: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA) 2001-2009: Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia Division of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) 1997-2001: Special Assistant for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense 1993-1997: Senior Program Officer for Asia and the former Soviet Union at the National Democratic Institute 1986-1988: Foreign policy assistant for Sen. Ted Kennedy Dr. Alyssa Ayres Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations Consultant for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation Senior Advisor for McLarty Associates A global consultant firm "at home in corporate board rooms & government cabinet rooms, anywhere in the world" Member of the United States Institute of Peace 2010-2013: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia 2008-2010: Founding director of the India and South Asia practice at McLarty Asssociates 2007-2008: Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Daniel Twining President of the International Republican Institute since 2017 Picked by outgoing President, Sen. John McCain 2009-2016: Former director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund 2007-2009: GWB State Department Policy Planning staffer 2001-2004: Foreign Policy Advisor to Sen. John McCain Transcript: 16:12 Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges: Last year I introduced the bipartisan Cambodia democracy act which passed the House overwhelmingly, it would impose sanctions on those in Cambodia responsible for undermining democratic rule of law in the country. We must be especially cognizant of democracies in Asia in danger of backsliding into autocracy, with China's help with their alternative to Western democracies, and that is Chinese socialism with Chinese characteristics that is communism, regardless of how they paint it and try to rename it. 21:10 Derek Mitchell: For nearly four decades, my organization, the National Democratic Institute, working alongside our partners at the International Republican Institute, and the National Endowment for Democracy has assisted the spread and institutionalization of democracy around the world. Let me say at the start that we can only do this work thanks to the sustained bipartisan support of Congress, including from this subcommittee. So for that we are truly grateful. 21:50 Derek Mitchell: Today NDI maintains nearly a dozen offices in the Indo-Pacific region. And last week we just received clearance from the Taiwan government to open an office in Taipei, which we will do soon. 30:07 Dr. Alyssa Ayres: Sri Lanka after a five year period of improvement is now moving in the other direction with the return of the Rajapaksa government. The new political configuration will not pursue progress on reconciliation and accountability for the end of the Civil War, and the newly elected parliament is already hard at work, the constitutional amendment to expand presidential powers. 34:21 Daniel Twining: Beyond China the past year has seen countries once viewed as bright spots for democracy like Malaysia and Sri Lanka, regress due to political infighting, personality politics and failure to deliver promised reforms. 1:48:50 Dr. Alyssa Ayres: I do believe that the creation of the DFC is important. It is my understanding that it is not quite up and running 100%. So we have yet to really see what it can do as a potential alternate to these kinds of infrastructure under writings. The other piece of the DFC is that is it in part designed to help crowd in private sector engagement and private sector investments. So that's another part of the story. I think we may need more time before we're able to see how effective this mechanism can be. 1:49:22 Dr. Alyssa Ayres: I would note that we also had another very effective source of US government assistance that depends on, his premise on good governance indicators. And that's the Millennium Challenge Corporation. And I would just caution that in the South Asia region, we have now seen two examples in Nepal and in Sri Lanka, were the long process of engaging toward a Millennium Challenge compact agreement, large investments, about 500 million in each case towards transportation and power infrastructure. These have actually been held up in both of those countries because of political concerns. The Nepali government doesn't want to be part of the US-Indo Pacific strategy or feel that it is somehow being brought into the Indo-Pacific strategy. The Rajapaksa government is suspicious of the US MCC. So I would just offer those two examples of cases where we've got a terrific tool, but it's run into some challenges for political reasons and the countries of concern. 1:50:29 Daniel Twining: Thank you, Congressman, you've been such a leader, including with your Cambodia democracy act. And you know, that's a reminder that we do have the tools and, and leverage. The Europeans in Cambodia have suspended trading privileges that they had offered to Cambodia. Cambodia is very reliant on our GSP still. So some of these economic instruments matter in both a negative sense, but also in a positive sense. When countries do well, we should be working with them on new trade and financial arrangements, the Chinese do come in and do this in their own way. And we should get back to that as a country. Sir, you mentioned, do we withdraw support when a country backslides, on democracy? You know, I would argue that most of our support for country should not go directly to their governments, should go to independent civil society, free media, independent institutions and not just go into a central coffer that disappears. In the past, we've gotten a lot smarter about this as a country, but in the past, a lot of us development assistance disappeared because we were giving it to friendly autocracies in some cases, who did not have any means of accounting for it. So let's make sure that we invest in these democracy and governance instruments because we want to make sure that US taxpayer money is being used well. Hearing: U.S. ENGAGEMENT IN THE INDO-PACIFIC AND BEYOND, Committee on Foreign Relations, September 17, 2017 Watch on C-SPAN Read Transcript Witnesses: Julie Chung Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department Philip T. Reeker 2019 to present: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs 2017-2019: Civilian Deputy to the Commander of the US European Command 2014-2017:Principal Officer and Consul General at the US Consulate General in Milan, Italy 2011-2014: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State fo rEuropean and Eurasian Affairs 2008-2011: US Ambassador to Macedonia 2007-2008: Counselor of Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Iraq 2004-2007: Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Hungary 1999-2004: Spokesman for the US State Dept David R. Stilwell Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department Transcript: 17:44 David R. Stilwell: For years, we in the international community credited Beijing's commitments that facilitating China's entry into the rules based international order would lead to increasing domestic reform and opening. Beijing's persistent flouting of these commitments has shattered those illusions. It is now clear to us and to more and more countries around the world that PRC foreign and security policy seeks to reshape the international environment around the narrow interests and authoritarian values of a single beneficiary. That is the Chinese Communist Party. 22:19 David R. Stilwell: We sincerely appreciate congressional leadership in establishing the new counter China influence fund in fiscal year 2020 Appropriations Bill. This very important provision provides the department with a flexible mechanism that will bolster our efforts to strengthen our partners resiliency to Chinese malign influence worldwide. The initial round of CCIF funding solicitation resulted in over 400 project submissions from around the globe, with demand far outstripping the appropriate funding. 29:57 Philip T. Reeker: By using platforms like the One Belt One Road initiative, the Chinese Communist Party endeavors to create dependencies and cultivate client state relationships through the 17 Plus One initiative which involves 12 countries that are both NATO and EU members primarily in Central and Eastern Europe, China aims to achieve access and ownership over valuable transportation hubs, critical infrastructure, ports and industries. 31:09 Philip T. Reeker: Using authorities granted by legislation members of this committee introduced, as mentioned the bipartisan Build Act and the European Energy Security and Diversification Act, we've been able to begin leveraging the New Development Finance Corporation to try to catalyze key investments in strategic projects. Most notable I'd point to Secretary Pompeo. His pledge at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year of $1 billion, a commitment to the Three Seas Initiative in the Czech Republic which Secretary Pompeo visited just last month, they have transformed from a target of Chinese influence to a leader in the European awakening. 33:29 Philip T. Reeker: Although China's GDP is about eight times the size of Russia's, Russia remains the primary military threat to Europe and the strategic priority for most of our allies and partners, particularly those in Central and Eastern Europe. Russia and China are more closely aligned strategically than at any point since the 1950s. And we see growing cooperation across a range of diplomatic, military, economic and information activities. 46:15 Julie Chung: In terms of [cepheus], and investment screening, we have extensive engagements in the region. We have been sending technical delegations to countries in the region to explain how public procurement processes and transparent processes work. We have helped governments build that capacity through the America Crece initiative. We have 10 mo use now signed with countries throughout the region. And that's part of the the tool to use in addressing the corruption issues that China is bringing to the region. How do we ensure the countries have the right tools in place, the practices in place, the procurement practices and regulatory framework to the private sector companies want to come and invest in those countries and ensure they have a level playing field to be working through the America Crece initiative. 47:17 Julie Chung: DFC has been a wonderful tool and resource that we've been able to now utilize more than ever, in from the former OPEX utilities, not expanding that broader base in Latin America and the Caribbean. So DFC in our region has already invested and has pledged to invest $12 billion in just the Western Hemisphere alone, and in Central America, $3 billion. So it's already invested in Central America, in El Salvador, for instance, on an LNG project, and other projects that are forthcoming. 1:17:16 Philip T. Reeker: Three Seas Initiative was developed by countries dozen countries in the Central and Eastern European region to provide alternatives particularly in a north-south direction for trade and infrastructure, and we have stepped in to support the Three Seas not as a member, but as an interested partner. And Secretary Pompeo outlined, as I mentioned, that the development Finance Corporation is offering up to a billion dollars in matching investment funds for opportunities throughout that region. 1:35:00 Julie Chung: Taiwan and the United States are working together in Latin America. So they announced financing to provide SME loan support for Latin American Central American region through the kabe. The Central American Bank of Government Integration. So that's one example of where we're providing that funding into the region. There's also a $26 million loan that DFCS provided to provide telecom towers in Peru and Ecuador 500 telecom towers, and this addresses both our strategic interest as well as a 5G telecommunications interest that where China is trying to take over and really control that that sector. 1:50:29 Julie Chung: In terms of DFC and working on digital authoritarianism, there's no better example in the region then in Maduro's regime, the authoritarian regime of Maduro and working in close concert with China, and China's ZTE has long had a relationship with the Maduro regime and providing the carnet de patria which spies on civil society and opposition leaders and determines how who gets what food allocations within that country. And so right now, of course, we are not engaging in DFC in Venezuela. But in a democratic future. When we have a democratic transition in that country. We would love to bring DFC into it and help rebuild. Hearing: THE HEALTH, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES FACING LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade, September 15, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Monica de Bolle, PhD Professor of Latin American Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics Senior Advisor with International Capital Strategies (not listed on her hearing bio) Former professor of macroeconomics at the Pontifical Catholic Universtiy of Rio de Janeiro Managing partner of Galanto MBB Consultants, a macroeconomic consultancy firm based in Brazil Former economist at the International Monetary Fund Michael Camilleri Director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program for Inter-American Dialogue Senior Advisor at WestExec Advisors since February 2018 (not listed on his hearing bio) The firm founded by the incoming Secretary of State, Antony Blinken Former Western Hemisphere adviser on Obama's Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff and Director for Andean Affairs at the National Security Council from 2012-2017 Former human rights specialist at the Organization of American States Former senior staff attorney at the Center for Justice and International Law Member of the Council on Foreign Relations Eric Farnsworth Vice President of the Council of the Americas since 2003 Former Managing Director of ManattJones Global Strategies, a consulting firm from 1998-2005 Former member of the global public policy division of Bristol-Meyers Squibb, a multinational pharmaceutical company Former Senior Policy Advisor to President Bill Clinton from 1995-1998 Former Foreign Affairs Officer at the State Department from 1990-1995 Former Services and Investment Industry Analyst at the Office of the US Trade Representatives in 1992 Transcript: 25:10 Rep. Francis Rooney (FL): US international development Finance Corporation will play a crucial role in investments in the region, which I believe can help the recovery and also as long term economic well being 2:08:13 Eric Farnsworth: Notably, Washington is taking actions to build a forward looking economic recovery agenda. Among them the Americas Crece, a program announced at the end of 2019 and enhanced financing facilities through the newly minted Development Finance Corporation. 2:09:21 Eric Farnsworth: Economic Recovery must be at the forefront of the pending summit of the Americas. Latin America already suffers from one of the lowest levels of intra regional trade worldwide, for example. The gains from expanded intra regional trade would establish sounder economic footing while helping to moderate the cyclical nature of commodities markets, as well. Nations across Latin America and the Caribbean can focus more attention on improving their respective investment climates. Mr. Rooney, the ranking minority member has made this case effectively many, many times. For its part, the United States should come to the 2021 summit with a robust economic expansion initiative. Absent a massive economic financial package of debt relief and new lending, renewal of a hemispheric trade and investment agenda will be the best way to promote regional recovery, support US and regional economic interests and renew a regional strategic posture that China has begun to challenge. 2:11:03 Julie Chung: So how does the United States continue to advocate democracy in Venezuela? I say sham of legislative election and the end of Guaido's mandate are rapidly approaching. How do we do that? Well, I don't if know if [inaudible] wanted this question. 2:13:03 Eric Farnsworth: There are huge amounts of illicit money being made and moved in Venezuela through illegal activities, illegal gold mining, drug trafficking and the like. And one of the best ways I think to get at the regime is to stanch the flow of those financial resources. And frankly, to identify and to freeze those funds and then also to begin to seize them and take them back at once the economic incentives for illegal behavior are removed or at least reduced, perhaps the political dynamic in Venezuela will change that people will begin to see that they really have to find a way out from this mess frankly, that Nicolas Maduro has created. 2:14:14 Monica de Bolle, PhD: It will be very hard to get other Latin American countries to focus on the issues in Venezuela given that they have runaway epidemics in their own countries. And we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that amongst the 10 countries that have the largest or the highest per capita death rate in the world right now are all in Latin America. 2:16:00 Michael Camilleri: Unfortunately, the Guaido interim government, the the National Assembly, the G4 are not in the same position they were in a year or your half ago, the balance of forces on the ground in Venezuela has tilted in favor of the Maduro regime. And so that will that will require us to calibrate our own efforts and invite view we need to be realistic about the fact that some sort of negotiated pathway to free and fair elections ultimately is the most realistic and the most peaceful, frankly, path out of the the awful situation that the country finds itself in. 2:23:21 Monica de Bolle, PhD: Apart from corruption, which is certainly a problem in the oil sector as well as in other parts of the Venezuelan economy, there's also been dramatic underinvestment in the oil industry, which has now led the country to this situation where, rather than being a very big net oil exporter, as they used to be in the 1980s in the 1990s, they've now become a net oil importer, which shows exactly how much you can squander your country's resources and just basically run an economy to the ground. 2:33:58 Eric Farnsworth: And what we're seeing is some concern in the investor community about actions that have been taken perhaps on the backtracking on the reform agenda around energy in particular, but in other sectors as well, canceling contracts that have been previously agreed, and some other actions like that and the investment community is very cautious. Hearing: PROTECTING DEMOCRACY DURING COVID–19 IN EUROPE AND EURASIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC AWAKENING IN BELARUS, Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment, September 10, 2020 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Douglas Rutzen President and CEO of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Professor at Georgetown University Law Center Advisory Board member of the United Nations Democracy Fund Therese Pearce Laanela Head of Electoral Processes at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Joanna Rohozinska Resident Program Director for Europe at the Beacon Project at the International Republican Institute Senior program officer for Europe at the National Endowment for Democracy at least as of 2019. She has worked there for about a decade Jamie Fly Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and Co-Director of the Alliance for Security Democracy Senior Advisor to WestExec Advisors Co-founded by incoming Secretary of State, Antony Blinken Former President and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2019 & 2020 Former counselor for foreign and national security affairs for Sen. Marco Rubio from 2013-2017 Former Executive Director of the Foreign Policy Initiative from 2009-2013 Former member of GWB's National Security Council from 2008-2009 Former member of GWB's Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2005-2008 Transcript: 53:30 Joanna Rohozinska: Lukshenko must be held responsible for his choices and actions. Word mating strategies with transatlantic allies should be priority and to call for dialogue, immediate release of political prisoners and support for the political opposition's demands for holding elections under international supervision and beginning negotiations on a Lukshenko transition. 53:56 Joanna Rohozinska: Support for democracy requires patience as well as long term commitment and vision. This has been made possible with the support of Congress to IRI and the family. Thank you and I look forward to your questions. 1:03:05 Therese Pearce Laanela: Institutions that are as strong...What we are seeing... those that are able to safeguard and against disinformation for example, they are working in innovative ways because this isn't a challenge that existed really as much before social media and one of the things that we're seeing is a kind of interagency cooperation, a partnership between private and public. That's really hasn't been seen before. Let me just take Australia as a case, but the working together with social media companies and government agencies and security agencies and election officials for rapid reaction to anything that comes in and that kind of seamless communication between agencies, that is one of the ways in which we can protect. 1:04:15 Jamie Fly: We have tools. Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty has a Bella Russian language service Radio Svoboda which has significant of followers inside Belarus. The problem is that Lukashenko like many other authoritarians have realized that when they face significant pressure, they should take the country offline. And Belarusian authorities have done that on a regular basis, which makes it much more difficult to communicate and allow information to spread freely. So what they really need outlets like Svoboda and other independent media are access to internet circumvention tools, which are also funded by the State Department and the US Agency for Global Media. 1:09:57 Douglas Rutzen: China is providing surveillance technology to countries including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Serbia. They also provided a $2 billion dollar loan to Hungry to construct a railway which Hungry then classified as a state secret in terms of the construction. 1:19:28 Brian Fitzpatrick: In 2013, in 2000, and he saw large scale protests in Ukraine, following what many believed to be a falsification of elections by their federal officials. So my first question for the entire panel, do you believe that Belarus protests could lead to a revolution similar to the one we saw in Ukraine and secondarily, on Tuesday, President Lukashenko, refused to rule out the idea of holding new elections, and acknowledge that he may have overstayed his time at office, whether or not you see revolutions similar to Ukraine, do you think that these protests could lead to an actual change in leadership? Joanna Rohozinska: So I take it as a question to me. I mean, I think that things have been building up and I would say that with this similarity to Ukraine was that there was also a deep seated frustration with corruption. Here, it's less about corruption. But it's still meets, where you have the accountability and transparency aspect of it that I was mentioning in my testimony. And I think that the frustration with the lack of responsive government and being treated like animals, frankly, is what they say, is what finally boiled over, but there's been, there's been an uptick in protests in Belarus, if you watch these kinds of things over the past two years, over the parasite tax, for example, which was also was a special tax that was put on unemployment, and on to penalize people who are unemployed, is trying to target civic activists, but it ended up reaching far farther than that. So you can see things percolating below the surface for quite a long time. Now. You never know when it's going to blow. Here, I think that there was just the COVID, underlay everything and it mobilized such a broad swath of society, that the trigger event was finally the elections, which again, demonstrating a degree of hubris they decided not to put off right, they figured that holding the elections at the beginning of August was the best thing to do, because there is always a low torque turnout and all this, frankly, because people tend to go out to the countryside. So they simply miscalculated. They did not understand how the people were feeling

About CHINA Town Hall: www.ncuscr.org/CTH.   Robust bilateral economic and trade ties have been the greatest source of strength and foundation for engagement in the U.S.-China relationship for decades. Yet in recent years those ties have been frayed by an ongoing trade war, the threat of decoupling, and a global economic and public health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.   The National Committee held a conversation on November 17, 2020 with Amy Celico (Albright Stonebridge Group), Huang Yiping (Peking University), and Andy Rothman (Matthews Asia), moderated by NCUSCR President Stephen Orlins, to discuss the current trade tensions, prospects for economic growth during and after COVID-19, and the future of U.S.-China economic ties.

#Biden #MindfulSkeptics #Biden2020 #YangGang #AndrewYang #Yang2020 Linda Thomas-Greenfield is an American diplomat who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs from 2013 to 2017. Following her work as a diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield became a senior vice president at Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, D.C. President-elect Joe Biden has announced his intention to nominate her as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Join the Discord Server: https://discord.gg/tXx8A9u Mindful Skeptics Podcast Donation Links: https://www.patreon.com/mindfulskeptics Cash App Link: $BoyceLittlefield Venmo Link: @mindfulskeptics PayPal.me/mindfulskeptics https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/14ZUK8NKJV15B?ref_=wl_share

Virtually celebrate the Senator Barbara A. Mikulski Room in the Central Library with Senator Barbara Mikulski and Ambassador Wendy Sherman in conversation, moderated by Meghan McCorkell. The people of Maryland elected Senator Barbara A. Mikulski to be their U.S. Senator because she was a fighter – looking out for the day–to–day needs of Marylanders and the long–range needs of the nation. She was not only the Senator from Maryland, but also the Senator for Maryland. Determined to make a difference in her community, Mikulski became a social worker in Baltimore. Her work evolved into community activism when Mikulski worked with a diverse coalition of communities across Baltimore City to successfully organize against the building of a 16–lane highway through Baltimore’s ethnic enclaves and predominantly Black-owned neighborhoods. Mikulski’s community organizing took her to Baltimore’s City Council in 1971, the United States House of Representatives in 1976, and then the United States Senate in 1986. Retiring in 2017, Mikulski has stated that it is not how long she served that matters, but rather how well she served her state and nation. A trailblazer, Mikulski was the first Democratic woman Senator elected in her own right. As a Senator, she focused on issues of science, technology, the economic and health security of women, as well as jobs and justice. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2015. And a supernova was named in her honor in 2012 by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Adam Reiss. She is currently a Homewood Professor of Public Policy at John Hopkins University, where she is dedicated to preparing the next generation of change-makers and innovators. Wendy R. Sherman is a professor of the practice of public leadership and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition, she is a Senior Fellow at the School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Ambassador Sherman is Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. She is currently an MSNBC global affairs contributor and on the USA TODAY Board of Contributors. This program is part of 2020 Women's Vote Centennial Initiative conversations at the Pratt Library. Recorded On: Thursday, November 19, 2020

Korea24 – 2020.11.17. (Tuesday) - News Briefing: The daily COVID-19 increase in South Korea remained above 200 for the fourth consecutive day, prompting authorities to raise social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area to Level 1.5. The government has urged the public to actively take part in quarantine measures to avoid having to enforce a stricter Level 2. (Robert Koehler) - In-Depth News Analysis: Evans Revere, Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, discusses why North Korea has been silent as the many other nations acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden's win in the 2020 U.S. Elections. He also talks about what would happen in the coming months with Biden’s inauguration set for January 2021, and what the Biden administration’s relations with the North would look like. - Korea Trending with Lee Ju-young: Television celebrity Sayuri gives birth as a single mother via sperm donor(사유리 출산), the national football team is to play Qatar as scheduled despite several players contracting COVID-19(한국-카타르전), and the PR duo of actress Song Hye-kyo and Professor Seo Kyung-deok make a major donation for Patriotic Martyrs Day(순국선열의 날). - Touch Base in Seoul: Korean liquor sommelier Dustin Wessa joins the studio to talk about his love for Korean alcohol and how the world of Korean drinks has changed in the past few years. - Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: Mark shares a piece from the Korea Herald that talks about Yeondeunghoe(연등회), South Korea’s annual Lotus Lantern Festival, reaching the final stage before being inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural assets(유네스코 인류무형유산).

The presidential race in the US has been anything but typical. With Trump calling fraud and threatening to take it to the Supreme Courts, it appears that it will take time before the new president is officially announced. But as Joe Biden increasingly looks favourite to become the next US president, what could this mean for Washington-Ankara relations? Guests: Matthew Bryza Former US Ambassador Hakan Akbas Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group

On Black Diplomats this week, host Terrell J. Starr is joined by two experts in world affairs to talk about President Trump’s foreign policies, and how he has tried to use the State Department to further his own interests. What does having a White Supremacist in Chief mean for American relations with the countries in Africa? They also discuss the advantages of diversity in the diplomatic corps from an insiders perspective, and what it’s going to take to repair the damage done by Tump’s shallow posturing. Desiree Cormier Smith is the Senior Policy Advisor for Africa, Europe, and Eurasia for the Open Society Foundations. Previously, she was a Senior Director of the Africa practice at Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic advisory firm. Prior to that, she was a Foreign Service Officer with assignments in Ethiopia, Mexico, South Africa, and Washington, DC. Mr. Travis L. Adkins is a Lecturer of African and Security Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. As an international development leader, he has two decades of experience working in governance, civil society and refugee and migration affairs in over 50 nations throughout Africa and the Middle East. This includes serving as Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Africa, working with leading international NGOs and think tanks, as well as within several branches of the United Nations system. Check out blackdiplomats.net for more information. Thank you for listening!

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez is the former WhiteHouse U.S. Commerce Secretary, CEO of Kellogg, Vice-Chairman @ Citi, Chair @ Albright Stonebridge Group & now Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath, a SaaS tech platform that uses machine learning to transform the way talent is managed and grown inside a company! Previously, Secretary Gutierrez served as Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory firm. Secretary Gutierrez served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009 under President G.W. Bush. Secretary Gutierrez played a key role in the passage of landmark free trade agreements that remove trade barriers, expand export opportunities, and boost global investment. Secretary Gutierrez spent nearly 30 years @ Kellogg Company, becoming President and CEO of Kellogg − the youngest CEO in the company's 100 year history. In 2000, he was made Chairman. Secretary Gutierrez spent nearly 30 years @ Kellogg Company, becoming President and CEO of Kellogg − the youngest CEO in the company's 100 year history. In 2000, he was made Chairman. Current Boards: Boao Forum for Asia, Occidental, MetLife, PwC. Former Boards: TimeWarner, United Technologies, Corning & Colgate-Palmolive. Secretary Gutierrez was born in Havana, Cuba. He is based in Washington, DC. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/andreas-penna/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/andreas-penna/support

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we had the distinct honor and pleasure of interviewing Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield about her life and career in public service and her analysis of many of the opportunities and challenges the US faces today. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s career in foreign service included State Department appointments across Republican and Democratic presidents from George W. Bush through President Obama. From 2013-2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where she led the development and management of U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield now serves as Senior Vice President at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington DC and leads the firm's Africa practice. She earned B.A. from Louisiana State University and an M.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she worked towards a PhD. She received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Wisconsin in May 2018. We learned so much, and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, and hope you will too. Listen here.

In this week’s episode, Correspondent Venice Buhain talks with Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman about her book Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence. Sherman brings listeners inside the negotiating room to show how to put diplomatic values to work in their own lives. With personal experiences, from her own life—from growing up in civil-rights-era Baltimore, to stints as a social worker, campaign manager, and business owner, to advising multiple presidents—she shares how she has relied on values like authenticity, acceptance of change, and commitment to the team. Join Wendy and Venice as they take us inside the world of international diplomacy—and stay in the know about what’s going on in this moment at Town Hall Seattle. Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman is Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. She led the negotiating team that reached agreement on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran for which, among other diplomatic accomplishments, she was awarded the National Security Medal by President Barack Obama. You can follow her on Twitter @wendyrsherman. Venice Buhain has been a journalist based in Washington State for two decades. Her work has appeared on KING5.com, The Seattle Globalist, TVW News, AOL’s Patch, The Olympian, The Daily News in Longview, and the Eastside Journal in Bellevue. Buy the Book: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/ambassador-wendy-r-sherman/not-for-the-faint-of-heart/9781568588148/?utm_expid=.OyywKgKNQfKo0ZgN1WBZtg.0&utm_referrer=  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here or text TOWN HALL to 44321. 

In this week’s episode, Correspondent Venice Buhain talks with Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman about her book Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence. Sherman brings listeners inside the negotiating room to show how to put diplomatic values to work in their own lives. With personal experiences, from her own life—from growing up in civil-rights-era Baltimore, to stints as a social worker, campaign manager, and business owner, to advising multiple presidents—she shares how she has relied on values like authenticity, acceptance of change, and commitment to the team. Join Wendy and Venice as they take us inside the world of international diplomacy—and stay in the know about what’s going on in this moment at Town Hall Seattle. Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman is Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. She led the negotiating team that reached agreement on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran for which, among other diplomatic accomplishments, she was awarded the National Security Medal by President Barack Obama. You can follow her on Twitter @wendyrsherman. Venice Buhain has been a journalist based in Washington State for two decades. Her work has appeared on KING5.com, The Seattle Globalist, TVW News, AOL’s Patch, The Olympian, The Daily News in Longview, and the Eastside Journal in Bellevue. Buy the Book: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/ambassador-wendy-r-sherman/not-for-the-faint-of-heart/9781568588148/?utm_expid=.OyywKgKNQfKo0ZgN1WBZtg.0&utm_referrer=  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here or text TOWN HALL to 44321. 

In episode 5, Michael Warren and Professor Mari Sako explore how far the Covid-19 crisis has blurred the boundary between business and government.We also hear from Dr Mo Ibrahim and Professor Wale Adebanwi on the need to put governance at the centre of Africa's development. Featuring:Michael Warren, Global Managing Director, Albright Stonebridge Group.Mari Sako, Professor of Management Studies, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation.Wale Adebanwi, Rhodes Professor of Race Relations; Director of the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford.https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/ For more Business Insights head to Oxford AnswersCredits:Producer/editor – Eve Streeter for Stabl

In the episode, we speak with Samuel Ide, a Director in the China Practice at the Albright Stonebridge Group. We discuss how China's recent Hong Kong legislation and relations with the United States impact businesses practicing in Asia and how COVID-19 has changed approaches to international affairs.

Entrevista con Antonio Ortíz Mena, Senior VP de Albright Stonebridge Group y profesor en Georgetown y el CIDE, y Guadalupe González, profesora en el COLMEX y socia fundadora de COMEXI. Analizan la visita del Presidente López Obrador a Washington; los símbolos, los hechos, qué faltó y qué sobró.

Hablamos de remesas con Antonio Ortiz-Mena, del Albright Stonebridge Group y del CIDE. De Rusia, con periodistas en Moscú. De hispanos y pódcast en español, con Gabriel Soto de Edison Research y María Jesús Espinosa de los Monteros de Podium Podcast

Secretary Madeleine Albright - Optimism, The Future of the US, and 450-Pound Leg Presses | Brought to you by Athletic Greens and Helix Sleep. “I’m an optimist who worries a lot.” — Secretary Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine K. Albright (@madeleine) is a professor, author, diplomat, and businesswoman who served as the 64th secretary of state of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female secretary of state and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the US government. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the US permanent representative to the United Nations and was a member of the president’s cabinet. She is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Dr. Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets.She also chairs the National Democratic Institute, serves as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation, and is a member of the US Defense Department’s Defense Policy Board. In 2012, she was chosen by President Obama to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of her contributions to international peace and democracy.Dr. Albright is a seven-time New York Times best-selling author. Her most recent book, Hell and Other Destinations, was published in April, 2020. Her other books include Madam Secretary: A Memoir, her autobiography; The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs; Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership; Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box; Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937–1948; and Fascism: A Warning.This podcast is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.As a listener of The Tim Ferriss Show, you’ll get a free 20-count travel pack (valued at $79) with your first order at AthleticGreens.com/tim.This podcast episode is also brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 best overall mattress pick of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress for each and everybody’s unique taste. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, to my dear listeners, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/TIM.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests.For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

As the novel coronavirus and resulting illness, COVID-19, spread across China and now the United States and much of the world, national governments have had to scramble to address this unprecedented health threat. At the same time, the pandemic has caused an enormous strain in U.S.-China relations at a time when the two countries are contending with an on-going trade war and other sources of friction. On April 14, 2020, the National Committee hosted a virtual program with three experts: Yuen Yuen Ang of the University of Michigan, Amy Celico of the Albright Stonebridge Group, and Elizabeth Knup of the Ford Foundation. Committee president Steve Orlins moderated the conversation as they considered how the rampant spread of the virus is affecting the U.S.-China relationship, and what the long-term impact may be in the political, economic, and social realms.

We were glad to welcome back Matthew Goodman from CSIS in Washington. As you can see from his short bio below, Matt has had both public and private sector roles and has been directly involved with the G20 in past U.S. administrations. Matt has ben working with colleagues Stephanie Segal and Mark Sobel to evaluate the G20 summits. This analysis can be found at the CSIS website. It prompted Global Summitry to get back in touch with Matt to bring him into the virtual studio to discuss how the Informals and the formal institutions are responding to the pandemic. We also had an opportunity during the podcast to examine the difficult relationship between the two leading states, the U.S. and China, and how that disruptive relationship has had an impact on the global governance response to the crisis. Matthew is senior vice president, senior adviser for Asian economics, and holds the Simon Chair in Political Economy at CSIS. Matthew has served in both the private sector at Goldman Sachs and Albright Stonebridge Group and has also held several significant roles in the public sector including early in his career as an international economist at the U.S. Treasury Department and at the Tokyo Embassy. Subsequently, he was director of international economics on the National Security Council staff responsible for the G20 and, the then G8, and then former White House Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

This episode we're speaking with Ken Jarrett, senior advisor at the Albright Stonebridge Group and a former AmCham Shanghai president. We discuss the impact of the coronavirus on U.S.-China relations, including how it's affected each country's global reputation, and what the lasting damage from the pandemic could be on the bilateral relationship. 

Ambassador Wendy Sherman has been at the table for some of the most challenging negotiations in recent history. She’s held talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and sparred with Iranian officials to hammer out the 2015 nuclear weapons deal. Now she’s brought what she’s learned about authentic leadership, diplomacy, and succeeding as a woman in a male-dominated field to a new book, which is titled “Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power and Persistence” Ambassador Sherman is a professor of the practice of public leadership, director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She is also a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs. For more about the Center for Public Leadership, please visit https://cpl.hks.harvard.edu/. PolicyCast is hosted by Harvard Kennedy School Associate Dean of Communications Thoko Moyo. The show is produced by Ralph Ranalli and Susan Hughes.

In this episode, Jon Alterman discusses U.S.-Iran negotiations with Ambassador Wendy Sherman. Amb. Sherman is a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. She led the U.S. negotiations team in developing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and is the author of Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss the role of Iranian soft power in the Middle East, and we finish with a look at religious eulogists in Iran. Jon Alterman, “U.S.-Iran Negotiations,” CSIS, September 13, 2019. Isaac Chotiner, “Q&A with Wendy Sherman: The Dangers of Trump’s Approach to Iran,” The New Yorker, June 19, 2019. Hanin Ghaddar and Dana Stroul, “Pushing Back on Iran in Syria: Beyond the Boots,” Washington Institute, January 22, 2019. “Soul Singers: Modernizing Shi`ite Eulogists” CSIS, July 12, 2018.

In this episode, Jon Alterman discusses U.S.-Iran negotiations with Ambassador Wendy Sherman. Amb. Sherman is a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. She led the U.S. negotiations team in developing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and is the author of Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence. Jon, Will, and Amber also discuss the role of Iranian soft power in the Middle East, and we finish with a look at religious eulogists in Iran. Jon Alterman, “U.S.-Iran Negotiations,” CSIS, September 13, 2019. Isaac Chotiner, “Q&A with Wendy Sherman: The Dangers of Trump’s Approach to Iran,” The New Yorker, June 19, 2019. Hanin Ghaddar and Dana Stroul, “Pushing Back on Iran in Syria: Beyond the Boots,” Washington Institute, January 22, 2019. “Soul Singers: Modernizing Shi`ite Eulogists” CSIS, July 12, 2018.

Half of all peace agreements fall apart within five years. Three years after signing a storied deal, ex-FARC rebels say they’re taking back up their arms. The situation—compounded with election violence and a tense situation with neighboring Venezuela—is sobering, says Muni Jensen of the Albright Stonebridge Group, but Colombia nonetheless has a pragmatic president in office and a relatively solid economy.

The role government should play in the free market has always been a contentious issue, even more so when international trade jeopardizes national security. As the standoff between the United States and China continues, disagreements over what constitutes mutually acceptable trade practices are becoming more entrenched, with both governments accusing the other of interference and overreach. Watch Amy Celico of Albright Stonebridge Group discuss how concerns over economic competition and national security inform U.S. implementation of trade strategies like market protectionism and ‘securitization.’ Amy Celico is a principal of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm, and leads the firm’s China practice in Washington, D.C. She has more than 20 years of experience working on China issues. Previously, Ms. Celico served as senior director for China affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She also worked at the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the International Trade Administration and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research in Washington, D.C. Ms. Celico serves on the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

We begin the country tour of the major G20 members with Ep 12. Matthew Goodman is our guest from CSIS in Washington. As his short bio below will tell you, Matt has had both public and private sector roles and has been directly involved with the G20 in past administrations. If nothing else, as noted in Ep 11 with Yves Tiberghien, the G20 Summit was filled with pageantry – principally Donald Trump’s. There is a series of Trump events – meeting with China’s Xi Jinping over the US-China trade war, and, as it turns out, a rather vague agreement providing a truce in the tariff increases by the United States while negotiations resume, his encounters with Vladimir Putin and the breakfast with the Saudi Crown Prince and finally, but certainly not least, the meeting with Kim Jong-un at the Korean DMZ just after the completion of the Summit. One of the first questions we have for Matt is what is the Trump Administration up to; what was the President hoping to accomplish at the G20 in Japan? We were fortunate to be able to ask Matt to help us better understand the Administration’s stance with both the top-tier and mid-tier issues of this Summit. Matthew is senior vice president, senior adviser for Asian economics, and holds the Simon Chair in Political Economy at CSIS. Matthew has served in both the private sector at Goldman Sachs and Albright Stonebridge Group and has also held a number of significant roles in the public sector including early in his career as an international economist at the U.S. Treasury Department and at the Tokyo Embassy. Subsequently, he was director of international economics on the National Security Council staff responsible for the G20 and, the then G8, and then former White House Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

Please join the CSIS Americas program for a discussion about new research illustrating how Venezuelans view their country’s humanitarian, political and economic crisis. Mark Feierstein, CSIS Senior Advisor and former special assistant to President Obama and senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council, will share publicly for the first time a national poll last month by Albright Stonebridge Group and GBAO that shows the opinion of the Venezuelan people on issues such as: Guaido’s v. Maduro’s popular support; perspectives on the United States and other international actors; views on the role of sanctions, negotiations and military intervention; the credibility of elections; and Chávez’ legacy, among other interesting indicators. During this event, we will discuss with Mr. Feierstein the conclusions of what the role of the international community should be to help Venezuelans chart a path forward. The presentation of the poll results will be followed by a moderated discussion with Moises Rendon, associate director of the CSIS Americas Program and Venezuela expert and Gerver Torres, a research adviser with the Gallup Organization and CSIS Americas Senior Associate. This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.  

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Alexandre Alaphillippe centró su intervención en las técnicas que se están utilizando para la desinformación. Con la Inteligencia Artificial se puede crear gente que no existe, se pueden crear imágenes instantáneas de personas. La pregunta es hasta qué punto lo que nos rodea el falso. El 60% del tráfico en la red lo es, porque son páginas pensadas para que los algoritmos aprendan. El problema de todo esto es que ahora, con un robot, es muy fácil ver el comportamiento de una persona y crear guiones que imitan lo que hace. Debido a ello, resulta más difícil percibir que eso es falso, que no hay una persona real detrás. Con la tecnología, es muy fácil crear una historia sobre todo tipo de cosas, con datos personales que se obtienen de la red. Uno se puede inventar una historia y una personalidad online y tiene la capacidad de hacer pensar a la gente que esto es verdad. Esto es posible porque tenemos un nuevo paradigma: ahora vivimos en el mundo de la tensión psicológica. Y es que las plataformas están diseñadas para que te quedes el mayor tiempo posible y aprender más de ti. Vinculan esa información con toda la que tienen dentro del sistema y fuera de él. Quieren que te quedes porque harán más dinero. Si añadimos la capacidad del cerebro de no pensar cuando tenemos algo que nos pone furiosos, la cosa todavía es peor, porque las emociones lo son todo. Lo que quieren es que reaccionemos, pero si se pasa esa imagen por una herramienta, se percibe que hay cosas que no estaban al principio, que se han añadido. Cuando te quedas 30 segundos simplemente mirando, tu reacción cambia y piensas si esto es verdad. Las emociones raptan fácilmente nuestro cerebro racional, porque así es como sobrevivimos. La desinformación utiliza imágenes vinculadas a un concepto, imágenes que no siempre son verdaderas o que no pertenecen a los acontecimientos que se pretenden criticar. Toda esta información no se queda limitada a nuestro país, sino que circula por el mundo, porque es nuevo contenido para la gente que no lo ha visto. Los grupos polarizados surgen porque solemos ser amigos de gente que es como nosotros. Es gente que tiene una manera particular de ver el mundo. Si solo estás viendo el mismo contenido siempre, se convierte en verdadero y vamos a tender a seguir lo que nos parece que es lo que piensa la mayoría. Cuanto menos confiamos en nuestras instituciones, más caemos en estar con la gente que piensa como nosotros, lo cual se pude manipular porque se sabe lo que quieres ver y es lo que te van a enseñar. Antes, para hablar te ibas a un bar. Luego pasamos a debatir por internet. Ahora estamos chillándonos unos a otros, pero sin debatir, con lo que se acabó la discusión y la democracia. Podemos saber cómo se comporta la gente gracias a la inteligencia artificial. El problema es por qué tenemos este tipo de problemas, no la tecnología en sí misma. Antes teníamos una democracia representativa, que está muy bien. Teníamos tiempo para deliberar, líderes, un consenso. En internet es muy diferente, se basa en la polarización. Tenemos que encontrar un nuevo modelo y reformar lo que era nuestro sistema de buen gobierno. La desinformación es un momento interesante para debatir, porque tenemos que decidir qué queremos hacer con la democracia. Las elecciones son importantes, por eso tenemos que tener tiempo para saber que vamos a votar y tener las herramientas para que nos ayuden, no para que nos controlen. También es importante que haya elementos para equilibrar, porque si no vamos a tener un desequilibrio.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Daniel Fried comentó que la desinformación no es nada nuevo. En este sentido, recordó que la Unión Soviética lanzó el rumor de que la CIA había inventado el sida. La forma de hacerlo fue dirigirse a los periódicos africanos, que sacaron la historia, para que luego hablaran de ella los medios europeos y que pasara a los gobiernos. El rumor llegó a creerse. La KGB, que dirigía la operación, inventó los idiotas útiles. Ahora, con internet, ese proceso se puede hacer en minutos y conseguir que la historia se extienda rápidamente. La imprenta no solo creó la Biblia, sino también “Mi lucha”. Hace siglos también estaban los panfletos. Es decir, la tecnología siempre se ha utilizado con fines propagandísticos, pero ahora es más rápido y más difícil encontrar el origen de esa propaganda. Para David Alandete, el problema hoy es que cuando se compite en el mundo online el terreno es igual para todos y los periodistas tienen que competir con personas que actúan como periodistas sin serlo. El periodista ejerce un derecho que pertenece a toda la sociedad para poder votar informada. La desinformación mata al periodista y trata de ir por encima de él para que a los políticos les resulte más fácil hablar directamente con los ciudadanos, en especial en las dictaduras. En Siria pudo ver como los medios rusos describían a Occidente como corrupto, etc. Para ellos no existían ataques químicos. Esa burbuja se fue ampliando y ampliando y llegó a otras áreas de ataque. Ahora estamos en un entorno en el que los medios rusos que actúan en todos los idiomas están dando a entender que hay una realidad distinta y alternativa. Cuando no tienes medios fuertes que comprueben los hechos, todo fracasa y nos encontramos en una situación en la que cualquier cosa es posible en Europa porque todo se hace viral. Nicolás de Pedro indicó que las personas como él que llevan tiempo siguiendo a Rusia sabían que los rusos hace tiempo que han decidido socavar occidente para protegerse ellos mismos. Todo lo que hacen es para defenderse. Al menos, así lo creen ellos. Lo que está haciendo el Kremlin es ofrecer una plataforma para multiplicar los efectos de nuestra crisis: la crisis de nuestras democracias liberales, la falta de prosperidad y la legitimidad de nuestro sistema. También está la crisis de los modelos tradicionales. La solución a todo esto está relacionada con la educación, con la alfabetización mediática. Rusia ha identificado, con razón, que puede explotar la legitimidad de occidente, que está bajo mínimos. La cuestión es si nos ponemos a trabajar juntos para frenarlo, porque están utilizando la libertad de expresión para atacarnos. Lo que hay que hacer es conectar todos los puntos. Cuando hablamos del Kremlin esto es parte de una estructura muy importante, que va desde la desintermediación nuclear al uso de dinero negro. Están financiando a partidos de extrema derecha y de extrema izquierda, pero podríamos hacer algo con la legislación para que esto no se permita. Kadri Kaska comentó que, en Estonia, tuvieron que ver que la seguridad no es solamente asegurar los sistemas de información y de votación, sino también nuestras sociedades cada vez más digitales. En cuanto empezaron a hablar de las elecciones por internet se dieron cuenta de que había muchísimos peligros en ello. No son solamente las elecciones, sino también la resistencia de su ecosistema digital, el funcionamiento normal de nuestras sociedades. Las ciber amenazas que hemos visto en los últimos cinco años son que la desinformación se amplifica, los conflictos de valores se agravan por los medios que utilizamos para resolver nuestros problemas. Hay muy pocos incentivos para colaborar. No apreciamos como podemos aprovechar la conectividad para luchar juntos. Estos patrones tienen a asentarse en las naciones por su importancia, pero no es un ataque contra las elecciones, sino contra nuestra forma de vida. La ciber seguridad en las elecciones se tiene que ver como un todo integrado. No solo asegurar la forma de votar y las urnas, sino ver dónde están las amenazas contra nuestras infraestructuras críticas. En la UE tenemos una directiva sobre seguridad de la información. Es una herramienta muy importante, porque crea una visión muy consistente de que servicios consideramos esenciales para nuestra sociedad, pero también crea un mecanismo de gestión de riesgos para ser conscientes de las amenazas y vulnerabilidades que tenemos. Hay diferentes niveles de criticabilidad y hay servicios e infraestructuras que pueden afectar funciones públicas, por ejemplo, los medios, las redes sociales, los partidos políticos, la ONGs. Si pensamos en el ecosistema, la gestión de ciber riesgos también tiene que ver con el alfabetismo digital de los partidos políticos, de los sindicatos y de los votantes. No es solo cuestión de ciber higiene. Daniel Fried añadió que, al atacar cualquier problema, hay que trocearlo, no verlo desde el nivel agregado. También hay que trabajar dentro de las normas democráticas, no hay que acabar con ellas para luchar contra la desinformación porque no funciona. Luego hay que separar extranjero de nacional. Nuestro cambio de maniobra es más aplicable a los actores extranjeros. Hay cosas que podemos hacer para limitar la presencia extranjera en el espacio digital, y eso también se puede hacer con los agentes nacionales. Hay que utilizar principios de transparencia e integridad para filtrar la desinformación extranjera para ver quién está haciendo esos blogs y ver que no son personas falsas. La gente tiene que saber que es Iván, de San Petersburgo. Hay muchas capacidades técnicas para hacerlo. Otra área que hay que considerar es el sesgo algorítmico, porque es rentable. Antes, los canales de televisión tenían que cubrir ambos lados de la noticia. Eso nos permitiría exigir a las empresas actuales que lo hagan ahora. Se puede hacer a través de la regulación. También de las normas de servicio. Hay que sacar a los bots de sus sistemas porque las soluciones técnicas existen. Hay que centrase en las soluciones. Puede que no resuelvan el problema de la desinformación, pero la pueden limitar.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. El acto se inició con la intervención de Ana de Palacio, quien señaló que los valores democráticos en esta era de desinformación se basan en que los ciudadanos puedan tomar decisiones informadas. Si la desinformación oculta la verdad, no se puede cumplir ese requisito fundamental de la democracia, ni permite que la sociedad funcione adecuadamente. Por el contrario, la desinformación aumenta las divisiones en el seno de la sociedad. Por eso es una amenaza existencial, que devora a la democracia desde dentro, y a la que hay que dar respuesta. En este sentido, en Europa se están produciendo iniciativas muy interesantes. El problema de esas iniciativas es que están compuestas más de palabras que de hechos. Tenemos códigos, documentos, el ‘task force’, una página de la Unión Europea, pero eso solo son los primeros pasos. Y lo que hay que hacer es vacunarse contra la desinformación. Estamos solo al principio de la guerra de la desinformación. Los rumores y la propaganda siempre han existido, pero ahora, con las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, tenemos un nuevo aspecto, un nuevo frente. Después de las manipulaciones informativas que vimos en 2016, quienes toman decisiones empezaron a darse cuenta del desafío al que nos enfrentamos. La OTAN, por ello, seguirá siendo crucial, dado el vínculo existente entre desinformación y seguridad, pero eso es algo que tenemos que tener muy claro. La desinformación es un síntoma de una enfermedad mucho más amplia que está afectando a la sociedad. Por ello, responder a los creadores de noticias falsas en Rusia es necesario, pero no suficiente, para afrontar este desafío. Cuando nos enfrentamos a un peligro anónimo, la primera reacción es actuar a corto plazo, de forma visible, erradicando las fuentes. Estas son buenas políticas, que actúan por el lado de la oferta. Pero si no hacemos algo también por el lado de la demanda, vamos a vernos inmersos en una guerra interminable. Ahora bien, atacar el lado de la demanda es mucho más difícil, porque requiere hacerlo mediante la educación. Italia es un buen ejemplo al respecto. Allí están introduciendo cursos sobre alfabetismo de los medios. También hay que establecer una mejor relación entre el político y el ciudadano, al que se ha dejado de lado, porque la falta de esa relación reduce el sentido de la responsabilidad. Cuando la población siente que no tiene poder, esa sociedad se convierte en un lugar fértil para que se extienda la desinformación y se acaba transitando hacia las realidades alternativas que nos presentan las nuevas tecnologías. De la misma forma, es preciso crear nuevas narrativas, ya que las que teníamos antes han dejado de servir. La prosperidad ya no es la narrativa principal en Europa, después de todo lo que ha sucedido en relación con la crisis. Eso se combina con el declive demográfico y sus consecuencias, con una población que se reduce. El resultado de todo ello es que acabamos a la deriva, en un entorno que ya no controlamos y en el que nos sentimos perdidos. Desde esta perspectiva, tenemos que ser conscientes de que nos estamos enfrentado a desafíos cada vez más duros cuando tratamos de afrontar las demandas de la sociedad. Estamos viviendo en un mundo que está cambiando a velocidades de vértigo. Estamos llegando al final de un periodo de doscientos años en los que la idea de la ilustración y la importancia de la persona eran fundamentales. Hoy, esas ideas están en retroceso y se da prioridad a la colectividad sobre el individuo. Si queremos enfrentaros a estos desafíos, tenemos que poner orden en nuestra casa y mantener una sociedad que sea capaz de resistir. Lo importante es mantener la resistencia, que depende del grado en que Estados Unidos siga siendo un país que sabe lo que quiere, que sabe enfrentarse a los problemas internos y que tiene una altura moral a la altura de sus mejores tradiciones. Ese es el desafío que vemos hoy a ambos lados del Atlántico, el de estar a la altura de nuestra mejor tradición. Por eso, tampoco hay que olvidar los desafíos que tenemos dentro.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Daniel Fried comentó que la desinformación no es nada nuevo. En este sentido, recordó que la Unión Soviética lanzó el rumor de que la CIA había inventado el sida. La forma de hacerlo fue dirigirse a los periódicos africanos, que sacaron la historia, para que luego hablaran de ella los medios europeos y que pasara a los gobiernos. El rumor llegó a creerse. La KGB, que dirigía la operación, inventó los idiotas útiles. Ahora, con internet, ese proceso se puede hacer en minutos y conseguir que la historia se extienda rápidamente. La imprenta no solo creó la Biblia, sino también “Mi lucha”. Hace siglos también estaban los panfletos. Es decir, la tecnología siempre se ha utilizado con fines propagandísticos, pero ahora es más rápido y más difícil encontrar el origen de esa propaganda. Para David Alandete, el problema hoy es que cuando se compite en el mundo online el terreno es igual para todos y los periodistas tienen que competir con personas que actúan como periodistas sin serlo. El periodista ejerce un derecho que pertenece a toda la sociedad para poder votar informada. La desinformación mata al periodista y trata de ir por encima de él para que a los políticos les resulte más fácil hablar directamente con los ciudadanos, en especial en las dictaduras. En Siria pudo ver como los medios rusos describían a Occidente como corrupto, etc. Para ellos no existían ataques químicos. Esa burbuja se fue ampliando y ampliando y llegó a otras áreas de ataque. Ahora estamos en un entorno en el que los medios rusos que actúan en todos los idiomas están dando a entender que hay una realidad distinta y alternativa. Cuando no tienes medios fuertes que comprueben los hechos, todo fracasa y nos encontramos en una situación en la que cualquier cosa es posible en Europa porque todo se hace viral. Nicolás de Pedro indicó que las personas como él que llevan tiempo siguiendo a Rusia sabían que los rusos hace tiempo que han decidido socavar occidente para protegerse ellos mismos. Todo lo que hacen es para defenderse. Al menos, así lo creen ellos. Lo que está haciendo el Kremlin es ofrecer una plataforma para multiplicar los efectos de nuestra crisis: la crisis de nuestras democracias liberales, la falta de prosperidad y la legitimidad de nuestro sistema. También está la crisis de los modelos tradicionales. La solución a todo esto está relacionada con la educación, con la alfabetización mediática. Rusia ha identificado, con razón, que puede explotar la legitimidad de occidente, que está bajo mínimos. La cuestión es si nos ponemos a trabajar juntos para frenarlo, porque están utilizando la libertad de expresión para atacarnos. Lo que hay que hacer es conectar todos los puntos. Cuando hablamos del Kremlin esto es parte de una estructura muy importante, que va desde la desintermediación nuclear al uso de dinero negro. Están financiando a partidos de extrema derecha y de extrema izquierda, pero podríamos hacer algo con la legislación para que esto no se permita. Kadri Kaska comentó que, en Estonia, tuvieron que ver que la seguridad no es solamente asegurar los sistemas de información y de votación, sino también nuestras sociedades cada vez más digitales. En cuanto empezaron a hablar de las elecciones por internet se dieron cuenta de que había muchísimos peligros en ello. No son solamente las elecciones, sino también la resistencia de su ecosistema digital, el funcionamiento normal de nuestras sociedades. Las ciber amenazas que hemos visto en los últimos cinco años son que la desinformación se amplifica, los conflictos de valores se agravan por los medios que utilizamos para resolver nuestros problemas. Hay muy pocos incentivos para colaborar. No apreciamos como podemos aprovechar la conectividad para luchar juntos. Estos patrones tienen a asentarse en las naciones por su importancia, pero no es un ataque contra las elecciones, sino contra nuestra forma de vida. La ciber seguridad en las elecciones se tiene que ver como un todo integrado. No solo asegurar la forma de votar y las urnas, sino ver dónde están las amenazas contra nuestras infraestructuras críticas. En la UE tenemos una directiva sobre seguridad de la información. Es una herramienta muy importante, porque crea una visión muy consistente de que servicios consideramos esenciales para nuestra sociedad, pero también crea un mecanismo de gestión de riesgos para ser conscientes de las amenazas y vulnerabilidades que tenemos. Hay diferentes niveles de criticabilidad y hay servicios e infraestructuras que pueden afectar funciones públicas, por ejemplo, los medios, las redes sociales, los partidos políticos, la ONGs. Si pensamos en el ecosistema, la gestión de ciber riesgos también tiene que ver con el alfabetismo digital de los partidos políticos, de los sindicatos y de los votantes. No es solo cuestión de ciber higiene. Daniel Fried añadió que, al atacar cualquier problema, hay que trocearlo, no verlo desde el nivel agregado. También hay que trabajar dentro de las normas democráticas, no hay que acabar con ellas para luchar contra la desinformación porque no funciona. Luego hay que separar extranjero de nacional. Nuestro cambio de maniobra es más aplicable a los actores extranjeros. Hay cosas que podemos hacer para limitar la presencia extranjera en el espacio digital, y eso también se puede hacer con los agentes nacionales. Hay que utilizar principios de transparencia e integridad para filtrar la desinformación extranjera para ver quién está haciendo esos blogs y ver que no son personas falsas. La gente tiene que saber que es Iván, de San Petersburgo. Hay muchas capacidades técnicas para hacerlo. Otra área que hay que considerar es el sesgo algorítmico, porque es rentable. Antes, los canales de televisión tenían que cubrir ambos lados de la noticia. Eso nos permitiría exigir a las empresas actuales que lo hagan ahora. Se puede hacer a través de la regulación. También de las normas de servicio. Hay que sacar a los bots de sus sistemas porque las soluciones técnicas existen. Hay que centrase en las soluciones. Puede que no resuelvan el problema de la desinformación, pero la pueden limitar.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Alexandre Alaphillippe centró su intervención en las técnicas que se están utilizando para la desinformación. Con la Inteligencia Artificial se puede crear gente que no existe, se pueden crear imágenes instantáneas de personas. La pregunta es hasta qué punto lo que nos rodea el falso. El 60% del tráfico en la red lo es, porque son páginas pensadas para que los algoritmos aprendan. El problema de todo esto es que ahora, con un robot, es muy fácil ver el comportamiento de una persona y crear guiones que imitan lo que hace. Debido a ello, resulta más difícil percibir que eso es falso, que no hay una persona real detrás. Con la tecnología, es muy fácil crear una historia sobre todo tipo de cosas, con datos personales que se obtienen de la red. Uno se puede inventar una historia y una personalidad online y tiene la capacidad de hacer pensar a la gente que esto es verdad. Esto es posible porque tenemos un nuevo paradigma: ahora vivimos en el mundo de la tensión psicológica. Y es que las plataformas están diseñadas para que te quedes el mayor tiempo posible y aprender más de ti. Vinculan esa información con toda la que tienen dentro del sistema y fuera de él. Quieren que te quedes porque harán más dinero. Si añadimos la capacidad del cerebro de no pensar cuando tenemos algo que nos pone furiosos, la cosa todavía es peor, porque las emociones lo son todo. Lo que quieren es que reaccionemos, pero si se pasa esa imagen por una herramienta, se percibe que hay cosas que no estaban al principio, que se han añadido. Cuando te quedas 30 segundos simplemente mirando, tu reacción cambia y piensas si esto es verdad. Las emociones raptan fácilmente nuestro cerebro racional, porque así es como sobrevivimos. La desinformación utiliza imágenes vinculadas a un concepto, imágenes que no siempre son verdaderas o que no pertenecen a los acontecimientos que se pretenden criticar. Toda esta información no se queda limitada a nuestro país, sino que circula por el mundo, porque es nuevo contenido para la gente que no lo ha visto. Los grupos polarizados surgen porque solemos ser amigos de gente que es como nosotros. Es gente que tiene una manera particular de ver el mundo. Si solo estás viendo el mismo contenido siempre, se convierte en verdadero y vamos a tender a seguir lo que nos parece que es lo que piensa la mayoría. Cuanto menos confiamos en nuestras instituciones, más caemos en estar con la gente que piensa como nosotros, lo cual se pude manipular porque se sabe lo que quieres ver y es lo que te van a enseñar. Antes, para hablar te ibas a un bar. Luego pasamos a debatir por internet. Ahora estamos chillándonos unos a otros, pero sin debatir, con lo que se acabó la discusión y la democracia. Podemos saber cómo se comporta la gente gracias a la inteligencia artificial. El problema es por qué tenemos este tipo de problemas, no la tecnología en sí misma. Antes teníamos una democracia representativa, que está muy bien. Teníamos tiempo para deliberar, líderes, un consenso. En internet es muy diferente, se basa en la polarización. Tenemos que encontrar un nuevo modelo y reformar lo que era nuestro sistema de buen gobierno. La desinformación es un momento interesante para debatir, porque tenemos que decidir qué queremos hacer con la democracia. Las elecciones son importantes, por eso tenemos que tener tiempo para saber que vamos a votar y tener las herramientas para que nos ayuden, no para que nos controlen. También es importante que haya elementos para equilibrar, porque si no vamos a tener un desequilibrio.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Alexandre Alaphillippe centró su intervención en las técnicas que se están utilizando para la desinformación. Con la Inteligencia Artificial se puede crear gente que no existe, se pueden crear imágenes instantáneas de personas. La pregunta es hasta qué punto lo que nos rodea el falso. El 60% del tráfico en la red lo es, porque son páginas pensadas para que los algoritmos aprendan. El problema de todo esto es que ahora, con un robot, es muy fácil ver el comportamiento de una persona y crear guiones que imitan lo que hace. Debido a ello, resulta más difícil percibir que eso es falso, que no hay una persona real detrás. Con la tecnología, es muy fácil crear una historia sobre todo tipo de cosas, con datos personales que se obtienen de la red. Uno se puede inventar una historia y una personalidad online y tiene la capacidad de hacer pensar a la gente que esto es verdad. Esto es posible porque tenemos un nuevo paradigma: ahora vivimos en el mundo de la tensión psicológica. Y es que las plataformas están diseñadas para que te quedes el mayor tiempo posible y aprender más de ti. Vinculan esa información con toda la que tienen dentro del sistema y fuera de él. Quieren que te quedes porque harán más dinero. Si añadimos la capacidad del cerebro de no pensar cuando tenemos algo que nos pone furiosos, la cosa todavía es peor, porque las emociones lo son todo. Lo que quieren es que reaccionemos, pero si se pasa esa imagen por una herramienta, se percibe que hay cosas que no estaban al principio, que se han añadido. Cuando te quedas 30 segundos simplemente mirando, tu reacción cambia y piensas si esto es verdad. Las emociones raptan fácilmente nuestro cerebro racional, porque así es como sobrevivimos. La desinformación utiliza imágenes vinculadas a un concepto, imágenes que no siempre son verdaderas o que no pertenecen a los acontecimientos que se pretenden criticar. Toda esta información no se queda limitada a nuestro país, sino que circula por el mundo, porque es nuevo contenido para la gente que no lo ha visto. Los grupos polarizados surgen porque solemos ser amigos de gente que es como nosotros. Es gente que tiene una manera particular de ver el mundo. Si solo estás viendo el mismo contenido siempre, se convierte en verdadero y vamos a tender a seguir lo que nos parece que es lo que piensa la mayoría. Cuanto menos confiamos en nuestras instituciones, más caemos en estar con la gente que piensa como nosotros, lo cual se pude manipular porque se sabe lo que quieres ver y es lo que te van a enseñar. Antes, para hablar te ibas a un bar. Luego pasamos a debatir por internet. Ahora estamos chillándonos unos a otros, pero sin debatir, con lo que se acabó la discusión y la democracia. Podemos saber cómo se comporta la gente gracias a la inteligencia artificial. El problema es por qué tenemos este tipo de problemas, no la tecnología en sí misma. Antes teníamos una democracia representativa, que está muy bien. Teníamos tiempo para deliberar, líderes, un consenso. En internet es muy diferente, se basa en la polarización. Tenemos que encontrar un nuevo modelo y reformar lo que era nuestro sistema de buen gobierno. La desinformación es un momento interesante para debatir, porque tenemos que decidir qué queremos hacer con la democracia. Las elecciones son importantes, por eso tenemos que tener tiempo para saber que vamos a votar y tener las herramientas para que nos ayuden, no para que nos controlen. También es importante que haya elementos para equilibrar, porque si no vamos a tener un desequilibrio.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. El acto se inició con la intervención de Ana de Palacio, quien señaló que los valores democráticos en esta era de desinformación se basan en que los ciudadanos puedan tomar decisiones informadas. Si la desinformación oculta la verdad, no se puede cumplir ese requisito fundamental de la democracia, ni permite que la sociedad funcione adecuadamente. Por el contrario, la desinformación aumenta las divisiones en el seno de la sociedad. Por eso es una amenaza existencial, que devora a la democracia desde dentro, y a la que hay que dar respuesta. En este sentido, en Europa se están produciendo iniciativas muy interesantes. El problema de esas iniciativas es que están compuestas más de palabras que de hechos. Tenemos códigos, documentos, el ‘task force’, una página de la Unión Europea, pero eso solo son los primeros pasos. Y lo que hay que hacer es vacunarse contra la desinformación. Estamos solo al principio de la guerra de la desinformación. Los rumores y la propaganda siempre han existido, pero ahora, con las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, tenemos un nuevo aspecto, un nuevo frente. Después de las manipulaciones informativas que vimos en 2016, quienes toman decisiones empezaron a darse cuenta del desafío al que nos enfrentamos. La OTAN, por ello, seguirá siendo crucial, dado el vínculo existente entre desinformación y seguridad, pero eso es algo que tenemos que tener muy claro. La desinformación es un síntoma de una enfermedad mucho más amplia que está afectando a la sociedad. Por ello, responder a los creadores de noticias falsas en Rusia es necesario, pero no suficiente, para afrontar este desafío. Cuando nos enfrentamos a un peligro anónimo, la primera reacción es actuar a corto plazo, de forma visible, erradicando las fuentes. Estas son buenas políticas, que actúan por el lado de la oferta. Pero si no hacemos algo también por el lado de la demanda, vamos a vernos inmersos en una guerra interminable. Ahora bien, atacar el lado de la demanda es mucho más difícil, porque requiere hacerlo mediante la educación. Italia es un buen ejemplo al respecto. Allí están introduciendo cursos sobre alfabetismo de los medios. También hay que establecer una mejor relación entre el político y el ciudadano, al que se ha dejado de lado, porque la falta de esa relación reduce el sentido de la responsabilidad. Cuando la población siente que no tiene poder, esa sociedad se convierte en un lugar fértil para que se extienda la desinformación y se acaba transitando hacia las realidades alternativas que nos presentan las nuevas tecnologías. De la misma forma, es preciso crear nuevas narrativas, ya que las que teníamos antes han dejado de servir. La prosperidad ya no es la narrativa principal en Europa, después de todo lo que ha sucedido en relación con la crisis. Eso se combina con el declive demográfico y sus consecuencias, con una población que se reduce. El resultado de todo ello es que acabamos a la deriva, en un entorno que ya no controlamos y en el que nos sentimos perdidos. Desde esta perspectiva, tenemos que ser conscientes de que nos estamos enfrentado a desafíos cada vez más duros cuando tratamos de afrontar las demandas de la sociedad. Estamos viviendo en un mundo que está cambiando a velocidades de vértigo. Estamos llegando al final de un periodo de doscientos años en los que la idea de la ilustración y la importancia de la persona eran fundamentales. Hoy, esas ideas están en retroceso y se da prioridad a la colectividad sobre el individuo. Si queremos enfrentaros a estos desafíos, tenemos que poner orden en nuestra casa y mantener una sociedad que sea capaz de resistir. Lo importante es mantener la resistencia, que depende del grado en que Estados Unidos siga siendo un país que sabe lo que quiere, que sabe enfrentarse a los problemas internos y que tiene una altura moral a la altura de sus mejores tradiciones. Ese es el desafío que vemos hoy a ambos lados del Atlántico, el de estar a la altura de nuestra mejor tradición. Por eso, tampoco hay que olvidar los desafíos que tenemos dentro.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. El acto se inició con la intervención de Ana de Palacio, quien señaló que los valores democráticos en esta era de desinformación se basan en que los ciudadanos puedan tomar decisiones informadas. Si la desinformación oculta la verdad, no se puede cumplir ese requisito fundamental de la democracia, ni permite que la sociedad funcione adecuadamente. Por el contrario, la desinformación aumenta las divisiones en el seno de la sociedad. Por eso es una amenaza existencial, que devora a la democracia desde dentro, y a la que hay que dar respuesta. En este sentido, en Europa se están produciendo iniciativas muy interesantes. El problema de esas iniciativas es que están compuestas más de palabras que de hechos. Tenemos códigos, documentos, el ‘task force’, una página de la Unión Europea, pero eso solo son los primeros pasos. Y lo que hay que hacer es vacunarse contra la desinformación. Estamos solo al principio de la guerra de la desinformación. Los rumores y la propaganda siempre han existido, pero ahora, con las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, tenemos un nuevo aspecto, un nuevo frente. Después de las manipulaciones informativas que vimos en 2016, quienes toman decisiones empezaron a darse cuenta del desafío al que nos enfrentamos. La OTAN, por ello, seguirá siendo crucial, dado el vínculo existente entre desinformación y seguridad, pero eso es algo que tenemos que tener muy claro. La desinformación es un síntoma de una enfermedad mucho más amplia que está afectando a la sociedad. Por ello, responder a los creadores de noticias falsas en Rusia es necesario, pero no suficiente, para afrontar este desafío. Cuando nos enfrentamos a un peligro anónimo, la primera reacción es actuar a corto plazo, de forma visible, erradicando las fuentes. Estas son buenas políticas, que actúan por el lado de la oferta. Pero si no hacemos algo también por el lado de la demanda, vamos a vernos inmersos en una guerra interminable. Ahora bien, atacar el lado de la demanda es mucho más difícil, porque requiere hacerlo mediante la educación. Italia es un buen ejemplo al respecto. Allí están introduciendo cursos sobre alfabetismo de los medios. También hay que establecer una mejor relación entre el político y el ciudadano, al que se ha dejado de lado, porque la falta de esa relación reduce el sentido de la responsabilidad. Cuando la población siente que no tiene poder, esa sociedad se convierte en un lugar fértil para que se extienda la desinformación y se acaba transitando hacia las realidades alternativas que nos presentan las nuevas tecnologías. De la misma forma, es preciso crear nuevas narrativas, ya que las que teníamos antes han dejado de servir. La prosperidad ya no es la narrativa principal en Europa, después de todo lo que ha sucedido en relación con la crisis. Eso se combina con el declive demográfico y sus consecuencias, con una población que se reduce. El resultado de todo ello es que acabamos a la deriva, en un entorno que ya no controlamos y en el que nos sentimos perdidos. Desde esta perspectiva, tenemos que ser conscientes de que nos estamos enfrentado a desafíos cada vez más duros cuando tratamos de afrontar las demandas de la sociedad. Estamos viviendo en un mundo que está cambiando a velocidades de vértigo. Estamos llegando al final de un periodo de doscientos años en los que la idea de la ilustración y la importancia de la persona eran fundamentales. Hoy, esas ideas están en retroceso y se da prioridad a la colectividad sobre el individuo. Si queremos enfrentaros a estos desafíos, tenemos que poner orden en nuestra casa y mantener una sociedad que sea capaz de resistir. Lo importante es mantener la resistencia, que depende del grado en que Estados Unidos siga siendo un país que sabe lo que quiere, que sabe enfrentarse a los problemas internos y que tiene una altura moral a la altura de sus mejores tradiciones. Ese es el desafío que vemos hoy a ambos lados del Atlántico, el de estar a la altura de nuestra mejor tradición. Por eso, tampoco hay que olvidar los desafíos que tenemos dentro.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. El acto se inició con la intervención de Ana de Palacio, quien señaló que los valores democráticos en esta era de desinformación se basan en que los ciudadanos puedan tomar decisiones informadas. Si la desinformación oculta la verdad, no se puede cumplir ese requisito fundamental de la democracia, ni permite que la sociedad funcione adecuadamente. Por el contrario, la desinformación aumenta las divisiones en el seno de la sociedad. Por eso es una amenaza existencial, que devora a la democracia desde dentro, y a la que hay que dar respuesta. En este sentido, en Europa se están produciendo iniciativas muy interesantes. El problema de esas iniciativas es que están compuestas más de palabras que de hechos. Tenemos códigos, documentos, el ‘task force’, una página de la Unión Europea, pero eso solo son los primeros pasos. Y lo que hay que hacer es vacunarse contra la desinformación. Estamos solo al principio de la guerra de la desinformación. Los rumores y la propaganda siempre han existido, pero ahora, con las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, tenemos un nuevo aspecto, un nuevo frente. Después de las manipulaciones informativas que vimos en 2016, quienes toman decisiones empezaron a darse cuenta del desafío al que nos enfrentamos. La OTAN, por ello, seguirá siendo crucial, dado el vínculo existente entre desinformación y seguridad, pero eso es algo que tenemos que tener muy claro. La desinformación es un síntoma de una enfermedad mucho más amplia que está afectando a la sociedad. Por ello, responder a los creadores de noticias falsas en Rusia es necesario, pero no suficiente, para afrontar este desafío. Cuando nos enfrentamos a un peligro anónimo, la primera reacción es actuar a corto plazo, de forma visible, erradicando las fuentes. Estas son buenas políticas, que actúan por el lado de la oferta. Pero si no hacemos algo también por el lado de la demanda, vamos a vernos inmersos en una guerra interminable. Ahora bien, atacar el lado de la demanda es mucho más difícil, porque requiere hacerlo mediante la educación. Italia es un buen ejemplo al respecto. Allí están introduciendo cursos sobre alfabetismo de los medios. También hay que establecer una mejor relación entre el político y el ciudadano, al que se ha dejado de lado, porque la falta de esa relación reduce el sentido de la responsabilidad. Cuando la población siente que no tiene poder, esa sociedad se convierte en un lugar fértil para que se extienda la desinformación y se acaba transitando hacia las realidades alternativas que nos presentan las nuevas tecnologías. De la misma forma, es preciso crear nuevas narrativas, ya que las que teníamos antes han dejado de servir. La prosperidad ya no es la narrativa principal en Europa, después de todo lo que ha sucedido en relación con la crisis. Eso se combina con el declive demográfico y sus consecuencias, con una población que se reduce. El resultado de todo ello es que acabamos a la deriva, en un entorno que ya no controlamos y en el que nos sentimos perdidos. Desde esta perspectiva, tenemos que ser conscientes de que nos estamos enfrentado a desafíos cada vez más duros cuando tratamos de afrontar las demandas de la sociedad. Estamos viviendo en un mundo que está cambiando a velocidades de vértigo. Estamos llegando al final de un periodo de doscientos años en los que la idea de la ilustración y la importancia de la persona eran fundamentales. Hoy, esas ideas están en retroceso y se da prioridad a la colectividad sobre el individuo. Si queremos enfrentaros a estos desafíos, tenemos que poner orden en nuestra casa y mantener una sociedad que sea capaz de resistir. Lo importante es mantener la resistencia, que depende del grado en que Estados Unidos siga siendo un país que sabe lo que quiere, que sabe enfrentarse a los problemas internos y que tiene una altura moral a la altura de sus mejores tradiciones. Ese es el desafío que vemos hoy a ambos lados del Atlántico, el de estar a la altura de nuestra mejor tradición. Por eso, tampoco hay que olvidar los desafíos que tenemos dentro.

El 5 de marzo de 2019 tuvo lugar el encuentro sobre democracia y desinformación #DisinfoWeek Madrid 2019, organizado por la Fundación Rafael del Pino, el Atlantic Council, la Embajada de Estados Unidos y la United States Mission to the European Union, en el que participaron Ana de Palacio, asesora estratégica de Albright Stonebridge Group y directora del Consejo del Atlantic Council; Alexandre Alaphilippe, director ejecutivo del EU DisinfoLab; Daniel Fried, investigador destacado en Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Nicolás de Pedro, investigador de The Institute for Statecraft; Kadri Kaska, investigadora jurídico del NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, y David Alandete, periodista del diario ABC. Daniel Fried comentó que la desinformación no es nada nuevo. En este sentido, recordó que la Unión Soviética lanzó el rumor de que la CIA había inventado el sida. La forma de hacerlo fue dirigirse a los periódicos africanos, que sacaron la historia, para que luego hablaran de ella los medios europeos y que pasara a los gobiernos. El rumor llegó a creerse. La KGB, que dirigía la operación, inventó los idiotas útiles. Ahora, con internet, ese proceso se puede hacer en minutos y conseguir que la historia se extienda rápidamente. La imprenta no solo creó la Biblia, sino también “Mi lucha”. Hace siglos también estaban los panfletos. Es decir, la tecnología siempre se ha utilizado con fines propagandísticos, pero ahora es más rápido y más difícil encontrar el origen de esa propaganda. Para David Alandete, el problema hoy es que cuando se compite en el mundo online el terreno es igual para todos y los periodistas tienen que competir con personas que actúan como periodistas sin serlo. El periodista ejerce un derecho que pertenece a toda la sociedad para poder votar informada. La desinformación mata al periodista y trata de ir por encima de él para que a los políticos les resulte más fácil hablar directamente con los ciudadanos, en especial en las dictaduras. En Siria pudo ver como los medios rusos describían a Occidente como corrupto, etc. Para ellos no existían ataques químicos. Esa burbuja se fue ampliando y ampliando y llegó a otras áreas de ataque. Ahora estamos en un entorno en el que los medios rusos que actúan en todos los idiomas están dando a entender que hay una realidad distinta y alternativa. Cuando no tienes medios fuertes que comprueben los hechos, todo fracasa y nos encontramos en una situación en la que cualquier cosa es posible en Europa porque todo se hace viral. Nicolás de Pedro indicó que las personas como él que llevan tiempo siguiendo a Rusia sabían que los rusos hace tiempo que han decidido socavar occidente para protegerse ellos mismos. Todo lo que hacen es para defenderse. Al menos, así lo creen ellos. Lo que está haciendo el Kremlin es ofrecer una plataforma para multiplicar los efectos de nuestra crisis: la crisis de nuestras democracias liberales, la falta de prosperidad y la legitimidad de nuestro sistema. También está la crisis de los modelos tradicionales. La solución a todo esto está relacionada con la educación, con la alfabetización mediática. Rusia ha identificado, con razón, que puede explotar la legitimidad de occidente, que está bajo mínimos. La cuestión es si nos ponemos a trabajar juntos para frenarlo, porque están utilizando la libertad de expresión para atacarnos. Lo que hay que hacer es conectar todos los puntos. Cuando hablamos del Kremlin esto es parte de una estructura muy importante, que va desde la desintermediación nuclear al uso de dinero negro. Están financiando a partidos de extrema derecha y de extrema izquierda, pero podríamos hacer algo con la legislación para que esto no se permita. Kadri Kaska comentó que, en Estonia, tuvieron que ver que la seguridad no es solamente asegurar los sistemas de información y de votación, sino también nuestras sociedades cada vez más digitales. En cuanto empezaron a hablar de las elecciones por internet se dieron cuenta de que había muchísimos peligros en ello. No son solamente las elecciones, sino también la resistencia de su ecosistema digital, el funcionamiento normal de nuestras sociedades. Las ciber amenazas que hemos visto en los últimos cinco años son que la desinformación se amplifica, los conflictos de valores se agravan por los medios que utilizamos para resolver nuestros problemas. Hay muy pocos incentivos para colaborar. No apreciamos como podemos aprovechar la conectividad para luchar juntos. Estos patrones tienen a asentarse en las naciones por su importancia, pero no es un ataque contra las elecciones, sino contra nuestra forma de vida. La ciber seguridad en las elecciones se tiene que ver como un todo integrado. No solo asegurar la forma de votar y las urnas, sino ver dónde están las amenazas contra nuestras infraestructuras críticas. En la UE tenemos una directiva sobre seguridad de la información. Es una herramienta muy importante, porque crea una visión muy consistente de que servicios consideramos esenciales para nuestra sociedad, pero también crea un mecanismo de gestión de riesgos para ser conscientes de las amenazas y vulnerabilidades que tenemos. Hay diferentes niveles de criticabilidad y hay servicios e infraestructuras que pueden afectar funciones públicas, por ejemplo, los medios, las redes sociales, los partidos políticos, la ONGs. Si pensamos en el ecosistema, la gestión de ciber riesgos también tiene que ver con el alfabetismo digital de los partidos políticos, de los sindicatos y de los votantes. No es solo cuestión de ciber higiene. Daniel Fried añadió que, al atacar cualquier problema, hay que trocearlo, no verlo desde el nivel agregado. También hay que trabajar dentro de las normas democráticas, no hay que acabar con ellas para luchar contra la desinformación porque no funciona. Luego hay que separar extranjero de nacional. Nuestro cambio de maniobra es más aplicable a los actores extranjeros. Hay cosas que podemos hacer para limitar la presencia extranjera en el espacio digital, y eso también se puede hacer con los agentes nacionales. Hay que utilizar principios de transparencia e integridad para filtrar la desinformación extranjera para ver quién está haciendo esos blogs y ver que no son personas falsas. La gente tiene que saber que es Iván, de San Petersburgo. Hay muchas capacidades técnicas para hacerlo. Otra área que hay que considerar es el sesgo algorítmico, porque es rentable. Antes, los canales de televisión tenían que cubrir ambos lados de la noticia. Eso nos permitiría exigir a las empresas actuales que lo hagan ahora. Se puede hacer a través de la regulación. También de las normas de servicio. Hay que sacar a los bots de sus sistemas porque las soluciones técnicas existen. Hay que centrase en las soluciones. Puede que no resuelvan el problema de la desinformación, pero la pueden limitar.