About the Lecture This presentation will explore the scope and evolution of Russian information and cyber warfare, drawing key lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Ambassador Smith will begin with an overview of Russia’s cyber capabilities and principal actors, then examine how Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine have developed over time and the implications for Ukraine, the United States, and the future of modern warfare. About the Speaker Ambassador David J. Smith is a foreign policy professional with over 40 years of experience spanning the U.S. military, Pentagon, State Department, Congress, diplomatic delegations, defense industry, research institutes, and democratic development initiatives. His expertise includes NATO, the former Soviet Union, the Caucasus and Black Sea regions, arms control, missile defense, and cybersecurity policy. A former U.S. Air Force officer and Professor of Cybersecurity Policy at Utica College, Ambassador Smith has served as the U.S. Chief Negotiator at the U.S.-Soviet Defense and Space talks, a Senior Fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, and founder of the Georgian Security Analysis Center. His work in Georgia from 2002 to 2014 placed him at the forefront of studying the first combined kinetic and cyber war during Russia’s 2008 attack on Georgia. Ambassador Smith has delivered his continually updated presentation, Russian Cyber Capabilities, Policy, and Practice, to audiences around the world since 2010.

About the Lecture: China’s espionage activities are changing the global balance of power, impacting the U.S. and foreign economies, and providing challenges to domestic, national security, and foreign policy formulation. China's "whole of society" intelligence approach provides a sophisticated and expanding global reach to target individuals for recruitment and collection. This briefing analyzes more than 865 cases of Chinese espionage operations and tactics including espionage, economic espionage, covert action, and illegal exports of technology. The briefing identifies tradecraft methodologies, recruitment motivations, and key indicators. About the Speaker: Nicholas Eftimiades is a professor of homeland security at Penn State University. He retired from the US Department of Defense in 2017. His 34 year government career includes employment in CIA, as a Special Agent in the US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and a Senior Intelligence Officer in Defense Intelligence Agency. Mr. Eftimiades held positions in analysis, human and technical intelligence collection, and leadership. He served overseas for 10 years. Mr. Eftimiades is recognized as a leading authority on China and its espionage activities. His book Chinese Intelligence Operations was the first ever scholarly examination of the structure, operations, and methodology of the intelligence services of the People's Republic of China. His recent book Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics (Second Edition) updates that work and is the most detailed account ever published on China’s intelligence operational tradecraft. Eftimiades testified numerous times before Congress, as a certified expert in US courts, and advises government agencies and private industry. Nick is a frequent lecturer and public speaker on China and national security issues. He has appeared as an expert on dozens of television and radio broadcasts. He has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines across the world. He has taught over 1,000 US government counterintelligence officers and commercial industry insider threat specialists. Mr. Eftimiades has an M.S. Strategic Intelligence, National Defense Intelligence College, and a B.A. East Asian Studies, George Washington University. He has lived and studied in Asia for five years. Mr. Eftimiades held senior appoints on the DoD Defense Science Board, DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council/Economic Security Subcommittee, and as an Intelligence Community Associate for the National Intelligence Council. Eftimiades was also a Senior Research Fellow for six years at King’s College War Studies Department, London UK.

About the Lecture: This discussion is based on a case study that examines two policy proposals, federalism or secession, as possible solutions for the Kurdish conflict in Iran. It is a study that meticulously analyzes the historical background of the Kurdish question, identifying the critical factors for the emergence of Kurdish nationalism in Iran and the environmental degradation and dynamics of regional politics as additional factors to the complexity and multidimensional nature of the Kurdish conflict in Iran. Ultimately, this study aimed to answer one main research question: Which of these two distinct policy proposals, asymmetrical federalism, or remedial secession, can provide a peaceful and democratic solution to the long-lasting Kurdish conflict in Iran? About the Speaker: Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, Salah Bayaziddi, as a young sympathizer, joined the political process and became an activist in the Kurdish struggle against the oppression of the Iranian regime at an incredibly young age. In 1982, regime security forces arrested him. He survived over two years of torture and solitary confinement for his beliefs in a free and democratic Iran based on equality for all ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds. Following his release from prison, Salah was under strict and constant watch by regime security and intelligence agencies. From 1984 to 1990, he was deprived of the right to study, the right to work, and the right to travel outside Iran. In 1990, Salah Bayaziddi escaped Iran through the mountains of Turkey. In Ankara, he applied for refugee status and was accepted as a new Canadian immigrant through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 1991, Salah Bayaziddi resettled in Toronto. He has been active in Kurdish politics and an advocate for human rights in Iran for over 40 years. Salah Bayaziddi received his BA in Political Science from York University in Toronto, an MA in International Relations from Brock University in Canada, and a PhD in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from NSU Florida.

About the Lecture: The American Constitution is the world’s oldest. It was designed by our Founders to withstand the storms of faction, geographic expansion, war – and even Civil War. The Founders studied history. They knew that democracies always fail. Plato writes in The Republic that “democracies always become tyrannies.” How is it that our 235-year-old Constitution still governs our land? In a phrase - “checks and balances”. The Constitution has internal mechanisms that, while imperfect, were created because men are quite imperfect. Just as sailor must tack back and forth to reach his destination, the Constitution forces us to share and exchange the leavers of power to keep the ship of state from floundering and on course. When someone says, “the Electoral College is un-democratic”, a fair reply may be - “Of course it is. We are a republic, not a democracy.” Even so, America is much more democratic than most all republics in choosing a head of state. Was Mr. Churchill’s name on the ballots of all Englishmen? Was Mr. Trudeau’s name on the ballots of all Canadians? Decidedly not. We will explore why virtually all sustained republics embrace “checks and balances” and a “two-step” electoral processes - not simple majority rule. There is nothing simple about self-government About the Speaker: Mr. Michael C. Maibach is a seasoned professional in global business diplomacy. From 2003 to 2012, he was the President & CEO of the European-American Business Council after serving for 18 years as the Vice President of Global Government Affairs for the Intel Corporation. Today, he is a Trustee and Managing Director of the James Wilson Institute, and a Distinguished Fellow on American Federalism at Save Our States. Mr. Maibach has earned M.A. degrees from Northern Illinois University, Georgetown University, Ashland University, and The Institute of World Politics, where he also serves as a member of our Honorary Board of Advisors. He frequently speaks at schools and civic groups to discuss and defend the Founders’ Constitution and their Electoral College design.

About the Lecture: Conflict is no longer restricted to the domains of land, sea, and air. The Information Domain has emerged as a more than an equal warfighting domain for conflict from tension through armed conflict. The presentation will look at the information domain in military context in the Ukraine, Gaza, Bosnia, and Iraq. Attendees will get an inside look at how the military orchestrates non-kinetic (systems that don’t cause death or damage) using Information Operations (IO) as a battlefield multiplier in support of conflicts or potential conflicts. The Role of Information as a tool of Statecraft will also be addressed. About the Speaker: Lawrence "Larry" Dietz is a distinguished leader with a dual career spanning both military and commercial sectors. With a background in Psychological Operations, Information Operations, Cyber Warfare, Electronic Warfare, Cybersecurity, and Public Affairs, he is recognized as a thought leader in these fields. COL Dietz brings extensive experience in Military Intelligence, encompassing both strategic and tactical assignments, including open-source intelligence roles. In his military career, COL Dietz served at the NATO Four Star level and held key positions such as Deputy Commander of NATO SFOR Combined Joint Information Campaign Task Force in Bosnia, PSYOP Group Staff Officer, PSYOP Battalion Commander, and Military Intelligence Company Commander, among others. His expertise extends to Special Operations Forces, particularly in PSYOP and Civil Affairs. Transitioning into academia and law, COL Dietz has become an exceptional educator, both in traditional classroom settings and online platforms. At IWP, he created and teaches an asynchronous online graduate course on Intelligence and Policy. At Monterey College of Law, he co-developed and taught courses like Negotiation Lab and Data Privacy Elective, as well as the Law of Armed Conflict. As an Attorney at Law with DataPrivacyLaw.com, COL Dietz led a boutique legal practice specializing in complex contract issues and data privacy. His focus includes ensuring compliance with regulations such as the EU’s General Data Privacy Directive and state laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act. COL Dietz is also sought after for executive presentations on Privacy, Intelligence, and Cyber Influence, catering to major software and services organizations.

About the Speaker: COL (Ret) Mills has made immense contributions to America’s national security since the later stages of the Cold War. This service has been both in uniform and as a senior civilian for the Department of Defense. Colonel Mills has multiple combat tours, has helped train and equip six foreign partner military/security forces and has spent time on the National Security Council as the DOD representative to the initial Cyber Office. He attended the Psychological Operations Course at the JFK Special Warfare Center in 1985. John is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Security Policy, an Adjunct Professor at Liberty’s Helms School of Government, a plank holder with the Committee on Present Danger China, and a regular Contributor to Newsmax, War Room/Real America’s Voice, Epoch Times, NTD, and other media. He is the author of “War Against the Deep State” and “The Nation Will Follow". About the Speaker: COL (Ret) Mills has made immense contributions to America’s national security since the later stages of the Cold War. This service has been both in uniform and as a senior civilian for the Department of Defense. Colonel Mills has multiple combat tours, has helped train and equip six foreign partner military/security forces and has spent time on the National Security Council as the DOD representative to the initial Cyber Office. He attended the Psychological Operations Course at the JFK Special Warfare Center in 1985. John is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Security Policy, an Adjunct Professor at Liberty’s Helms School of Government, a plank holder with the Committee on Present Danger China, and a regular Contributor to Newsmax, War Room/Real America’s Voice, Epoch Times, NTD, and other media. He is the author of “War Against the Deep State” and “The Nation Will Follow".

About the Lecture: A sequel to Michael Walsh’s Last Stands, his new book A Rage to Conquer is a journey through the twelve of the most important battles in Western history. As Walsh sees it, war is an important facet of every culture – and, for better or worse, our world is unthinkable without it. War has been an essential part of the human condition throughout history, the principal agent of societal change, waged by men on behalf of, and in pursuit of, their gods, women, riches, power, and the sheer joy of combat. In A Rage to Conquer, Walsh brings history to life as he considers a group of courageous commanders and the battles they waged that became crucial to the course of Western history. He looks first at Carl Von Clausewitz, the seminal thinker in the Western canon dealing with war. He then moves on to Achilles at Ilium, Alexander at Gaugamela, Caesar at Alesia, Constantine at the Milvian Bridge, Aetius at the Catalaunian Plains, Bohemond at Dorylaeum and Antioch, Napoleon at Austerlitz, Pershing at St.-Mihiel, Nimitz at Midway and Patton at the Bulge with a final consideration of how the Battle of 9/11 was ultimately lost by the U.S. and what that portends for the future. About the Speaker: The author of more than fifteen novels and non-fiction books, Michael Walsh was the classical music critic for Time Magazine and received the 2004 American Book Awards prize for fiction for his gangster novel, And All the Saints in 2004. His popular columns for National Review written under the pseudonym David Kahane were developed into the book, Rules for Radical Conservatives. His books The Devil’s Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, examine the enemies, heroes, triumphs and struggles of Western Civilization from the ancient past to the present time. He divides his time between Connecticut and Ireland.

About the Lecture: **This lecture is part of the Intermarium Lecture Series and the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies at The Institute of World Politics** What is hybrid warfare? How does one identify and read unconventional attacks by autocratic regimes? Dr. Ivana Stradner will address these and related questions, providing insights into the various tools and techniques used by the Russian Federation against NATO countries and beyond. She will draw on her experience and research on Russian activities in Central Europe and the Balkans. About the Speaker: Dr. Ivana Stradner serves as a research fellow with FDD’s Barish Center for Media Integrity. She studies Russia’s security strategies and military doctrines to understand how Russia uses information operations for strategic communication. Her work examines both the psychological and technical aspects of Russian information security. Ivana also analyzes Russian influence in international organizations; she is currently focusing on the UN Cybercrime Treaty and UN efforts to regulate information security. Ivana has testified before the European Parliament and has briefed various government officials. Ivana also serves as a special correspondent for KyivPost. Before joining FDD, Ivana worked as a visiting scholar at Harvard University and a lecturer for a variety of universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, and as a Jeane Kirkpatrick fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Ivana has been published in academic journals and has written for The Washington Post, New York Post, Foreign Affairs, The Hill, Foreign Policy, Politico, The Telegraph, National Review, and more. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

About the Lecture It has been fifteen years since the Smolensk air disaster. On April 10, 2010, a Polish presidential plane crashed near the Smolensk military airport on Russian territory. The aircraft was carrying a delegation to Katyn to participate in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the 1940 Soviet massacre, and all 96 passengers and crew members were killed. Among the victims were President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria. The causes of the crash remain unknown and controversial. How has this event impacted politics in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe? What lessons can we learn from this tragic event? Professor Zurawski vel Grajewski will answer these and other questions. About the Speaker Professor Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski is a Polish political scientist, an academic, and an associate professor at the University of Lodz. Furthermore, he is an associate of the European Institute in Łódź, the Center for Political Thought, and a lecturer at the Natolin European Center and the National School of Public Administration. In 2015, Mr. Żurawski vel Grajewski became a member of the National Development Council, appointed by President Andrzej Duda. His main areas of research include international relations and geopolitics. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

Hear from IWP's expert panel on "Assessing U.S. Relations with Russia and Ukraine." As the war in Ukraine evolves and U.S. policies toward Russia shift, the world may be entering uncharted territory. Join IWP’s expert panel as they examine these developments, drawing on decades of experience shaping and implementing U.S. policy — from the Reagan Administration to today. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

About the Lecture: This lecture is part of the Student Speaker Series Through engagements like the Digital Silk Road and various state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has succeeded in creating an immense global network for data collection and stores of the world’s data. This capability is unnerving, but a more serious threat emerges coupled with CCP’s intentions to dominate on the world stage. Direct risk to the US varies depending on how the CCP will learn to process and use this data—whether for economic or coercive advantage. We can assume they would seek both, but the US knows little about what or how much data has been collected or the advancement of Chinese data learning technologies. Using the international financial system as inspiration, a model for monitoring, limiting, and reporting on global data collection and trading emerges that could provide the transparency needed to prevent China from conquering the datasphere. About the Speaker: Laren Reesman came to IWP with a B.A. in Intelligence Studies and double minors in French and Anti-Money Laundering from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has always been interested in public service, foreign affairs, and policy. Laren completed her Master of Arts in Statecraft and National Security specializing in Defense at IWP summer of 2024. She has focused on China as a US adversary and hopes to help strengthen the US against Chinese threats. Laren honed her research skills through her time at IWP and is excited to share a relevant and emerging topic with her peers. Registration is available at the door if seating permits. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

To reverse the dangerous and destructive trend towards religion- and ethnic-based conflicts there needs to be a concerted effort to chart a different approach that is rooted in a shared understanding of a common providential purpose for all humanity and animated by a mutual determination on the part of people of faith and goodwill to collaborate in education and action aimed at building a world of sectarian harmony and peace. This is the core purpose of the Abrahamic Peace Initiative (API), which recognizes Abraham and his family not only as the origin point of the three great monotheistic religions but also as the central figures tasked with forging a world of goodness based on enlightened hearts and minds working together for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. (API is a project of New America Initiative.) API believes that this, and not violent extremism, is the true purpose of religion and other moral and ethical systems, and that this peaceful approach is needed around the world today—from America and Europe to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It is an approach that can inspire and guide leaders in peace-building and reconciliation relevant to communities of all religious affiliations. The API provides an ideology of inter-religious harmony that can underpin initiatives such as the Abraham Accords and other worthy peace-making efforts. This presentation will also inform the attendees about the Hizmet Movement. Hizmet (meaning “service” in Turkish) is a transnational network of education, dialogue and humanitarian initiatives. The movement is faith-inspired yet faith-neutral as it welcomes people from all backgrounds. Hizmet’s foundations come from mainline Sunni Islam with a strong component of Islamic spirituality. The movement represents a school of thought that upholds personal devotion, freedom of expression, entrepreneurship, and nonviolence. Hizmet is a significant partner in the Abrahamic Peace Initiative. About the Speaker: Thomas Cromwell is co-founder of the New America Initiative and Chairman of the API. He spent 25 years in the Middle East, 18 of which as publisher and editor of the Middle East Times. During his time in the region he conducted a series of conferences that brought together Arabs and Israelis, Greeks, Turks and Iranians, to address shared challenges to their societies, from urbanization and agriculture to education and conflict resolution. He has travelled to 130 countries in the pursuit of understanding and to promote solutions to inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflicts. He has authored several books on these topics, including The Triumph of Good. Ibrahim Anli is Executive Director of the Rumi Forum and Advisor to API. He was a visiting researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He later joined the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), Hizmet Movement’s leading organization based in Turkey, and led the foundation’s diplomatic outreach as well as its intellectual dialogue programs. Ibrahim taught International Relations and Diplomacy at Tishk International University in Erbil, Kurdistan before he joined the Rumi Forum in 2019. He holds a BA in Economics and an MA in Conflict Resolution. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

About the Lecture This lecture is part of the Student Speaker Series The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea, has one of the worst human rights records in the world, leading many of its citizens to escape through nearby Southeast Asian countries to seek asylum in South Korea or other willing nations. A significant issue these escapees face is having an ambiguous United Nations (UN) refugee status and the fear of forced repatriation, also known as refoulement. The countries of China, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand are the most used Southeast Asian escape routes for North Korean refugees. This lecture seeks to solidify North Korean escapee’s status as refugees, explain the status of Southeast Asian countries’ relationship with North Korea and their history of forced repatriation, and proposes a UN General Assembly Human Rights Council Resolution that creates an international body called “The Committee on the Resettlement of North Korean Refugees,” which shall encourage Southeast Asian countries not to repatriate them and coordinate the removal of these refugees from Southeast Asia to be resettled in South Korea or other willing nations. About the Speaker Peace Ajirotutu is a Master of Arts candidate at the Institute of World Politics, pursuing a Masters in Statecraft and International Affairs with a concentration in Asian regional area studies. Before attending IWP, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Summa Cum Laude, with a major in Political Science and a double minor in History and Asian Studies. Peace is currently an editorial intern at the Jamestown Foundations China Brief publication. She has previously presented research on North Korea at the 2024 Intelligence Studies Consortium’s Symposium. Peace specializes in the regions of China, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Join war correspondent Mitzi Perdue as she shares compelling insights from her four journeys to Ukraine, including on-the-ground reporting from bomb shelters in cities under siege. Explore innovative police initiatives to combat human trafficking and counter Russian propaganda, as well as the pioneering efforts of Mental Help Global, an initiative inspired by her harrowing encounter with a 14-year-old orphan who survived the atrocities in Bucha. She will highlight how artificial intelligence, combined with Ukrainian psychological expertise, is bridging the mental health gap for the estimated 15 million Ukrainians in need of support—an urgent crisis compounded by the limited number of mental health professionals available in the country. This lecture is a powerful testament to human courage, innovation, and resilience in the face of devastating conflict. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

About the Lecture The Svalbard Archipelago is a remote collection of Norwegian islands in the Arctic, un-militarized and seemingly unimportant. However, their geographic proximity to Russian military assets in the Arctic make them a potentially valuable strategic asset for NATO, and a source of concern for the Russians, who have engaged in gray zone activities there since the Cold War. In recognition of these facts, NATO should reevaluate its stance on Svalbard and consider turning them into a frontier fortress in an increasingly-important region of the world. About the Speaker Jacob Spencer is a first-year student of strategic intelligence studies at IWP. He studied history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and spent 9 months teaching English as a foreign language in Uzbekistan. He is fluent in the Russian language and is pursuing a career as an expert on Russian and post-Soviet affairs

About the Speakers: Congressman John Moolenaar represents Michigan's Second Congressional District, and currently serves as Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Please visit the committee’s official website for Chairman Moolenaar’s full biography. Dr. John Lenczowski is Founder, President Emeritus, and Chancellor of The Institute of World Politics. From 1981 to 1983, Dr. Lenczowski served in the State Department in the Bureau of European Affairs and as Special Advisor to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Lawrence Eagleburger. From 1983 to 1987, he was Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council. In that capacity, he was principal Soviet affairs adviser to President Reagan. About the Lecture: This event will delve into the critical importance of political warfare and public diplomacy as tools to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence and aggression at home and abroad . The discussion will explore how the United States can go on the political warfare offensive to win without war—the most neglected area in U.S.-PRC relations—and the potential for fostering hope among the Chinese people to demand political change.

About the Book ***This lecture is sponsored by the IWP IAFIE Alpha Student Chapter*** Since its founding in 1995, the FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service, has regained most the domestic security functions of the Soviet-era KGB. Under Vladimir Putin, who served as FSB director just before becoming president, the agency has grown to be one of the most powerful and favored organizations in Russia. The FSB not only conducts internal security but also has primacy in intelligence operations in former Soviet states. Their activities include anti-dissident operations at home and abroad, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, criminal investigations of crimes against the state, and guarding Russia’s borders. In The Russian FSB, Kevin P. Riehle provides a brief history of the FSB’s origins, placed within the context of Russian history, the government’s power structure, and Russia’s wider culture. He describes how the FSB’s mindset and priorities show continuities from the tsarist regimes and the Soviet era. The book’s chapters analyze origins, organizational structure, missions, leaders, international partners, and cultural representations such as the FSB in film and television. Here is a link to an earlier book Dr. Riehle wrote for NIU available for free download: Russian Intelligence: A Case-based Study of Russian Services and Missions Past and Present About the Author Dr. Kevin Riehle retired in 2021 from a 30+ year career in the U.S. national security community, with tours in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Counterintelligence Center, U.S. European Command Joint Analysis Center, DoD Counterintelligence Field Activity, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He also retired in 2014 as a U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer with the rank of commander. During his career, Riehle focused on analyzing foreign intelligence services and supporting counterintelligence activities to neutralize the threats they pose. He finished his career as an associate professor of strategic intelligence at the National Intelligence University, teaching courses and chairing over 40 master’s theses on intelligence, counterintelligence, and Eurasia-related topics. He also served as the department head for the Collection, Analysis and Counterintelligence Department.

About the Lecture: Pig Butchering, a slang Chinese term for the process of “fattening the pig before the slaughter”, has become synonymous with crypto investment scams. Investment scams have become the most costly cyber-enabled crime reported to the FBI, with reported losses exceeding $4.5B. Across the globe, some studies estimate losses over $63B. In this discussion, we will differentiate between investment scams and Pig Butchering scams, and also learn about the implications to national security and global security from Pig Butchering and its ties to organized crime and nation state threats. About the Speaker: Robin J. Pugh is the President of DarkTower, a bespoke threat intelligence firm that leverages University partnerships and research to provide managed threat intelligence services to industry leaders in banking, insurance, law enforcement, and ecommerce. DarkTower focuses on disrupting internet-enabled crime and training the next generation of cybercrime fighters. In 2023, Robin brought together a team of cybercrime fighters and launched Intelligence for Good, a non-profit organization whose mission is to address the explosion of internet-enabled crimes against individuals including crypto investment scams, romance scams, sextortion and other crimes with “no natural predator.” Robin received her degree in Business Administration from Montreat College and resides in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area with her husband and three children.

About the Lecture: The delicate balance between deterrence and reassurance in managing tensions in the Taiwan Strait calls for balanced action and management of measured risks. The talk will examine how strategic diplomacy, military readiness, and multilateral engagement can prevent conflict, while fostering stability and mutual trust and emphasizes the need for a nuanced approach that strengthens deterrence to dissuade aggression, while simultaneously engaging in diplomatic efforts to reassure all parties, aiming for a new equilibrium that preserves peace and security in the region. About the Speaker: Jason Hsu is a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, leading the Indo-Pacific Technology and Geopolitics practice. He also serves as Senior Advisor on Policy and International Partnerships for Liquid AI, RunSafe Cybersecurity, Rhombus Power, and the American Frontier Fund. From 2016 to 2020, he was a legislator in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, where he championed key legislation on defense, technology, and cybersecurity. Hsu has also held research and teaching roles at Harvard, Yale, and other prestigious institutions, focusing on semiconductor policy, export controls, and Taiwan Strait contingencies. His work is widely published and recognized, including contributions to major global media outlets and think tanks. He was mentioned in the U.S. Congressional Record for his role in creating the Indo-Pacific Technology Security Alliance. Hsu holds a master’s degree from Harvard Kennedy School and is a recipient of multiple fellowships, including the Eisenhower Fellowship and Stanford’s Draper Hills Summer Fellowship.

About the Lecture: Since the time of Chairman Mao, the Chinese Communist Party has recognized Africa’s importance. Especially under President Xi Jinping, the continent has become crucial to some of the CCP’s most cherished ambitions. In his presentation, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey will explain how Africa fits into the CCP’s strategy to reorder the international system, gain for China an unassailable lead on the technologies it believes will dominate the future global economy, and refine its domestic systems of control. About the Speaker: Joshua Meservey is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute where he focuses on great power competition in Africa, African geopolitics, and counterterrorism. He was previously a research fellow for Africa at the Heritage Foundation. Before joining Heritage, he worked at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center and at the US Army Special Operations Command where he helped write an Army concept paper. He also worked at Church World Service (CWS) based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and traveled extensively in East and Southern Africa interviewing refugees. He ended his time at CWS responsible for a multinational team of nearly 100 staff. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Zambia and extended his service there to work for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has testified twice before the Senate, five times before the House of Representatives, and once before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is lead author of a monograph on al-Shabaab’s insurgency and contributed a chapter to the book War and Peace in Somalia, published by Oxford University Press. He has written for a wide range of publications including Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the National Interest, The Hill, and various journals. His commentary is often featured in various print and digital media outlets, and he has presented at the National Defense University and the State Department. Mr. Meservey holds a master of arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in history from the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and children.