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Eva Nowotny in conversation with Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson THE US AFTER THE ELECTIONS Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson explore in conversation with Eva Nowotny the future of the United States in the aftermath of the elections. This event brings together leading experts in international relations and U.S. policy to explore the implications of the electoral outcomes on American domestic and foreign policy. Despite the uncertainties, this election is sure to shape the future trajectory of the U.S. on the global stage. Henri J. Barkey is the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University Pennsylvania and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously he was the director of the Middle East Center at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Ellen Laipson is the Director of the Master's in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined Mason University after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15). Eva Nowotny, Ambassador ret., Vice president of the Board of Bruno Kreisky Forum
In this episode of NucleCast, Zak Kallenborn discusses the implications of AI legislation, particularly California's SB 1047, and its intersection with national security and weapons proliferation. He explores the potential risks of AI in biological research and the challenges of regulating such technologies. The conversation shifts to the evolving role of AI in drone warfare, including the use of autonomous drones in combat and their potential impact on nuclear weapons monitoring. Zachary is an Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident) Strategic Technologies Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) as well as a Policy Fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government. He has published over 50 articles on autonomous weapons, weapons of mass destruction, and apocalyptic terrorism in a wide range of peer-reviewed, wonky, and popular outlets, including the Brookings Institution, Foreign Policy, Slate, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Parameters. Journalists have written about and shared that research in the New York Times, NPR, Forbes, the New Scientist, WIRED, and the BBC, among dozens of others in dozens of languages.Socials:Follow on Twitter at @NucleCastFollow on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nuclecastpodcastSubscribe RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/Rate: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuclecast/id1644921278Email comments and topic/guest suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.org
References Giovanni Bianconi. Ragazzi di Malavita. Il più documentario libro sulla Banda della Magliana. Milano: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2004. Pino Casamassima, Gli irriducibili. Storie di brigatisti mai pentiti. Bari: Laterza, 2012. Simon Clark. Terror Vanquished: The Italian Approach to Defeating Terrorism. Arlington; Center for Security Policy Studies, 2018. Marco Clementi, Paolo Persichetti, Elisa Santalena. Brigate rosse Dalle fabbriche alla «campagna di primavera». Roma: DeriveApprodi, 2017. Nando Dalla Chiesa. Delitto imperfetto Il generale, la mafia la società italiana, Milano: Melampo, 2007. Beatrice de Graaf. Decline and Dissolution of Italian Terrorism. Zaragoza: fundación Manuel Giménez Abad de Estudios Parlamentarios y del Estado Autonómico, Sergio Flamigni. La sfinge delle Brigate Rosse: Delitti, segreti e bugie del capo terrorista Mario Moretti. Milano: Caos edizioni, 2014. Giuseppe Lo Bianco, Sandra Rizza. Profondo Nero. Milano: Chiarelettere, 2010. Francesco Marone. The Italian Way of Counterterrorism: From a Consolidated Experience to an Integrated Approach. The Palgrave Handbook of Global Counterterrorism Policy. 2017:479-94. Luciano Mirone, A Palermo per morire. I cento giorni che condannarono il generale Dalla Chiesa. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2012. Guido Panivi, Cattolici e violenza politica L'altro album di famiglia del terrorismo italiano. Venezia: Marsilio, 2014 Ralf Steenbeek. 2008. De bestrijding van de Rode Brigades in Italië, 1974-1975. De methode van generaal Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa. Leidschrift : Historisch Terrorisme. De Ervaring Met Politiek Geweld In De Moderne Tijd, 23(April), 107-127. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/72987. You can watch a very nice film reconstructing Dalla Chiesa's life at the RAI website, featuring Sergio Castellitto: Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa Il nostro generale. I like the film, even if it's a bit worshipful. image from: "Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa" su Rai Storia (canale 54)"
In the latest episode of Nerd Out, Dave welcomes in Alec Davison as his partner in crime for the podcast. After they get through the excitement of the latest Taylor Swift album, they talked through the latest activity in the Middle East and what it could mean domestically. Then they looked at the latest news related to the U.S. election including the recent incident outside of the Trump trial and potential concerns that may play out over the course of the year especially related to mis/dis/mal-information. They wrap up the pod with some real nerd discussions on Star Wars and what the new series has to offer! Alec Davison is the Lead Analyst at the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC). In addition, he works as a Risk Analyst at Gate 15. He holds an M.A. in Security Policy Studies from George Washington University. Some of the resources discussed in the pod include: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/personal-security-considerations-action-guide https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/preventing-workplace-violence-security-awareness-considerations-infographic https://www.dni.gov/files/NCTC/documents/jcat/firstresponderstoolbox/89s_-_Violent[…]il_Unrest_and_Public_Assemblies_in_the_United_States-survey.pdf Mobilization/SARs https://www.dni.gov/files/NCTC/documents/news_documents/Mobilization_Indicators_Booklet_2021.pdf https://www.dhs.gov/nationwide-sar-initiative-nsi Info sharing communities https://www.dhs.gov/fusion-centers https://www.nationalisacs.org/
Eva Nowotny in conversation with Henri J. Barkey and Ellen Laipson THE US AND A NEW MIDDLE EAST Until Hamas‘ attack, Biden's administration had largely relegated the region on the back burner, as it focused first on a pivot to Asia then on responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Now, Biden has to confront an explosion of violence in the region, challenging also his political support at home as well as the unity with and among US allies abroad. Henri J. Barkey is Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. Previously he was the director of the Middle East Center at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Ellen Laipson is the Director of the Master's in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined Mason University after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15). Eva Nowotny, Ambassador ret., Member of the Board of Bruno Kreisky Forum
References Giovanni Bianconi. Ragazzi di Malavita. Il più documentario libro sulla Banda della Magliana. Milano: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2004. Pino Casamassima, Gli irriducibili. Storie di brigatisti mai pentiti. Bari: Laterza, 2012. Simon Clark. Terror Vanquished: The Italian Approach to Defeating Terrorism. Arlington; Center for Security Policy Studies, 2018. Marco Clementi, Paolo Persichetti, Elisa Santalena. Brigate rosse Dalle fabbriche alla «campagna di primavera». Roma: DeriveApprodi, 2017. Beatrice de Graaf. Decline and Dissolution of Italian Terrorism. Zaragoza: fundación Manuel Giménez Abad de Estudios Parlamentarios y del Estado Autonómico Sergio Flamigni. La sfinge delle Brigate Rosse: Delitti, segreti e bugie del capo terrorista Mario Moretti. Milano: Caos edizioni, 2014. Giuseppe Lo Bianco, Sandra Rizza. Profondo Nero. Milano: Chiarelettere, 2010.Guido Panivi, Cattolici e violenza politica L'altro album di famiglia del terrorismo italiano. Venezia: Marsilio, 2014 Francesco Marone. The Italian Way of Counterterrorism: From a Consolidated Experience to an Integrated Approach. The Palgrave Handbook of Global Counterterrorism Policy. 2017:479-94. Ralf Steenbeek. 2008. De bestrijding van de Rode Brigades in Italië, 1974-1975. De methode van generaal Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa. Leidschrift : Historisch Terrorisme. De Ervaring Met Politiek Geweld In De Moderne Tijd, 23(April), 107-127. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/72987. You can watch a very nice film reconstructing Dalla Chiesa's life at the RAI website, featuring Sergio Castellitto: Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa Il nostro generale. I like the film, even if it's a bit worshipf
About the Lecture Not many events of the late 20th century are as important and foreboding as the seizing of 11 athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Black September, a Palestinian group, held the Israeli captives during a long drama observed over T.V. by as many as one billion people. Then, at a nearby airfield, German police botched a counterterrorism effort and the hostages were murdered by their Palestinian captors. While five of the terrorists perished in the ensuing firefight with German authorities, three escaped overseas and, in a style archetypal for the business of terrorism, they gave a press conference. Politics, sentiment about Germany, feeling for and against Israel, strategy, media, and counterterrorism were all themes of that month – and years of discussions and plans that ensured. The Germans set about forming an elite CT team – which in turn helped stand up U.S. and European counterparts. States were stirred to begin countering terrorism: appeasement was rebalanced by some aggressiveness in official postures and law-making. Even so, using force remained rare – except in the case of Israel which opened a careful assassination plan against terrorist infrastructure overseas. About the Speakers Dr. Christopher Harmon wrote his political science dissertation on terrorism in the early 1980s and continued that work as Legislative Aide for Foreign Policy to a member of Congress and, much later, director of counterterrorism studies programs at the Marshall Center in Germany for the U.S. government. A professor at civilian and military graduate schools including the Naval War College, Dr. Harmon began teaching courses at The Institute of World Politics after 9/11 — on terrorism, and later on counterterrorism. He now serves as a full-time professor at IWP. Lead author or editor of eight books, he serves as Distinguished Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare at Marine Corps University. Mr. Aaron Danis is a career terrorism and counterterrorism specialist, holding a Bachelor's degree in Military Studies and a Master's degree in Security Policy Studies. He is a retired U.S. Army intelligence officer, and has served in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Treasury Department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. IWP Admissions: https://www.iwp.edu/admissions/ Support IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3
Ellen Laipson, professor, and director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, and Sarhang Hamasaeed, director of Middle East programs at the US Institute of Peace, discuss the outcome and significance of the most recent parliamentary elections in Iraq, which were precipitated by the 2019 protest movement (Tishreen) against corruption, inordinate Iranian influence in Iraq and calls for major reforms of the political system. What do results augur for the future of democracy and stability in Iraq?
The Biden Administration ordered its first military strike on Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria. Ellen Laipson, professor and director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, and Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute, join Carol Castiel to discuss how these strikes could affect US-Iran nuclear talks, US-Iraq relations and US policy toward Syria.
The Biden Administration ordered its first military strike on Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria. Ellen Laipson, professor and director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, and Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute, join Carol Castiel to discuss how these strikes could affect US-Iran nuclear talks, US-Iraq relations and US policy toward Syria.
We interviewed Dr. Mike Hunzeker. Hunzeker currently serves as an assistant professor and associate director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, where he conducts research on deterrence, war termination, military adaptation, and simulation design. In a fascinating interview, he shares his insights on the current balance of military power in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese military doctrine, and Taiwanese readiness for a potential attack. Producer: Marshall Reid, Jack Liu Hosts: Marshall Reid, Joseph Ross Edit: Jack Liu Music: Joseph Ross
What impact will the proposed US troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq have on US national security interests? Ellen Laipson, professor and director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, and Kenneth Pollack, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss these and other challenges in the broader Middle East that await the incoming Biden administration. Program Note: This program was recorded before the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University and Jennifer Cafarella, National Security Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, hail the successful selection of a new prime minister in Iraq but also tell host Carol Castiel that the coronavirus pandemic complicates an already unstable geo-political, economic and social landscape in Iraq, Iran, and in conflict-ridden Syria and Yemen.
Ilan Goldenberg, Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, discuss the timing and politics of the Trump Administration’s long awaited Middle East Peace plan, which is widely seen as biased in favor of Israel. They tell host Carol Castiel that the plan, which the Palestinians and the Arab League have rejected, has little chance of implementation.
Host Carol Castiel elicits reaction to the US targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iran’s retaliation from two distinguished national security experts: Ellen Laipson, Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University and Mara Karlin, Director of Strategic Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
After Alfred Nobel developed dynamite, his invention reshaped the world—literally. From mining to infrastructure projects, dynamite proved essential to the building of the modern world. But it also changed political violence—both on battlefields and in the streets where the first wave of modern terrorists adopted the explosive as a weapon of choice. Audrey Kurth Cronin says we have work to do to manage the new age of open technological innovation before it gets ahead of us with potentially destructive consequences. Cronin’s career has combined academic positions and government service. She joined the faculty of American University’s School of International Service in August 2016 and previously served as Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies, and Director of the International Security Program at George Mason University. Before that, she was a faculty member and director of the core course on War and Statecraft at the U.S. National War College, after serving as Academic Director of Studies for the Oxford/Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War at Nuffield College at Oxford University. She was also the Specialist in Terrorism at the Congressional Research Service, advising Members of Congress in the aftermath of 9/11. She has also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy; the Office of the Secretary of the Navy and the American Embassy in Moscow. Her latest book is “Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow’s Terrorists,” which explores the risks and opportunities of 21st century emerging technologies.
Les Campbell, Senior Associate and Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa Programs at the National Democratic Institute and Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, discuss the roots and significance of the current protests in Lebanon and Iraq with host Carol Castiel.
On the 16th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, Barbara Leaf, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, join host Carol Castiel to give an update on Iraq and Syria including the implications of Iran's growing influence in those countries. They also discuss how US policy in both Iraq and Syria may have inadvertently strengthened rather than weakened the Islamic Republic.
Since the founding of the African Union (AU) in 2002, its role in promoting peace and security on the continent has evolved considerably. Compared with its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, the AU has played a more active role in peacekeeping and peace support operations. For the third episode of the APN’s Kujenga Amani podcast, we sat down with Paul D. Williams, a professor of Security Policy Studies at George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs. He is an expert in the politics and effectiveness of peace operations, the dynamics of war and peace in Africa, emerging threats in international security, and has published extensively on the peace and security architecture of the African Union. Professor Williams spoke with us about the history of the African Union’s peace and security institutions, the factors shaping the future of African peace operations, and his personal experiences researching and writing about the African Union.
Jennifer Cafarella, Director of Intelligence Planning at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, discuss the deteriorating post-election political situation in Iraq and the state of play in Syria as President Bashar al Assad attempts to consolidate power.
(Disclaimer: This program was recorded prior to the US-led air strikes against Syria) Host Carol Castiel talks with Middle East analyst Ellen Laipson, Director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University, former CEO of the Stimson Center, about the state of play in Syria after the chemical weapons attack; Iraq, the fate of the Iran nuclear deal and increasing tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis exacerbated by violent protests in Gaza.